Feast of the Holy Family, Year B: Homily by Fr Isaac Chima

Theme: Pass the faith to your children

Readings: Gen 15:1–6,21:1–3; Heb 11:8.11–12.17–19; Lk 2:22–40

Dear friends in the Lord, on this last Sunday of the year 2023, the Church presents the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph before us and invites us to take this family as a model for our families as we march into the new year 2024.

Every feast of the Holy Family comes with beautiful lessons to families from the readings. This year too, the readings offer us wonderful lessons not only from the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, but also from the family of Abraham and Sarah. At the heart of the readings of today is the faith of the parents. The first reading talked about Abraham’s unflinching faith in God and his promises despite the difficulties he encountered. The second reading painted a beautiful picture of the strong and absolute faith of Abraham and Sarah in God’s promises even when the fulfilment of such promises was impossible when viewed from the lenses of nature. This reading told us that God broke the laws of nature to fulfil the promises he made to these two great people because of their absolute faith in him. Then, the gospel showed us Joseph and Mary fulfilling their religious duties before God. In this same gospel, two old people of great faith in the fulfilment of God’s promise to his people Israel were seen — Simeon and Anna.

So, the readings of today are telling us that the heads of each household and the old men and women of our time should be people of great faith in God like Abraham, Sarah, Simeon and Anna were; they should also be people who take their religious duties and obligations seriously as Joseph and Mary did. Parents should be people whose faith in God and dedication to God’s service will inspire the members of their families.

Dear friends, the church is also reminding parents of a wonderful duty they owe their families. It the duty of not allowing their faith in God and their dedication to God’s service to die with them, but to to pass them on to their children.

Many people have expressed great fear that many churches will be closed in the new future because our youths are not manifesting the depth of faith that their parents have. Many people have also lamented that our societies are losing many good values in the hands of the present day youths, that our youths are neither interested in the church nor in upholding our good religious and moral values. We all know that the Church is the custodian of good moral values. Thus, when the Church is brushed aside, it becomes practically very difficult to uphold many moral values. What could be the root causes of our youths’ lack of interest in God and in the moral values of the society? The readings of today provide us one of those root causes. The verse preceding the second reading of today, which served as its introduction, said: “without faith no one can please God.”

In today’s first reading, which was also beautifully re-presented in the second reading, as well as the gospel reading, Abraham, Sarah, Joseph, Mary, Simeon and Anna never took their faith in God for granted. They were, rather, strong in their faith even in the most difficult moments, and they passed on such strong faith to their children. Isaac grew up under the faith guardianship or tutelage of Abraham and Sarah; Jesus also grew up under the faith guardianship of Mary and Joseph. Can we say the same about our own families today? Are the children in our various families growing up under the faith guardianship of their parents or have they been left to believe whatever they want, go to church whenever they want and to live their spiritual life anyhow they want it?

I had the opportunity of speaking with one of the boys who did confirmation in our Parish in Pratantico, Arezzo, this year. I asked him why he doesn’t come to church again and he told me that he has done first holy communion and confirmation and there is nothing to go to church for any longer. Perhaps, for that boy, life in the church ends with the reception of first Holy Communion and confirmation. Probably the next time he will come to church is when he will do matrimony and, after matrimony, the next time will be on the baptisms of his children. When I was teaching catechisms to the candidates that received confirmation this year, I also discovered that many of them did not know the common and simple prayers of the church. For me, it was an evidence that they do not say prayers in their families.

Dear friends in God, many of our children are growing up under our roofs with shallow faith in God because many parents do not care to transmit the faith they received from their own parents to their own children; many parents feel that Sunday morning is the only time their children have to sleep after they have clubbed or watched movies the entire Saturday night. It is also appalling that children in many families have time for School, games, visits to friends but they do not have time for prayers and for Masses? Dear friends, the Church may be empty in the future because of the failure of many parents to pass on their faith to their children and grandchildren. However, to all the parents and grandparents who bring their children to church, I want to say keep it up.

Let us bring up children in the faith the same Abraham and Sarah, Joseph and Mary did.

Peace be with you

Fr Isaac Chima