REFLECTION/HOMILY FOR THE FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH YEAR B 31ST DECEMBER 2023

REFLECTION/HOMILY FOR THE FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH YEAR B 31ST DECEMBER 2023

Gen.15:1-6; 21:1-3; Ps.105; Heb.11:8.11-12.17-19; Lk.2:22-40

AN IMPROVED FAMILY CATECHESIS

Today we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. We celebrate them as the ideal model for every family on earth. Experience reveals that with the increasing number of Churches in our societies, evil thrives daily such as: increase rate of divorce, growing acceptance in the use of contraceptives and reproductive technologies that are contrary to the teaching of the Church, growing demand for same sex unions, single parenting, and so on. With all of these, we are experiencing a gradual de-Christianization of our society. To re-Christianize our society, we must begin from the family because the family is the first and vital cell of the society, the pillar and manufacturer of acceptable behaviours in the society.

The documents of the Church are full of teachings on the fundamental role of families, especially of parents, in forming their children in the faith. In _Familiaris Consortio_ , no.2, St. John Paul II said that “the Christian family is the first community called to announce the Gospel to the human person during growth and to bring him or her, through a progressive education and catechesis, to full human and Christian maturity”.

Therefore, the parents, and not the Priests or Catechists, are the first teachers of the faith to their own children. Yes, there will be a time in the Child’s life when he/she will come to receive faith formation from the parish but this will not replace that of the family. The Catechism of the Catholic Church no. 2226 states that: “family catechesis precedes, accompanies and enriches other forms of instructions in the faith”. Thus family catechesis comes before and exists alongside catechesis carried out by other institutions. This is because procreation does not simply entail child bearing but also includes guiding them towards the salvation of their souls. Parenting is a vocation. As soon as God gives you a child, he also gives you the responsibility of ensuring that the child knows his/her creator. God has called you parents to make your family a domestic Church; a place where He, God, dwells and is encountered on a daily basis.

In Luke chapter 2, we are told that every year, the parents of Jesus went to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. These are signs of dedicating the family to God. Today, this can come about through family devotions and prayers. The family must gather to worship God in their home. Such moments could be spent around the family altar on which sacred objects are placed. Devotions and prayers will also include parents encouraging their children to participate in the liturgy of the Church and avail themselves of the sacraments. A family that prays together, stays together.

With the increasing rate of poverty due to man inhumanity and insensitivity to his neighbour, family humanitarian services become another way of forming children in the faith. This involves engaging as a family in humanitarian projects such as visiting hospitals, orphanages, old people’s homes, etc. By this, children learn to show compassion to those in need and also understand that love towards God is incomplete without love towards neighbor. They also learn the truth about the universal destination of resources. That is, that God who is the source of all resources has provided more than enough that the world needs. Therefore, the solution to poverty is charity .

A non-negotiable and very effective means of giving faith formation to our children is witnessing. Parent must form their children by their own exemplary lives so that the children may understand that authentic faith in God in not purely abstract but also entails living under the influence of Christ in all areas of one’s life. Pope Benedict XVI in Spes Salvi, no.2 noted that it is not sufficient for me to know my faith (informative faith), I must also live my faith (performative faith).

Dear parents, the only weapon you can give your children in their battle against the devil is the weapon of faith. May God guard and protect our families from every danger and evil. May He fill our homes with His presence and grant us the gift of eternal salvation after our earthly sojourn. This is our prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.