Texts taken from the Missal “On Your Word” November-December 2021

Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (f)
proper

FIRST READING

From the First Book of Samuel (1 Sam 1:20-22, 24-28)
At the end of the year Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.” Then Elkanah went up with his whole household to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfill his vow, but Hannah did not go, because she said to her husband, “I will not go until the child is weaned, and then I will bring him to appear before the Lord; afterward he will remain there forever.” Once she had weaned him, she took him with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him into the temple of the Lord at Shiloh; he was still a child. After slaughtering the bull, they presented the child to Eli, and she said, “Pardon me, my lord. As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. I prayed for this child, and the Lord granted me the grace I asked of him. I, in turn, leave him to the Lord: for all the days of his life he is given to the Lord.” And they prostrated themselves there before the Lord. - The word of God.

Commentary on the first reading

We already encountered Hannah and her son Samuel during Advent, and now the Church’s liturgy presents this passage again today on the feast of the Holy Family. Let us therefore consider this little scene in relation to today’s celebration. Samuel is the son granted by God’s grace, after Hannah, who was barren, had prayed with great faith to receive this gift. But children are not their parents’ private property; they “belong” to God before they belong to them. For this reason, Hannah and Elkanah show great maturity when they bring their child to the temple so that he may grow under the guidance of the priest Eli. Indeed, Samuel was already given to God from his mother’s womb. Their offering is certainly a sacrifice, and we can understand that, but it is also a great act of trust and surrender to God. Samuel will always remain their son and their treasure, but the task he will later carry out in Israel means that they leave him with others so that his education may be completed. God is the true good of the entire family, even if it costs a little. He will then abundantly repay the parents’ generosity, making Samuel a great saint.

SECOND READING

From the First Letter of Saint John the Apostle (1 Jn 3:1-2, 21-24)
Beloved, see what great love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God. And so we are! For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when he is revealed, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence in God, and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment: that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments remains in God and God in him. And this is how we know that he remains in us: from the Spirit he has given us. - The word of God.

Commentary on the second reading

The apostle John reflects on the incredible reality of being “children of God.” A child inherits human nature from his or her father and mother; but if we say that through Baptism we have become “children of God,” this means that we share in God’s nature, that is, the supernatural nature. Saint John is so enthusiastic about this miracle that he feels the need to reinforce the phrase with an addition: “And so we are!”, emphasizing it with an exclamation mark. Once we have received the gift that makes us children, however, we are called to live in this divine dimension, not as mere human beings guided by instinctive nature. How could it ever be possible to live as children of God? Can a hen fly as high as eagles? The apostle tells us how: we need only observe Jesus’ commandments, which are twofold: to believe in the Son (therefore not in a generic, nameless God, but in Jesus), and to love one another. All this is possible through the Holy Spirit, whom we must continually invoke.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke (Lk 2:41-52)
Each year, the parents of Jesus went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up according to the festival custom. After the days had passed, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan, they traveled for a day and then looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. All who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When they saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be concerned with my Father’s affairs?” But they did not understand what he said to them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man. - The Gospel of the Lord.

Commentary on the Gospel of the day

On the Sunday of the Holy Family, the Gospel presents us with one of the most dramatic moments in the Most Holy Family of Nazareth. Losing Jesus was an unimaginable anguish for Mary and Joseph, because God had entrusted them with the task of helping the Word of Life grow, raising him, and protecting him. Losing him in the chaos of Jerusalem during the Passover season could have meant never finding him again. This alone would be an unbearable torment if it concerned an ordinary child; how much more so for that child. Mary and Joseph, the most innocent people in human history, experience what it means to lose Jesus: it simply means losing everything. But then, when they are in the depths of the abyss, they suddenly see him again, and just as the anguish of losing him had been profound, so the joy of finding him is immense. Indeed, the joy afterward is even greater, because they have experienced what loss means. Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus writes: “Now I understand the answer of my sweet King and his tone, Mary. If the King of Heaven willed that his Mother too should endure the night, the anguish of heart, is it then good to suffer here on earth? Yes, suffering while loving is the purest of joys.”