Sunday Sermon and Another Year Gone By

“Families are the compass that guides us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter.”

~Brad Henry

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An early 8 o’clock morning Mass at St. Frances in Stillwater. The alter was adorned with gorgeous red poinsettias. This Sunday is the Feast of the Holy Family. A wonderful celebration of the family. Those of us who are blessed with loving families can understand the strong blessings.

Today’s Gospel, the Holy Family was required to travel to Jerusalem to present the child Jesus and offer the required sacrifice.

When the days were completed for their purification

according to the law of Moses,

They took him up to Jerusalem

to present him to the Lord,

just as it is written in the law of the Lord,

Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,

and to offer the sacrifice of

a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,

in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord……….

When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions

of the law of the Lord,

they returned to Galilee,

to their own town of Nazareth.

The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;

and the favor of God was upon him.

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Father’s homily was about the importance of family. Even though Jesus was the Son of God, He was still part man, and needed to be raised and taught the ways of man, and the traditions and beliefs of His family. So, Joseph and Mary were the first teachers and examples for the child Jesus.

My take on it… We must all understand the importance of parents teaching their children, not only by word and writings, but by example. Joseph and Mary were the perfect example of good parents, teaching Jesus until He was old enough to share His word and teachings with the world.

Today is a good day to reflect on the importance of family. Not only because it is the Feast of the Holy Family, but because we are starting a new year in just a few hours. Let’s think about how we can become closer to our family, or even closer to those without families. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all say, “WE ARE ALL FAMILY ON THIS EARTH. PEACE TO ALL OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS.”

After Mass, I lit a candle and said a prayer for us all. HAPPY NEW YEAR!