Holy Family Sunday (C) December 31, 2000		 Christian Family Movement
  Every Family a Domestic Church -- in Mission to the World
"When Jesus was twelve years old, they went to the festival as usual."
Dear Friend,

          The Gospel readings are stories on the life, the words, and the actions of Jesus as related by the disciples to the young Church. These stories, having touched the young Church, were treasured and remembered for its power to transform life. In the beginning, these stories were not written but spread only by word of mouth. But as a need for the Good News to reach more people grew, the Gospel had to be written down. These stories were compiled by the four Evangelists to make their specific audiences truly followers of the Christ.

          From this narrative, it seems that the family of Mary and Joseph was an ordinary family. Please read the Gospel of Luke 2:41-52 to your family. Then, it may help the family understand it better if you can relate it again in your own words. Ask them for their observations about Jesus and His parents. Examples of such observations are:

  1. They would go to Jerusalem every year for the Passover Festival, like we would go every year to a town fiesta to commemorate a patron saint.

  2. The parents wanted their Son to learn about their family traditions.

  3. In one of these occasions when Jesus was twelve, the parents could not find him.

  4. That time, Jesus was a growing inquisitive young man.

  5. He wanted to know more than what His parents had taught Him. He was in search for more knowledge and understanding about the teachings of their church.

  6. He must have heard from Mary and Joseph about an angel who came and announced His birth. He was in search for His own identity.

  7. The parents trusted their Son to remain by their side always.
  8. The family had their own misunderstanding.
          When the family returned to their home, the Child was obedient to His parents and grew in body and in wisdom. The family became a Holy Family. What made this ordinary family a Holy Family? Luke seemed to want to pass on to us the following:
  1. The family learned from their church, both the parents and the Child were in search for its traditions and teachings.

  2. The family learned from each other. The Child taught Mary and Joseph where they could find the Father. He is in the Temple. Jesus would later teach that that Temple is His body, as He is in Father as the Father is in Him. That Temple becomes own body as we receive Him in the Eucharist.

  3. There were things that they could not understand but just kept in their hearts. They had faith.
Prayer and Reflection ~

Let us pray that our families, ordinary families, follow the example of the family of Mary, Joseph and Jesus to become also holy families.

"Twelve Pebbles" is written by Joe & Charito Hilario of the Christian Family Movement and is published by Simbahayan sa Maynila.

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