Gulf Pine Catholic

Gulf Pine Catholic • December 25, 2020 5 9274 Hwy 49/Airport Gulfport, MS 39503 228-863-5525 1-800-880-2446 FAX: 228-863-9612 www.butchoustalet.com 1260 Ocean Springs Road, Ocean Springs, MS 39564 Ph: 228-818-0650 For more information, contact Jody Ellis Stoddard, Executive Director or email her at gardensED@BlueHarborSL.com Web Address: www.gardensseniorliving.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheGardensSeniorLivingOceanSprings Thank you, St. Jude, for prayers answered. MLH Holiness is the virtue by which we make all our acts subservient to God. It includes attachment to God and separation from sin. My grade school under- standing of the Holy Family was a picture-perfect holy card of three people who lived a life of tranquility, holiness, harmony, and free from worry. It was unlike anything that resembled my family or any other family I knew. But, in fact, Jesus lived in a family and a world that had far more difficult conditions and experiences thanmine andmost of my contemporaries. Even Jesus’ Genealogy (Matthew 1:1-17) describes a heritage of patriarchs, prophets, saints, sinners, heroes, harlots, adulterers, murderers, and deceivers, that some of us might be reluctant to admit were family members. As for the Holy Family: Mary, Jesus’ mother, was an unmarried teen whose fiancé, Joseph, had no sexual relations with her and was distraught when he found out she was pregnant. After the Holy Spirit opened Joseph’s eyes to see things God’s way, he and Mary married and immediately endured the hardship of an eighty-plus mile trip to Bethlehem were Mary delivered her baby in a barn. Soon after Jesus’ birth the Holy Family went from Israel to Egypt to escape King Herod who slaughtered all male children two years old and under because he wanted to kill the newborn “King of the Jews.” Then, after Herod died, they left Egypt to resettle in Nazareth. When Jesus was 12 years old, he separated from his parents for two days until they found him in a Temple conversing with Jewish elders. When they scolded him for disappearing without their permission, he replied, “don’t you know I had to be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:41-52). Although the Holy Family consisted of two extremely holy, saintly, and specially chosen people and one who was divine that did not shield them from the hardships of life, nor did they live out their sanctity in a protective bubble. In witness to the world and all future generations, and despite stressful and difficult circumstances their unconditional love, persistent prayer, expectant faith, and submission to the will of God helped them stay unified and conquer many adversities. In today’s first reading, although God promised to make Abram (Abraham) a great nation, Abram countered the covenant promise with the concern that his wife is barren, and they are childless. But, as God persisted with the covenant promise, Abram yielded and put his faith in the Lord, who credited it to him as an act of righteousness (morally good, acting in accord with divine will or law) (Genesis 15:6). St. Paul sees Abraham as the model of how someone becomes righteous in God’s eyes -- through faith in His word (Romans 4 9-12). St. James writes, “was not our father, Abraham, justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works, and scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness’ and he was called the friend of God” (James 2:21-23). Psalm 105 continues the covenant (family) theme where the people are exhorted to give thanks to God because, “The Lord remembers his covenant forever.” Family and covenant also celebrate remembrance -- never take for granted, forget, or fail to give thanks for all that God has done (vv. 5-7). The first fifteen verses of Psalm 105 were regularly recited as the Israelite community gathered at Temple worship. Our service to God and family can at times be performed out of duty and quickly become a drudgery. But Psalm 105 invites us to rejoice through serving the Lord and the people he brings into our lives. Hebrews 11 extols the heroes of faith throughout the Old Testament scriptures. Read the entire Chapter 11 and reflect on the lives of those heroes mentioned to assimilate your life with theirs. Some of those mentioned are Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Samuel, David. Also, prophets: Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Judith, Ruth. Also reflect on the Apostles, and saints. Today’s gospel speaks of the Holy Family, “fulfilling all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord.” There were three rituals: Circumcision of the child (Jesus), Redemption of the first-born, and Purification of the mother after childbirth. At the heart of these rituals was the conviction that a child is a gift from God and of all God’s gifts there is none for which we will be so answerable as the life of a child. For the purification rite, the gospel passage uses the plural, “When the days for their purification were completed, they took him up to Jerusalem,” because the sacrificial offering was determined by the family’s financial ability. Mary, and Joseph offered, “Two young pigeons” -- the offering of the poor. Although spiritually rich, the Holy Family, was considered monetarily poor. When life is worrisome for us, we can turn to Jesus, Mary and Joseph who not only knew the pressure and demands of their society but the day-to-day difficulties of making ends meet. Two prophets, Simeon and Anna speak about the child Jesus. Simeon expresses gratitude to God as he looks at Jesus and prays, “My eyes have witnessed your saving deeds.” It takes an eye-opening gift from God to see the deeper meaning and divine gifts offered in ordinary events of family life. Is Christ any less present to us at home than he is at church as we gather to worship? In the Mass, Jesus is present in Eucharist, Word and Assembly. To see Jesus in the mess, stress and struggles we face each day we need Simeon’s gifts of vision, patience, persistence, and prayer. Anna, the prophetess, gave witness that Jesus was the promised Messiah. All the Baptized are prophets, empowered to give witness to Jesus in our lives. The Holy Family turned obstacles into opportunities and will support us in our difficulties. We can ask Jesus for all the gifts we need and pray for Mary and Joseph’s intercession. They understand the problems faced by families, teens, parents, single moms, and everyone who has ever struggled or been victimized. God too has given us the time-bound opportunity and joy filled privilege of helping those closest to us grow in holiness as we look to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph as models of faith, courage, trust, and love. Deacon Ralph Torrelli lives in Hattiesburg and is assigned to St. Thomas Aquinas Parish. Visit his web- site: www.homilypearls.com. 1st Reading: Genesis 15:1-6; 21: 1-3 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 105:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9 2nd Reading: Hebrews 11:8, 11-12, 17-19 Gospel: Luke 2:22-40 Holy Family: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph Holiness Deacon Torrell i Sunday Scripture Commentaries