{"id":1524,"date":"2014-12-28T12:25:55","date_gmt":"2014-12-28T17:25:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/?p=1524"},"modified":"2014-12-28T12:26:30","modified_gmt":"2014-12-28T17:26:30","slug":"holy-family-sunday-homily","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/holy-family-sunday-homily\/","title":{"rendered":"Holy Family Sunday – Homily"},"content":{"rendered":"

Holy Family, Year B<\/a>
\nGenesis 15:1-6, 21:1-3
\nHebrews 11:8, 11-12, 17-19
\nLuke 2:22-40
\nDecember 28, 2014<\/p>\n

The scriptures contains stories of models of faith to us.\u00a0 One of the early models of faith in the Old Testament is Abraham, first known as Abram.\u00a0 Over 2,000 years after he died, Abraham continues to be described as a model of faith for us.\u00a0 Actually, we refer to him not just as a model of father but as our father in faith.<\/p>\n

When God told Abraham to go out to a new land, Abraham went even though he didn\u2019t know where he was going.\u00a0 He went because he had faith in God\u2019s words.<\/p>\n

Joseph, Mary, and Jesus show the same faith when, after Jesus\u2019 birth, the angel directs Joseph to take the family to Egypt for safety.\u00a0 Leaving their homeland, they went to Egypt with faith in God\u2019s words.<\/p>\n

Do we go where God directs or do we insist on knowing the whole plan before we act?<\/p>\n

God had made a promise to Abraham that he would have a son.\u00a0 Abraham did not doubt God\u2019s promise but wondered how.\u00a0 In his questioning, he sought a son through Sarah\u2019s slave but he still listened to God.<\/p>\n

When Mary became pregnant, Joseph wanted to do the right thing so he planned to divorce her quietly.\u00a0 When God said, no, take her into your home, he did what God asked.<\/p>\n

God doesn\u2019t give us all the answers but do we believe what He does say?<\/p>\n

How do we seek answers from God?\u00a0 Do we ask real questions and then give God a chance to answer in His way or do use Jeopardy style statements where we give God the answers we want and then expect Him to supply what we need to get there?<\/p>\n

Mary asked how can this be and then listened in faith.\u00a0 Mary and Joseph sought to make their family holy.\u00a0 In today\u2019s gospel we hear how they go to Jerusalem for the purification rituals.\u00a0 When they went, they were greeted by first Simeon and then Anna, two people of great faith who longed to see the Messiah.<\/p>\n

Joseph and Mary already knew that Jesus was the Son of God and yet they were astonished at the words of Simeon and Anna about Jesus.\u00a0 The journey as a family was just beginning for them.<\/p>\n

Abraham served as a model and our father.<\/p>\n

Mary is the perfect example of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, saying do whatever he tells us<\/em>.\u00a0 Joseph was a righteous man.\u00a0 Jesus is the Son of God.\u00a0 Together Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are a family.<\/p>\n

To be a family<\/em> is not easy.\u00a0 I see it in my own family.\u00a0 I have several family members who are divorced and in my generation some who have never gotten married (I think influenced by the divorce).<\/p>\n

Some marry the wrong person, maybe thinking they were change.\u00a0 Maybe something was hidden.<\/p>\n

Sometimes we think that love conquers all and as so as long as we love one another, everything will be fine.\u00a0 Being a couple takes hard work.<\/p>\n

Adding children can make it even more challenging to be a family.\u00a0 After all, they are children, not angels, and they require work.<\/p>\n

Our lives get busy.\u00a0 Some people work a lot of hours to support their family but are they connected to their family?<\/p>\n

Sometimes as youth children can get involved in lots of activities and you can spend a lot of time running between things.\u00a0 It\u2019s good to support them but how do make sure you are family and not just a taxi driver?<\/p>\n

How do we set our priorities as families?\u00a0 Where is God in the family?\u00a0 What do you do for family?\u00a0 What do you do for Jesus?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Holy Family, Year B Genesis 15:1-6, 21:1-3 Hebrews 11:8, 11-12, 17-19 Luke 2:22-40 December 28, 2014 The scriptures contains stories of models of faith to us.\u00a0 One of the early models of faith in the Old Testament is Abraham, first known as Abram.\u00a0 Over 2,000 years after he died, Abraham continues to be described as …<\/p>\n

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