Mass Reading: Sunday - 29th December 2024

First reading

1 Samuel 1:20-22,24-28 ·

This is the child I prayed for: he is made over to the Lord.

    Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son, and called him Samuel ‘since’ she said ‘I asked the Lord for him.’

    When a year had gone by, the husband Elkanah went up again with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfil his vow. Hannah, however, did not go up, having said to her husband, ‘Not before the child is weaned. Then I will bring him and present him before the Lord and he shall stay there for ever.’

    When she had weaned him, she took him up with her together with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the temple of the Lord at Shiloh; and the child was with them. They slaughtered the bull and the child’s mother came to Eli. She said, ‘If you please, my lord. As you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the Lord. This is the child I prayed for, and the Lord granted me what I asked him. Now I make him over to the Lord for the whole of his life. He is made over to the Lord.’

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 83(84):2-3,5-6,9-10

They are happy who dwell in your house, O Lord.

How lovely is your dwelling place,

    Lord, God of hosts.

My soul is longing and yearning,

    is yearning for the courts of the Lord.

My heart and my soul ring out their joy

    to God, the living God.

They are happy who dwell in your house, O Lord.

They are happy, who dwell in your house,

    for ever singing your praise.

They are happy, whose strength is in you,

    in whose hearts are the roads to Zion.

They are happy who dwell in your house, O Lord.

O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer,

    give ear, O God of Jacob.

Turn your eyes, O God, our shield,

    look on the face of your anointed.

They are happy who dwell in your house, O Lord.

________

Second reading

Colossians 3:12-21

Family life in the Lord

    You are God’s chosen race, his saints; he loves you, and you should be clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins. The Lord has forgiven you; now you must do the same. Over all these clothes, to keep them together and complete them, put on love. And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, because it is for this that you were called together as parts of one body. Always be thankful.

    Let the message of Christ, in all its richness, find a home with you. Teach each other, and advise each other, in all wisdom. With gratitude in your hearts sing psalms and hymns and inspired songs to God; and never say or do anything except in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. 

    Wives, give way to your husbands, as you should in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and treat them with gentleness. Children, be obedient to your parents always, because that is what will please the Lord. Parents, never drive your children to resentment or you will make them feel frustrated.

The word of the Lord

________

Gospel Acclamation

cf.Ac16:14

Alleluia, alleluia!

Open our heart, O Lord,

to accept the words of your Son.

Alleluia!

________

Gospel

Luke 2:41-52

Mary stored up all these things in her heart

    Every year the parents of Jesus used to go to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up for the feast as usual. When they were on their way home after the feast, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it. They assumed he was with the caravan, and it was only after a day’s journey that they went to look for him among their relations and acquaintances. When they failed to find him they went back to Jerusalem looking for him everywhere.

    Three days later, they found him in the Temple, sitting among the doctors, listening to them, and asking them questions; and all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies. They were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him, ‘My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.’

    ‘Why were you looking for me?’ he replied. ‘Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?’ But they did not understand what he meant.

    He then went down with them and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority.

    His mother stored up all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favour with God and men.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 29th December 2024

SIR 3:2-6, 12-14 OR 1 SM 1: 20,22, 24-28; PS 128: 1-5 OR PS 84:2-3, 5-6, 9-10; COL 3:12-21 OR COL 3: 12-17; OR 1 JN 3:1-2, 21-24; LK 2:41-52

Today’s Gospel reading on this Feast of the Holy Family gives us a glimpse into the childhood of Jesus with his Mother, Mary, and his foster father, Joseph. This is a family like no other — consisting of the very Son of God, Mary, Queen of all Saints, and St. Joseph, patron of the Universal Church. Yet as we see in today’s Scripture passage, they led a life typical of the families of their day. They experienced many of the same joys and trials that all parents and children experience even today. And so, we can look to this Family for help in our own family lives and see in them a model of Stewardship in family life.
 
The Gospel passage, from Luke, starts by telling us something about Jesus’ parents: “Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover, and when he was 12 years old, they went up according to festival custom.” In other words, this Family took seriously the Stewardship of their Time. The “Holy Couple” carefully observed the traditions and practice of their Jewish faith and brought up their Son to do the same. They worshiped as a family and with their faith community. And they did so faithfully.
 
We can take their example to heart by making Sunday Mass attendance a priority for our families, by making prayer with our family a priority every day, by making sure that we regularly celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation, and by observing in our family life the feasts and fasts appropriate to the liturgical calendar. When we, as families, prioritize our Time with God and worship of Him we will be imitating the Holy Family.
 
And when we are faced with the inevitable challenges that come with family life, we will be far better equipped to handle them, just as the Holy Family did. We read just a few verses later in our scripture passage, that Mary and Joseph faced every parent’s worst nightmare — they can’t find Jesus! What parent cannot relate to this awful moment or at least the fear of such a moment. Perhaps a little child wanders off in the store and is physically missing as young Jesus was. Or perhaps an older child, though physically present, is spiritually or emotionally “missing” through addiction or loss of faith. In these times, too, we can look to the Holy Family for guidance. Mary’s very human initial reaction upon finding Jesus — “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety” — comforts us in our own suffering as we realize that our Blessed Mother has been through difficult times in family life, too. The Holy Couple didn’t always understand their Divine Son. But they loved Him deeply and gave Him the best of themselves as parents. The Divine Son, though God, obeyed His parents, giving witness to the value of parents and family life.
 
On this Feast of the Holy Family, let us reclaim the beauty and importance of family life. Let’s commit to steward our families well in 2025, making time spent with God and practicing our faith the most important appointments on our family calendars. Let’s make 2025 a year in our parish like never before. Happy Feast Day, parish family!

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 31st December 2023

SIR 3:2-6, 12-14; PS 128:1-2, 3, 4-5; COL 3:12-21; LK 2:22-40

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. They are a model for all families! And just as the Holy Family is holy, our families, too, are called to be holy. This may seem like a daunting task at times! Yet, as Christian stewards we know that this holiness is achievable by living as disciples of Christ.    
 
Our First Reading, from the book of Sirach, teaches us about reverence and honor of the members of our family, particularly the elders. “My son, take care of your father when he is old… even if his mind fail, be considerate of him.” No matter our age, we are called to serve and honor our family members. Sometimes loving and serving those closest to us can be the hardest. But we have to remember that our families are a gift from God, and it is in serving them that we show our gratitude for this gift. 
 
What more can we do to honor the blessing of family? St. Paul shares in our Second Reading a word of advice on how we can do just that. He calls us to put on “heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another… as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.” This is how we ought to treat our family — with the love, compassion and mercy that God gives to us. If God can see every thought in our mind and every action we commit, good and bad, and never change His love for us, can we not share that same love and mercy with our family members? God has been so generous to us, so let us “[give] thanks to God the Father” by being good stewards of His love and mercy in our homes, and to our family members both near and far.  
 
Our Gospel today says a great deal about trust and surrender to our Lord — two trademark words of a steward. As the Holy Family brought the Infant Jesus to the temple, they encountered two key individuals, Simeon and Anna. Upon seeing the Infant, both praised the Lord, rejoiced in the coming of their Savior and prophesized about what was to come. It says, “the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him.” We can imagine that two parents would be taken back by these words! Yet, through all this, the Holy Family surrendered their lives to God and had unwavering faith and trust in His plan. Thankfully, they did, because the fulfillment of this plan meant salvation for man!
 
Believe it or not, God has a plan for our lives, too. Oftentimes, we get in the way of what He has in store for us. Although our plan might be “good,” God’s plan is great and will fulfill our hearts more than we could have ever imagined. Like the Holy Family, we just need to trust, surrender and be attentive to God’s voice. 
 
As we celebrate this Christmas season with joy and gladness for our Savior, let us deepen our commitment to Him through the love and service we give our family members, and the trust and surrender we place in God to take care of us each day.  

Mass Reading: Sunday - 31st December 2023

First reading
Genesis 15:1-6,21:1-3
Your heir shall be your own flesh and blood

    The word of the Lord was spoken to Abram in a vision, ‘Have no fear, Abram, I am your shield; your reward will be very great.’

    ‘My Lord,’ Abram replied ‘what do you intend to give me? I go childless…’. Then Abram said, ‘See, you have given me no descendants; some man of my household will be my heir.’ And then this word of the Lord was spoken to him, ‘He shall not be your heir; your heir shall be of your own flesh and blood.’ Then taking him outside he said, ‘Look up to heaven and count the stars if you can. Such will be your descendants’ he told him. Abram put his faith in the Lord, who counted this as making him justified.

    The Lord dealt kindly with Sarah as he had said, and did what he had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the time God had promised. Abraham named the son born to him Isaac, the son to whom Sarah had given birth.

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 104(105):1-6,8-9

He, the Lord, is our God. He remembers his covenant for ever.

Give thanks to the Lord, tell his name,
    make known his deeds among the peoples.
O sing to him, sing his praise;
    tell all his wonderful works!

He, the Lord, is our God. He remembers his covenant for ever.

Be proud of his holy name,
    let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
Consider the Lord and his strength;
    constantly seek his face.

He, the Lord, is our God. He remembers his covenant for ever.

Remember the wonders he has done,
    his miracles, the judgements he spoke.
O children of Abraham, his servant,
    O sons of the Jacob he chose.

He, the Lord, is our God. He remembers his covenant for ever.

He remembers his covenant for ever,
    his promise for a thousand generations,
the covenant he made with Abraham,
    the oath he swore to Isaac.

He, the Lord, is our God. He remembers his covenant for ever.

________

Second reading
Hebrews 11:8,11-12,17-19
The faith of Abraham and of Sarah

    It was by faith that Abraham obeyed the call to set out for a country that was the inheritance given to him and his descendants, and that he set out without knowing where he was going. It was equally by faith that Sarah, in spite of being past the age, was made able to conceive, because she believed that he who had made the promise would be faithful to it. Because of this, there came from one man, and one who was already as good as dead himself, more descendants than could be counted, as many as the stars of heaven or the grains of sand on the seashore.

    It was by faith that Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He offered to sacrifice his only son even though the promises had been made to him and he had been told: It is through Isaac that your name will be carried on. He was confident that God had the power even to raise the dead; and so, figuratively speaking, he was given back Isaac from the dead.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
Heb1:1-2

Alleluia, alleluia!

At various times in the past
and in various different ways,
God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets;
but in our own time, the last days,
he has spoken to us through his Son.

Alleluia!

________

Gospel
Luke 2:22-40
My eyes have seen your salvation

    When the day came for them to be purified as laid down by the Law of Moses, the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, – observing what stands written in the Law of the Lord: Every first-born male must be consecrated to the Lord – and also to offer in sacrifice, in accordance with what is said in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

    Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to Israel’s comforting and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord. Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said:

‘Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace,
just as you promised;
because my eyes have seen the salvation
which you have prepared for all the nations to see,
a light to enlighten the pagans
and the glory of your people Israel.’

    As the child’s father and mother stood there wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected – and a sword will pierce your own soul too – so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.’

    There was a prophetess also, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well on in years. Her days of girlhood over, she had been married for seven years before becoming a widow. She was now eighty-four years old and never left the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer. She came by just at that moment and began to praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.

    When they had done everything the Law of the Lord required, they went back to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. Meanwhile the child grew to maturity, and he was filled with wisdom; and God’s favour was with him.

The Gospel of the Lord.