INVEST IN FAMILY
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather as a family/ community; create an environment appropriate for prayer (dress appropriately - switch off your phones...).
We are conscious that Christ is present not only in the Blessed Sacrament but also in the Scriptures and in our hearts. Even when we are on our own, we remain part of the Body of Christ.
Place lighted candles, a crucifix, and the Bible on a covered table. These remind us of the sacredness of our time of prayer and could help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.
You may sing or play an appropriate hymn. For instance:
The Sign of the Cross
Greeting and Introductory Words
L: The Lord invites us to the table of his Word: let us bless him for his goodness.
A: Blessed be God forever.
L: We celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. The Holy Family is a model of love and service for all our homes.
Each of our families is called to be a “holy family”! We can be a holy family – each in its own unique way – to the extent and measure that we spend time with one another. We pray that we may imitate the Holy Family of Nazareth and become holy families.
Penitential Rite
L: Let us ask the Lord to forgive us for the times we have not invested our time and energy to build our families.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you are Son of God and Son of Mary:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you spent time in your Father’s house:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, went with Mary and Joseph to Nazareth, and were obedient to them:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
Gloria
Opening Prayer
L: As your sons and daughters, O loving God,
we come before you in thanksgiving,
called and united by your eternal Word.
Teach us to ponder the mystery of Nazareth,
that we may always find in you
the source of our strength
and the unity of our families.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings
The readings are those assigned for the day in the Lectionary.
Preferably use a Bible/ Lectionary for reading.
Reading 1 1 Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28
Psalm Psalm 84:2-3, 5-6, 9-10
Response Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.
Reading 2 1 John 3:1-2, 21-24
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
Gospel Luke 2:41-52
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Imagine being with Joseph and Mary as they “went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover” and when they do not find him “among their relatives and acquaintances”. What are your thoughts and feelings?
Sunday Snippets
A little boy asks his father: “Daddy, how much do you make an hour?” The father is surprised: “Look, son, not even your mum asks that question!” The son keeps insisting. The father is tired and so replies: “Five hundred rupees.” “Daddy, could you lend me two hundred?” Dad is livid: “So that was the reason you asked how much I earn, right? Now, go to sleep and don’t bug me anymore!”
Later, the father feels guilty; his son may have needed to buy something. He goes to his son’s room. “Are you asleep, son?” “No, Daddy. Why?” Dad gives him two hundred bucks: “Here’s the money you asked for earlier.” “Thanks, Daddy!” replies the boy. Then he reaches under his pillow, pulls out some crumbled notes, joyfully gives them to Dad: “Now I have enough! Daddy, here’s five hundred rupees; please give me an hour of your time tomorrow!”
This is only a story, but it drives home a crucial point: a huge threat facing families today is we don’t spend enough time together. We are busy working or watching our screens; we have little time for each other. Today’s Feast challenges us to invest in our family life.
The holy family spent time doing religious things together.
Luke writes: “Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover…” The distance between Nazareth and Jerusalem was over 100 kilometres. Travelling was on foot; the journey was dangerous. Despite hardships, Mary and Joseph fulfilled their religious commitments together.
The holy family came together at mealtime.
We read: “In the evening they looked for him among their relations and acquaintances.” The pilgrims travelled in groups… men in one group and women in another, and children with either group. But Joseph and Mary were particular they came together for the meal.
The holy family gave priority to family.
“He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them.” This is a bit of a puzzle! The twelve-year old Jesus knew that his mission was to be about his Father’s business. Yet he returned to Nazareth with his parents to spend the next eighteen years there. For every one year of his public life, Jesus spent ten years in family; that is the importance he gave to family and time with them.
The Holy Family is an example and a challenge to us to value and invest in our families before all else, even when our job is as important as saving the world.
How will I spend time with my family: will I pray together, eat together, and value our life together?
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: “I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request. Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD.” How do I respond when the Lord grants my request?
Reading 2: “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God.” What are the implications of this for me? How do I live as a child of God?
Gospel: Mary and Joseph found Jesus in the temple. How could that idea help in my search for him and release from anxiety?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: On this feast of the Holy Family of Nazareth, let us pray to God our Father as one family of his sons and daughters: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that we may recognize and honor the dignity which we have been given in being called children of God, we pray…
R: For all peoples on the earth: that they have a greater respect for the dignity of marriage and family, we pray…
R: For all families: that they may support one another and help one another grow in wisdom, age, and grace, and walk closer with God each day, we pray…
R: For all parents: that they may love their children and help them grow in understanding and living Christian values, we pray…
R: For children: that they may grow safely in body, mind, and spirit, and develop their gifts and talents to their fullest, we pray…
R: For grandparents: that their children and grandchildren may help and love them in the evening of their life, we pray…
R: For all who have no families: that those who have been orphaned, alienated, or rejected by their families may experience love, acceptance, and belonging through Christian communities, we pray…
R: For ourselves: that the Spirit may give us insight into our experiences and help us to learn from them how to hear God’s invitation and fully respond to God, we pray…
L: Lord our God, Jesus grew up in a human family. May Mary and Joseph teach us to spend time with one another, and to let Jesus grow up in us, for he is Lord for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
The Lord’s Prayer
Spiritual Communion
A: Jesus, I know and believe in your real presence in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is you I desire to love and receive above all things. As I am unable to receive your sacramental presence now, come and be with me in heart and soul. Let my entire self be united with you as I welcome you again and know your loving embrace. Amen.
Post Spiritual Communion Reflection
Lord, the Holy Family of Nazareth had their joys—
the joy
of the birth of their first-born (albeit in difficult circumstances),
of the presence of shepherds and wise men
(representing the gamut of society!),
of being able to make the prescribed journey to Jerusalem,
of seeing their son grow in wisdom and age and favour.
They had their trials and sorrows too—
an arduous journey to Bethlehem,
not finding room for Mary to give birth to her first-born
and being compelled to lay him in a manger,
having to flee their homeland to escape Herod,
of losing their son during the pilgrimage to Jerusalem,
and many more.
They were like any other human family!
Through their joys, trials, and sorrows,
they were faithful to you and to one another;
they spent time together in prayer and at mealtime,
and gave priority to family life.
May we imitate their fidelity
and invest in our families.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: God our Father,
you gave to your Son Jesus
the warmth and security of a family
with Mary and Joseph at Nazareth.
Make your Son also share the life
of all our Christian families
and make your Church a community
where we learn to accept and help one another
as members of one family.
Through Christ our Lord.A: Amen.
Blessing
L: The Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
L: Go in the peace of Christ.
A: Thanks be to God.
Conclude with a hymn. For instance:
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