Sunday of the Holy Family

All posts by David Allen

Since the winter of 2013, Mr. David Allen has served as the Pastoral Associate for the parish of Mary Immaculate of Lourdes in Newton Upper Falls. In 2015 he graduated from The Theological Institute in Boston, awarded a Master of Theological Studies degree. Please also see his more recent articles at maryimmaculateoflourdes.org.

(Reproduced from the Mary Immaculate of Lourdes Parish Bulletin for January 10, 2016)

One could meditate on each verse of today’s Epistle from Colossians 3 for several minutes, for it is so rich in godly counsel. As we read, we should also be challenged, and even convicted of sin. It may be a healthy spur for us to go to confession. One could take passages like this one, and turn them into an examination of conscience: “Have I been merciful, kind, humble, modest, patient, etc?” The point is not to dwell on our faults, but to be aware of and to admit these failures, offering them to Christ in the confessional. There, the Lord forgives us, and bestows sacramental grace to help us in our battle against sin.

Indeed, God’s forgiveness is the crucial reality in today’s passage: “even as the Lord hath forgiven you, so do you also” (v. 13). Fr. Joseph Briody, of St. John’s Seminary helps us to understand more clearly St. Paul’s teaching here and in similar ethical passages in his Epistles. In his book, Marriage and Family in Sacred Scripture (the text of our Advent parish book study), he says the following on p. 37: “Paul’s major concern was the saving effects of Christ’s death and resurrection….What is sometimes described as Christian ‘ethics’ is in fact the appropriate response to the mystery of Christ….For Paul, ethics or morality flow from Christology- Christ Himself is the measure of how we should live.”

This is essentially the teaching of St. John in his first Epistle: “We love because He first loved us” (cf. 1 Jn. 4:19). God’s prior forgiveness generates within us that “charity, which is the bond of perfection” (v. 14). Receiving His forgiveness gradually opens us up to be more charitable with others. Knowing in a very personal way the tenderness of Jesus with us and our faults should be a daily summons for us to live more perfectly in His tender charity for others. Being forgiven is what “let[s] the peace of Christ rejoice in [our] hearts,” and is also among the chief reasons for “be[ing] thankful” (v. 15). The RSV accurately renders the original Greek as “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.”

In other words, peace with God should be the root of all subsequent charity for our neighbor. This is Fr. Briody’s point above, namely, that Christology flows into morality. St. Jerome’s Vulgate translation is not be discounted, however. The peace of being forgiven and living in communion with Jesus is also the optimum cause for rejoicing and giving thanks through devout assistance at Mass (the word Eucharist literally means thanksgiving, and the Liturgy is the highest form of thanksgiving).

The peace of Christ is likewise a driving motivation for being saturated with the scriptures, that is, for letting “the word of Christ dwell in [us] abundantly” (v. 16). This is confirmed by what we find in Psalm 130 (129), the De Profundis. Overwhelmed by God’s infinite mercy, the Psalmist prays, “If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared. I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I hope” (cf. Ps. 130:3-5, RSV). Peace with God engenders greater hope in and love for His great promises, which are found in His inspired Word. Such a foundation gives us the grace and the strength to “do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (v. 17, RSV)

(David Allen)

(Reproduced from the Mary Immaculate of Lourdes Parish Bulletin for January 3, 2016)

The Epistle for today’s Mass, the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, contains a section of St. Peter’s speech before the Sanhedrin, wherein he gives a stirring proclamation of the Gospel. St. Peter’s sermon places the central message of the Gospel (the kerygma) in the foreground: Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, is Lord and God. When deciding for or against the Catholic Christian Faith, a person is faced with one ultimate decision: either to deny that Jesus is Lord, or to adore and love Him, like St. Thomas in the Upper Room (cf. Jn. 20:28)

Reading today’s passage from Acts slowly and prayerfully, one can discern the presence and power of the risen Christ. Indeed, St. Luke likewise indicates the presence and power of the Holy Spirit behind St. Peter’s words by describing him as being “filled with the Holy Ghost,” (v. 8). This is a common motif in Acts, and it is linked to the original descent of the Holy Ghost on Pentecost. It underlines the fact that the grace of Pentecost never leaves the Apostles, but is continually active in and through them and their successors. As believers, we know that Christ is truly risen, and that He is at work in His Church through his Holy Spirit. From the Church’s beginning, Jesus’ presence can be discerned in what His apostles say and do, because He is the Church’s living Lord. Consequently, the invocation of His living and Holy Name is instrumental in bestowing grace to men.

The Holy Name of Jesus is not magic. Rather, in the theology of Israel, a person’s name reveals something of their identity. Furthermore, to call upon their name implies a certain “claim” on that person’s attention. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this well in paragraph no. 432, quoting today’s passage from Acts:

“The name ‘Jesus’ signifies that the very name of God is present in the person of His Son, made man for the universal and definitive redemption from sins. It is the divine name that alone brings salvation, and henceforth all can invoke His name, for Jesus united himself to all men through His Incarnation, so that ‘there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

In the Gospels, we see that Jesus graciously responds to many who call upon His Name. He responds to their pleas for help and salvation, provided that they are made in humility and faith. St. Matthew tells us that the Holy Name of Jesus means “God saves” (cf. Mt. 1:21). As the conqueror of death, Jesus continues to save, for this is essentially who He is as the Son of God made man.

In today’s passage, we can sense the presence of the Lord in St. Peter’s words: “by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ…by Him…this man stands.” The One “whom God hath raised” raises up the crippled man. It is as if there is a direct transfer of healing grace from the Resurrection, bestowing healing and life, and it is through the invocation of Jesus’ Name. As with all of the signs of Jesus in the Gospels (healings, exorcisms, control over nature, etc.), so too, the healing of this beggar by St. Peter is a sign that points to the greater reality of the salvation of souls, and the resurrection of the body. In our prayers, let us cling to Jesus and his grace, and most especially when we invoke His Holy Name in the prayers of the Rosary. May His presence in our lives console and strengthen us as we carry our daily cross.

(David Allen)