Cathedral Centre                            Cathedral                               Cathedral Interior St. John's, Rangeway                                                                                                Greenough Church               St Francis Xavier Cathedral SUNDAY MASSES: Saturday Vigil  6pm Sunday 7:30 am; 9:30 am; 6 pm.   WEEKDAY MASSES: Mon-Fri 7 am  Fri   12:05pm.             Saturday and Public Holidays: 9 am.           ROSARY: Wed 6:40 am;  Fri 11:40 am.  CONFESSIONS: Fri 11:30 am – 12 noon                                 Sat 11 am - 12noon;   4 - 5 pm.  St Peter’s Greenough Sunday Mass :     8:00 am    St John’s Rangeway Sunday Mass: 8:30 am

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON: The shepherds hastened to Bethlehem, where they found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.

A reading from the book of Genesis

Your own son shall be your heir.

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 her. 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.

R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

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

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

· 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. R.

· He remembers his covenant for ever, his promise for a thousand generations, the covenant he made with Abraham, the

A reading from the letter to the Hebrews

The faith of Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac.

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.

Alleluia, alleluia! In the past God spoke to our fathers through the prophets; now he speaks to us through his Son. Alleluia!

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

The child grew to maturity, and he was filled with wisdom.

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.

COMMUNION ANTIPHON: Our God has appeared on earth, and lived among men.

God’s Holy Family

One of my fondest childhood memories is of my family praying together before our small family altar on which the statue of the Holy family was prominently placed. Mum and Dad would teach us to ask God to bless our family and make it like the Holy Family. That statue provided us with an image of love, peace, and tranquility.

The popular appeal of this image of the Holy family reflects the deep inner longing of many hearts. They yearn for a good, safe, and secure family where there is love, mutual respect, harmony, and peace. Many of their prayers for their family revolve around these themes.

However our experience of family  life can be far cry from this blissful image of domestic tranquility. We can be hurt at some  time in our lives by our very own. For some the wounds are deep and abiding. Reconciliation  and healing take place only after a prolonged period.

Many families have their share of eccentricities and suffer  from domestic conflicts, breakdowns in familial relationships, and addictions. Some have members leaving home without being contactable. We might suffer from financial  worries, entrenched conflict, illness and pressure in familial relationships, and insecurities of various kinds. The pain and brokenness in varying degrees in all families can make it hard for us to connect with the projected domestic tranquility of the Holy Family.

Yet a closer examination of the Holy Family’s domestic life would reveal that they had their own share of pain and difficulties. Joseph was confused about Mary, his betrothed. The young family was uprooted abruptly from their familiar surrounding to become unwilling refugees in Egypt as Herod hunted for Jesus. On their return they had to live in anonymity in Nazareth to protect Jesus. They couldn’t quite understand either the young Jesus going about His father’s business. Ultimately, there was the unfathomable grief and loss of Jesus’ humiliating crucifixion.

But what really stood out throughout their tumultuous life was that God’s way fully governed their lives. This is what made this family holy. Their family life was God’s holy ground. This was the new kind of family Jesus came to set up: “ Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother’ (Mark3:35).

The feast of the Holy family invites us to consider the place of God in our family lives. Placing God at the heart of our family life does not mean that our lives are going to be devoid of suffering and difficulties. The only assurance we have a peace in our hearts that only God can give.

Our families may be deeply flawed and places of pain and conflict. Yet we do see so many families come together in times of family crises to offer love, forgiveness and support to one another—however imperfect they may be. Let us be grateful for these signs of God’s faithful presence. On this Feast, let us ask the Holy Family to help us make our families God’s holy ground, places where God’s life and love can blossom in our hearts.

                                        Bernard Teo CSsR©Redemptorists2008

2360 Published with ecclesiastical approval by the Redemptorists,

ABN 23 152 266 720, PO Box 43, Brighton, VIC 3186             Phone: (03) 9592 2777

Fax: (03) 9593 1337   www.majellan.org.au