FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY - Gospel (Lk 2:41-52) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
- NHA CHUA CHA
- Jan 1, 2025
- 6 min read
“Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" (Lk 2:49)
FIRST READING - Sir 3:2-6, 12-14
A reading from the Book of Sirach
God sets a father in honor over his children;
a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons.
Whoever honors his father atones for sins,
and preserves himself from them.
When he prays, he is heard;
he stores up riches who reveres his mother.
Whoever honors his father is gladdened by children,
and, when he prays, is heard.
Whoever reveres his father will live a long life;
he who obeys his father brings comfort to his mother.
My son, take care of your father when he is old;
grieve him not as long as he lives.
Even if his mind fail, be considerate of him;
revile him not all the days of his life;
kindness to a father will not be forgotten,
firmly planted against the debt of your sins
—a house raised in justice to you.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Col 3:12-21 or 3:12-17
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians
Brothers and sisters:
Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
bearing with one another and forgiving one another,
if one has a grievance against another;
as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.
And over all these put on love,
that is, the bond of perfection.
And let the peace of Christ control your hearts,
the peace into which you were also called in one body.
And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,
as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another,
singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs
with gratitude in your hearts to God.
And whatever you do, in word or in deed,
do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Wives, be subordinate to your husbands,
as is proper in the Lord.
Husbands, love your wives,
and avoid any bitterness toward them.
Children, obey your parents in everything,
for this is pleasing to the Lord.
Fathers, do not provoke your children,
so they may not become discouraged.
FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY - Gospel (Lk 2:41-52)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
In today's Word of God, God wants to say to all humanity, especially families who walk in God's grace to run to God. Above all, turn to Him. Let us be happy and truly peaceful families under God's Providence, like Elkanah and Hannah's family in today's first reading. With fervent prayers, obedience to God's will, and living simply to please Him, He answered the mother's prayer. He gave the family a son, who later became a great prophet of God, the prophet Samuel.
God calls all of His children, when living in a family, to obey His will in all things from small things to great things. It is similar to the image of the Holy Family of Nazareth: the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, and the Child Jesus. This holy family has always known how to fear and obey God everywhere and at all times, trusting and completely entrusting themselves to God's providence and guidance in their lives on this earth.
Likewise, families today must know how to fear and listen to God's Words, not follow their own will, to have peace and happiness. Otherwise, Satan will be able to rampage into families with disasters, calamities, difficulties, and sufferings, so that God can awaken families to their faith and trust in God. And He will also go through Satan's temptations in order to test their love for Him and for others.
Dear People of God,
In today's Word of God, God wants to say to all humanity, especially families who walk in God's grace to run to God. Above all, turn to Him. Let us be happy and truly peaceful families under God's Providence, like Elkanah and Hannah's family in today's first reading. With fervent prayers, obedience to God's will, and living simply to please Him, He answered the mother's prayer. He gave the family a son, who later became a great prophet of God, the prophet Samuel.
God calls all of His children, when living in a family, to obey His will in all things from small things to great things. It is similar to the image of the Holy Family of Nazareth: the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, and the Child Jesus. This holy family has always known how to fear and obey God everywhere and at all times, trusting and completely entrusting themselves to God's providence and guidance in their lives on this earth.
Likewise, families today must know how to fear and listen to God's Words, not follow their own will, to have peace and happiness. Otherwise, Satan will be able to rampage into families with disasters, calamities, difficulties, and sufferings, so that God can awaken families to their faith and trust in God. And He will also go through Satan's temptations in order to test their love for Him and for others.
In today's Word of God, God continues to call on families to always contemplate the image of the Holy Family, turn to Him, and absolutely believe that God is the master of their family. It is He who guides their family from words to actions in this world. Without God's providence, protection, and care, their family cannot become a happy home like the Holy Family. Instead, it will only be a place filled with hatred and death and will turn into hell where Satan resides. Under the working of the Holy Spirit, God calls all His children: for their family to be happy, each member must know how to live in the grace and love of God, to be protected and sheltered by Him. Each member must know how to love and protect each other in the grace of God by listening to the Word of God, putting the Word into practice, and listening to each other as Jesus Christ always obeyed his mother and father, Mother Mary and Saint Joseph. Because He is God, He humbled Himself to become a child dependent on humanity, dependent on the care and nurturing of the family and society. Today, God also calls all His children, when living in a family, to obey their true superiors, parents, brothers, and sisters, and to live according to God's teachings.
To do that, we need to be simple, gentle, and humble in heart like the image of Jesus Christ who always obeyed His parents, which the Gospel summarizes in one sentence: "And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man."
To live as Jesus lived, people must also cling to God and His love, entrusting their families to Him. Together with the protection and care of the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph, God Himself will lead their families to walk in grace, in the love and providence of God the Most High.
Today, the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Saint Joseph sends an important message to families around the world: Have absolute faith in the Word of God that teaches every day, look up to the example of God Himself, and always obey, fear, and follow. Then surely peace and happiness will always remain in the family, in each member, in each situation, and in each era of humanity. And the human generation will joyfully walk in the grace and mysterious love of the Holy Trinity when every individual knows how to convert themselves. Through families, which are the cells of society, God sanctifies all of humanity, because He wants to guide people to a more universal love, which is the Church family, the human family - where everyone is brothers and sisters of each other, and there is only one God, one common Father.
The family is where people grow up and find their way back. God shows humanity the image of the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph, two great saints in Heaven, because they knew how to obey God, lived their vocation to the fullest, always protecting and sheltering their families under God's guidance, especially always being closely united with God at all times and in all places. Today, God has placed these two as the most powerful protectors for the human family at all times and places. Humanity must not forget to run to them. Today's Word of God calls upon all families, the Church family and especially the family of the Army of Light where the Holy Spirit is beginning His work of Sanctification: Let us learn from the shining example of the Holy Family who always know how to love each other, protect, defend, and preserve each other from the temptations and imprisonments of Satan, must absolutely obey the Word of God from big to small things and absolutely believe in His immense mercy. Through the obedience, sacrifice, and prayer of mankind, God restores dignity and restores the form of Satan and the devil. In the beginning of creation, these creatures were intelligent, beautiful, holy, and good. “For you love all things that are and loathe nothing that you have made; for you would not fashion what you hate.” Especially with mankind: “But you have mercy on all, because you can do all things; and you overlook sins for the sake of repentance. (Wis 11:23)
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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