Feast of the Holy Family, Jan. 8 , 2012
Gospel Luke 2: 42-52
Feast of the Epiphany, Jan. 6, 2012
Gospel Matthew 2: 1-12
On this Feast of the Holy Family we see the Holy Family separated. It was the custom among the Jews of that time for men and women to travel separately and it’s believed that on trips Jesus spent some of the time with his foster Father and some with his Mother. We can well imagine that the presence of Jesus among each group was greatly desired. Being the Son of God as well as the son of Mary, who would not want him as a companion. It is understandable then that each group thought Jesus was with the other as they headed for home.
When He is discovered to be missing Joseph and Mary return to Jerusalem and find Jesus “in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard Him were astonished at His wisdom and His answers.” Why were they astonished? Origen asks. The doctors were astonished first by the questions that came from a 12-year-old, questions they apparently could not answer, because we are told they were also astonished by His answers. Jesus was teaching. He was going about His Father’s business. We should note, also, that Jesus was doing this in the temple. This He called His Father’s house. Jesus also called Himself the Son of this Father, God the Father and, therefore, the temple and the Law of Moses being taught there, belonged to Him. I wonder how many or how few of the rabbis present in the temple that day understood this.
Mary and Joseph were sorrowing because this Boy was the Son of God and the delights of His Presence were withdrawn from them. “So sweet is the Lord to those who taste Him, so beautiful to those who see Him, so gentle to those who embrace Him, that even His brief absence is a source of deepest pain.” (Venerable St. Ælred, Abbot of Rievaulx) Is this not the reason we are plunged into despair when we sin? Because God’s presence has been withdrawn from us? But since God is always available to those who seek Him, it is more accurate to say that when we sin it is we who withdraw our presence from God. When we realize He is no longer with us, we despair.
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This past Friday we celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany. As we read in the Gospel of that day, Herod was troubled when the King of Heaven was born. St. Gregory commented on this, that earthly powers are always troubled when the greatness of Heaven is before them. We might ask why it was an angel who announced the birth of Christ to the shepherds of Judea, and why it was a star, and not an angel, that led the Magi to Him. An angel is a sentient being, a being of reason. Therefore, it was appropriate for an angel to announce Christ’s birth to the Jews who used their reason to know God. The Magi’s reason did not lead them to the true God. They did not have the benefit of the Law or the Prophets and so it was necessary that a star, a sign, would lead them to Jesus. St. Paul also expressed this in 1 Corinthians 14: 22: “Prophecies . . . to believers; a sign . . . for unbelievers.”
It is a great pity the Jews did not recognize Jesus as the Christ. The heavens knew Him because they sent a star to point the way. The waters knew Him because they were firm under His steps. The earth knew Him because upon His death it trembled, and the sun knew Him because it hid it’s light that day. Pray then that the hard hearts of all who do not accept Christ will dissolve in penance for their sins, because that is the way to peace in our times, in our hearts, our homes, our country and in the world.
The gifts that the Magi brought are filled with meaning. Gold is offered as tribute to a King. Incense as a sacrifice to God. Myrrh is used to embalm a body. The Magi, therefore, proclaim with their gold that this Child is King. With their incense they proclaim Him to be God. With myrrh, they proclaim Him to be a mortal Man. The Catholic Church proclaims Jesus to be both God and Man.
Herod’s heart turned immediately to treachery when he heard of the birth of the King. He deceived the Magi in asking them to return to him when they found the child so he could adore Him. From his later actions of the slaughter of the babies of Bethlehem we know there was evil in his heart. Herod was not aware of this, but by this slaughter of innocents he proclaimed the birth of the Christ. But the Magi were obedient to the warning they received in a dream and did not go back to Herod. When they returned to their home by another route the Magi left a message for us. Paradise is our home, our true home, and having come to Mass today, not unlike the Magi, to know and adore Jesus, the Christ, we are warned not to return by the way we came. We left our land by way of pride and disobedience. We must now return home by way of penance and obedience. Now we must love God with our whole heart, with our whole soul, with all our strength and with all our mind, and we must love our neighbor as ourselves. (Luke 10: 27) If we don’t do this we will lose our way back home because we have taken the wrong path. +++
(Thanks to Origen and to Sts. Gregory & Leo for today’s sermon.)
We Celebrate the Traditional Tridentine Latin Mass
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