CARING FOR ONE ANOTHER
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: The Holy Family is a model for our families as we confront the tensions and crises that threaten the stability, peace, and unity of family life. Today’s Feast calls us to re-discover and celebrate our own families as places of forgiveness and understanding, of unconditional love and acceptance.
We pray that we may care for one another in our families.
Penitential Rite
L: For the times we have failed to put ourselves out for the other, we ask the Lord – who loved and cherished his family – to pardon us.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you are Son of God and Son of Mary:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Christ Jesus, you were faithful to your heavenly Father and your earthly parents:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you call us to reach out to others in love:
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: O God,
you cradle us at the beginning of life
and embrace us at our journey’s end,
for you love us as your own.
Bind our families together and deepen our faith,
that, like the Holy Family of Nazareth,
we may grow in wisdom, obedient to your word.
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 Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14
Psalm Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5
Response The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
Reading 2 Hebrews 11:8, 11-12, 17-19
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets;
in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son.
Gospel Luke 2:22-40
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 “took the child… by night and departed for Egypt.” What are your thoughts and feelings when they must flee from their homeland to escape Herod?
Sunday Snippets
During an audience, Pope Paul VI spoke about an experience he had when he was Archbishop of Milan and visiting families in a parish. He found an elderly woman living alone. “How are you?” he asked. “Not bad,” she answered. “I have enough food, and I’m not suffering from the cold.” “You must be reasonably happy then?” he said. “No, I’m not,” she said and started to cry. “My son and daughter-in-law never come to see me. I’m dying of loneliness.” The Pope concluded: “Food and warmth are not enough; people need something more. They need our presence, our time, our love. They need to be touched, to be reassured that they are not forgotten.”
This “something more” is what a family ought to provide! A family provides not merely material needs but also and especially emotional and spiritual needs. This is what makes a family: caring for one another and meeting the needs of one another.
The gospel graphically describes how Joseph and Mary leave home and possessions, family and homeland to preserve their son from Herod’s wrath. They step out of their comfort zone, and live in a country they did not know, with languages and customs not their own; they put themselves out to meet their son’s need for safety and security.
In a family, children, too, have obligations. The first reading exhorts children to respect and obey their parents, and to help them in their old age.
Paul in his letter to the Colossians suggests attitudes and virtues for the whole family: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness... and above all, love.
Today’s feast of the Holy Family and the readings give us a blueprint for family life.
How will reach out to the other members of my family? Will I become aware of their needs and get out of my comfort zone to meet those needs? Will I put on compassion, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and love?
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: Why does Sirach say that good things happen to us when we honour our parents?
Is honouring parents the same as gratitude towards God? Why/ why not?
Reading 2: In his letter to the Colossians, St Paul gives some ideas about how we can love each other and live in harmony: have compassion, kindness, humility, patience, bearing with one another, and forgiving each other. How am I doing with it in my life? Where do I struggle?
Gospel: Does Joseph have second thoughts about leaving his job, dwelling, or possessions when the angel tells him to take Mary and flee to Egypt? What was the only thing that was important to the holy family? How far will I step out of my comfort zone for other people? Where do I “draw the line” and why?
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 God’s family of the Church: that it may keep defending respect for life, the call to fidelity and love, the sacredness of the marriage bond, 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 married couples: that they may continually grow in love and support one another with compassion and patience, we pray…
R: For children: that as they grow up, they may appreciate their parents and be grateful to them, 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 all immigrants and refugees: that God may guide and sustain them, help them to adjust to all the new things that they experience, and protect them in their new homes, we pray…
R: For ourselves: that we may recognize our responsibilities to one another in our families and fulfil them with compassion, kindness, and patience, we pray…
L: Lord our God, Jesus grew up in a human family. May Mary and Joseph teach us 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 birth of their first-born (albeit in difficult circumstances),
the presence of shepherds and wise men
(representing the gamut of society!),
being able to make the prescribed offering in the Temple,
seeing their son grow in wisdom and stature.
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,
and many more.
They were like any other human family!
Through their joys, trials, and sorrows,
they cared for one another.
May we care for one another
trusting in your care and love for us,
and your constant presence in our lives.
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.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:
