SUNDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS: FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY

SOME BRIEF LESSONS FROM THE HOLY FAMILY OF NAZARETH

• A LESSON OF SILENCE. May esteem for silence, that admirable and indispensable condition of mind, revive in us, besieged as we are by so many uplifted voices, the general noise and uproar, in our seething and oversensitized modern life. May the silence of Nazareth teach us recollection, inwardness, the disposition to listen to good inspirations and the teachings of true masters. May it teach us the need for and the value of preparation, of study, of meditation, of personal inner life, of the prayer which God alone sees in secret. 

• A LESSON ON FAMILY LIFE. May Nazareth teach us what family life is, its communion of love, its austere and simple beauty, and its sacred and inviolable character. Let us learn from Nazareth that the formation received at home is gentle and irreplaceable. Let us learn the prime importance of the role of family in the social order. 

• A LESSON OF WORK. Nazareth, home of the “Carpenter’s Son”, in you I would choose to understand and proclaim the severe and redeeming law of human work; and reaffirm that work cannot be an end in itself, but that its freedom and its excellence derive, over and above its economic worth, from the value of those for whose sake it is undertaken. And here at Nazareth, to conclude, I want to greet all the workers of the world, holding up to them their great pattern, their brother who is God. He is the prophet of all their just causes, Christ our Lord. 

SOURCE: An address by Pope Paul VI. 5 January 1964. Taken from THE PATTERN OF NAZARETH in THE DIVINE OFFICE I – ADVENT, CHRISTMASTIDE & WEEKS 1-9 OF THE YEAR, pages 206-207.

Jskarta, 28 December 2014 [Feast of the Holy Family] 

A Christian Pilgrim

 

BENEDICTUS: THE CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH [LUKE 1:67-79]

Jakarta, 24 December 2014

A Christian Pilgrim

 

WHY FAITH IS LACKING

WHY FAITH IS LACKING 

Faith is lacking because there is so much selfishness and so much gain only for self. But faith, to be true, has to be a giving love. Love and faith go together. They complete each other. 

People don’t know they have lost their faith. If they were convinced that the person lying in the dirt is their brother and sister, I believe they would do something for that person. People don’t know what compassion is. They don’t know people. If they understood, they would immediately realize the greatness of the people lying in the street and would simply love them. And the love would surely lead them to place themselves at their service. 

Mother Teresa of Calcutta 

(In Dorothy S. Hunt (Editor), LOVE: A FRUIT ALWAYS IN SEASON – Daily Meditations by MOTHER TERESA, page 21) 

Jakarta, 4 December 2014 

A Christian Pilgrim

 

BECOME A CHILD IN GOD’S HANDS

BECOME A CHILD IN GOD’S HANDS 

“Unless you become a little child …” I am sure you will understand beautifully everything if you would only “become” a little child in God’s hands. Your longing for God is so deep, and yet He keeps Himself away from you. He must be forcing Himself to do so, because He loves you so much – as to give Jesus to die for you and for me. Christ is longing to be your Food. Surrounded with fullness of living Food, you allow yourself to starve. The personal love Christ has for you is infinite; the small difficulty you have regarding His Church is finite. Overcome the finite with the infinite. Christ has created you because He wanted you. I know what you feel – terrible longing with dark emptiness. And yet, He is the one in love with you. 

Mother Teresa of Calcutta 

 

(In Dorothy S. Hunt [Editor], LOVE: A FRUIT ALWAYS IN SEASON – Daily Meditations by MOTHER TERESA, pages 20-21) 

Jakarta, 3 December 2014 

A Christian Pilgrim

 

TO SEE CHRIST IN THE POOR

TO SEE CHRIST IN THE POOR 

We need the eyes of deep faith to see Christ in the broken body and dirty clothes under which the most beautiful One among the sons of men hides. We shall need the hands of Christ to touch those bodies wounded by pain and suffering. 

How pure our hands must be if we have to touch Christ’s Body as the priest touches Him in the appearance of bread at the altar. With what love and devotion and faith he lifts the sacred Host! These same feelings we too must have when we lift the body of the sick poor. 

Mother Teresa of Calcutta 

(In Dorothy S. Hunt (Editor), LOVE: A FRUIT ALWAYS IN SEASON – Daily Meditations by MOTHER TERESA, pages 19-20)

Jakarta, 1 December 2014

A Christian Pilgrim

 

OUR LADY OF SORROWS (JOHN 19:25-27) – 15 SEPTEMBER

OUR LADY OF SORROWS (JOHN 19:25-27) – 15 SEPTEMBER

MARY suffered terribly at the foot of the cross as she watched her son die an excruciating death. She showed her son her love in the only way she could, by her presence with Him. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, she had eyes of faith that believed God’s plan was coming to fruition, even though it was nowhere to be seen. She cried out at the injustice, but she believed that the power of God would overcome death.

Surrounded by Jesus’ persecutors, Mary herself called to join with Him in His prayer: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34). If any sense of condemnation had been in the cry in her heart, Mary would not have been in union with Jesus. Only by turning to the Holy Spirit in her could Mary forgive and bless in the face of complete injustice, hatred, and violence.

All of us will experience the rebuff of others at some time. But can we remain at the foot of the cross with Mary and forgive those who hurt us by their words of deeds? Mary accepted Jesus’ invitation to take His “beloved disciples” as her son, and in doing so, she accepted all His disciples as members of her family. Even now, thirty-three years after the angel’s first visit, Mary again was called to lay down her own ideas of family and of what she wanted for her life. And again, her doing so was the fruit of the Holy Spirit in her.

We, too, are called to love all men and women who call themselves Christian. Are we willing to follow Mary’s example and embrace all of God’s family, setting aside our prejudices?

Many people who are close to us, even we ourselves, will face suffering. We will find it hard to understand why things that seem unfair and painful happen to us and to those we love. Today’s feast, however, reminds us of the grace of God at work in Mary as she shared Jesus’ suffering. Mary encourages us to face our sorrows also with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Jakarta, 15 September 2014

A Christian Pilgrim

 

REAL LOVE [MATTHEW 22:34-40]

REAL LOVE [MATTHEW 22:34-40]

JESUS’ proclamation of the central law of the Kingdom of God followed His triumphant entry to Jerusalem, in fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah (Zechariah 9:9). He came to inaugurate a Kingdom where He would yield a sovereign authority, not of mere power and legalism, but of love. The lawyer, commissioned by the Pharisees to take up the battle with Jesus, tested His claim to interpret the Mosaic law of love. Jesus claimed the power to interpret and to restate the demands of the SHEMA: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD; and you shall love the LORD your GOD with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:4); and “You shall not take vengeance or bear any grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:18). Matthew portrayed Jesus as messianic king so it was necessary to state His position in relation to the law.

Jesus did not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). Never had He declared this more eloquently than in this response to the lawyer’s test question. While affirming the priority of love of God He gave equal weight to love of neighbor. The Greek word homoios is used to describe the two commandments – meaning that they are similar, on a par, and of the same kind. He is saying that true love of God finds its expression in love of neighbor. While the complete silence of His opponents at the end of the debate indicated the total triumph of Jesus, the decisive test took place at Calvary – the perfect place of love (John 15:13).

In Jesus, we see the kind of love that God desires of us. On the cross He demonstrated the depth of real love; by dying and rising to new life He empowered us to live that life of selfless, limitless love. It is not a matter of feeling, physical attraction or human reasoning. It is a gift off the Holy Spirit which pours divine love into our hearts (Romans 5:5). To love as God calls us to love requires that we first know the love of God for us. As we trust in His love at work in our hearts, we will neither be deceived by our feelings not frustrated by our attempts to love through determined self effort.

Jakarta, 22 August 2014

A Christian Pilgrim

 

JAMES, THE SON OF ZEBEDEE [MATTHEW 20:20-28]

JAMES, THE SON OF ZEBEDEE [MATTHEW 20:20-28]

JESUS told the apostles what kind of leaders He wanted them to be. Like Him, they were to be servants of others, even to the point of giving their lives (Matthew 20:26-28). James was one who responded to Jesus’ call as he decided to set aside his ambitions for earthly glory (Matthew 20:20-21). Like other leaders of the early Church, he learned to die to his own desires and live for the sake of his sisters and brothers, so that “grace” might extend “to more and more people” (2 Corinthians 4:15).

James did indeed “drink the cup” of suffering that Jesus offered him. As a leader of the infant Church in Jerusalem, he faced daily the call to die to his own ideas and desires so that he could minister according to the power of the Holy Spirit. Ultimately, James drank the cup fully, being martyred by Herod Agrippa (Acts 12:1-2).

As Jesus’ disciples today, we too are called to give our lives so that others may know the grace and power of the Holy Spirit within them. Of course, we cannot save people as Jesus did. He is the only one who could give His life as our ransom from sin and death. Nevertheless, whenever we let the cry of the poor pierce our hearts and move us to action, we are giving our lives for the sake of God’s people. Whenever we let the Holy Spirit’s call to holiness and purity move us to repentance, we are giving our lives for the sake of the Church and its witness to Jesus.

The call to lay down our lives for the Lord is so high a calling that we can do it only through the power of the Holy Spirit. Like James and Paul, we are called to put to death our old nature each day and to let the life of Christ shine through us (2 Corinthians 4:11). Every time we allow the demands of the life in the Spirit to penetrate our hearts, we will bear more fruit for the Kingdom of God – not because of our goodness, but because of the life of Christ in us.

Jakarta, 25 July 2014

A Christian Pilgrim

 

GOD WANTS YOUR HEART, NOT JUST YOUR SACRIFICES [MICAH 6:1-4,6-8]

GOD WANTS YOUR HEART, NOT JUST YOUR SACRIFICES [MICAH 6:1-4,6-8]

Through the prophet Micah, God let it be known that He had a bone to pick with His people. The situation was so serious that He called on the mountains and the foundations of the earth as witnesses. “O My people, what have I done to you? In what have I wearied you? Answer Me!” (Micah 6:3). YHWH was distressed by the way His people clung to the rituals and sacrifices of the law, all the while ignoring the cry of the poor and needy.

Perhaps some of the people were puzzled by God’s accusation of negligence – “We’ve been offering God His sacrifices, haven’t we? What more does He want?” But Micah explained that God wasn’t mainly interested in sacrifices. He wanted them to demonstrate their love by living justly, kindly, and humbly (Micah 6:8).

Justice, kindness, humility – that doesn’t sound so difficult, does it? Try it for a little while. Tell yourself that from this moment on you will respond to each situation today in a just, kind, and humble manner. It’s amazing how difficult it really is!

Here’s the good news: God never intended for us to love and serve Him by our own strength. From the moment He breathed life into us, He has wanted to live in us by His Spirit and give us the grace to say yes to Him in every situation. Thanks to Jesus’ victory on the cross, the Holy Spirit has been given to all who believc. He is not just a reserve tank for us to switch on when we reach the end of our resources. Rather, the Spirit wants to be the very source and power of our lives.

Let’s (you and I) try an experiment this week. In each situation we face, turn to the Holy Spirit. Let’s ask Him to guide us toward the right choice, to help us speak the right words. Let Him show us the path of justice, kindness, and humility in that situation, We will still have various difficulties to work through, but we will surely find ourselves becoming more peaceful and spiritually alert. Remember: God wants our hearts, not just our sacrifices.

Jakarta, 21 July 2014

A Christian Pilgrim

 

A NEW CREATION [2 CORINTHIANS 5:17]

Jakarta, 3 July 2014

A Christian Pilgrim