R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Let the peace of Christ control your hearts;
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast
of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, 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 journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
“Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
And he said to them,
“Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them;
and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor
before God and man.

William Holman Hunt, The Finding of the Saviour in the Temple, Public Domain

Immediately following the solemn celebration of the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Church on the Feast of the Holy Family looks to Jesus, Mary and Joseph as the Holy Family to watch over our families that form the Church throughout the world, the very Body of Christ.

And we pray on this Feast of the Holy Family that we in our homes can look to the Holy Family to set the tone, the behaviors and the virtues of who dwell within. I think all of us know enough about the world today to affirm that the home and family is the essential unit of love for the human being.  For that very reason we cannot overlook it or gloss over it. 

And the Church, whether universal throughout the world or at the level of our own parish, depends on the strength of the family.

I am very positive about this since I see many many parents who strive to be good example to the children and the respect that the children show toward their parents.  I must add that we are all in this together.  For example, our grandparent or even great grandparent in our families are a very special part of the family and never to be considered just “old” people.  Oh, does that terminology gets my goat! As I have come to know many of your children, I am very grateful to see the time they spend and the respect they show to their grandparents, aunts and uncles. That is what it is all about.   

There is a story of a grandfather who was suffering from Parkinson Disease and who lived with his son and his family.  Since he shook, he often would miss the mouth with food, and it went everywhere.  One night the dad put his dad at a card table away from the family, so he didn’t mess up the table.  The next day when he came home he saw his own son making a small table out of particle board.  He asked what he was doing and the boy said, “I am making a table for you when you are older and sick just like you did for grandpa.”  The very next meal grandpa was back at the table with the rest of the family.

Yes, we must pray on this Feast of the Holy Family that we look to Jesus, Mary and Joseph to be in our homes, and  that we live a true and genuine family. AMEN.

Monsignor Michael J. Cariglio, Jr., Pastor, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Basilica and Saint Anthony Parish

In those days Hannah conceived, and at the end of her term bore a son
whom she called Samuel, since she had asked the LORD for him.
The next time her husband Elkanah was going up
with the rest of his household
to offer the customary sacrifice to the LORD and to fulfill his vows,
Hannah did not go, explaining to her husband,
“Once the child is weaned,
I will take him to appear before the LORD
and to remain there forever;
I will offer him as a perpetual nazirite.”

Once Samuel was weaned, Hannah brought him up with her,
along with a three-year-old bull,
an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine,
and presented him at the temple of the LORD in Shiloh.
After the boy’s father had sacrificed the young bull,
Hannah, his mother, approached Eli and said:
“Pardon, my lord!
As you live, my lord,
I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the LORD.
I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request.
Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;
as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD.”
Hannah left Samuel there.

Brothers and sisters:
Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
bearing with one another and forgiving one another,
if one has a grievance against another;
as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.
And over all these put on love,
that is, the bond of perfection.
And let the peace of Christ control your hearts,
the peace into which you were also called in one body.
And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,
as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another,
singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs
with gratitude in your hearts to God.
And whatever you do, in word or in deed,
do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Wives, be subordinate to your husbands,
as is proper in the Lord.
Husbands, love your wives,
and avoid any bitterness toward them.
Children, obey your parents in everything,
for this is pleasing to the Lord.
Fathers, do not provoke your children,
so they may not become discouraged.

It has long been a Catholic understanding that when circumstances prevent one from receiving Holy Communion, it is possible to make an Act of Spiritual Communion, which is a source of grace. Spiritual Communion is an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament and lovingly embrace him at a time or in circumstances when one cannot receive Him in sacramental Communion. The most common reason for making an Act of Spiritual Communion is when a person cannot attend Mass. Acts of Spiritual Communion increase our desire to receive sacramental Communion and help us avoid the sins that would make us unable to receive Holy Communion worthily.

Spiritual Communion Prayer

My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.

I love you above all things and I desire to receive you in my soul.

Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally,

Come at least spiritually into my heart.

I embrace you as if you were already there

And unite myself wholly to you.

Never permit me to be separated from you.

Amen.