Freed from constraints

Cycle C – January 1

FIRST READING: Numbers 6: 22–27 – The Lord said to Moses, ‘Say to Aaron and his sons, These are the words of blessing which are to be used by you in blessing the children of Israel; say to them: May the Lord send his blessing on you and keep you; May the light of the Lord’s face be shining on you in grace; May the Lord’s approval be resting on you and may he give you peace. So they will put my name on the children of Israel, and I will give them my blessing.’

SECOND READING: Galatians 4: 4–7 – When the time had come, God sent out his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, that he might make them free who were under the law, and that we might be given the place of sons. And because you are sons, God has sent out the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, saying, Abba, Father. So that you are no longer a servant, but a son; and if a son, then the heritage of God is yours.

GOSPEL: Luke 2: 16–21 – The keepers of sheep came quickly, and saw Mary and Joseph, and the child in the place where the cattle had their food. And when they saw it, they gave them an account of the things which had been said to them about the child. And all those to whose ears it came were full of wonder at the things said by the keepers of the sheep. But Mary kept all these words in her heart, and gave much thought to them. Then the keepers of the sheep went back, giving glory and praise to God for all the things which had come to their ears and which they had seen, as it had been said to them. And when, after eight days, the time came for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name which the angel had given to him before his birth.

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The blessing which the Lord showers on his people is for them to be free. The Book of Numbers, one of the five books of Moses (or the Torah), clearly proclaims the freedom of the children of God. They should not succumb to fear or doubt or timidity, for theirs is the freedom of the Spirit of God himself.

This is also proclaimed by Paul: Jesus has set free those who were formerly under the law. Though his direct reference is to the law of Moses, he nevertheless proclaims that God’s sons and daughters are freed from any other law or constraint. There is no limit to their love, no frontiers, no boundaries. Their love is universal.

In the gospel Luke does not miss the fact that Jesus has been circumcised. This bound him to the law of Moses and to prescribed constraint. Nevertheless, Jesus was never limited in his love. Many a time he actually contradicted Moses’ laws, at least in the way that they had been understood by the priests and scribes. God’s law does not constrain. Its universal nature brings down all barriers and frontiers. This is the love for which we are called.

Families of love

Cycle C - The Holy Family

FIRST READING: Sirach 3: 2-6, 12-14 – The Lord honoured the father above the children, and he confirmed the right of the mother over her sons. Whoever honours his father atones for sins, and whoever glorifies his mother is like one who lays up treasure. Whoever honours his father will be gladdened by his own children, and when he prays he will be heard. Whoever glorifies his father will have long life, and whoever obeys the Lord will refresh his mother. 0 son, help your father in his old age, and do not grieve him as long as he lives; even if he is lacking in understanding, show forbearance, in all your strength do not despise him. For kindness to a father will not be forgotten, and against your sins it will be credited to you.

SECOND READING: Colossians 3: 12-21 – Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as you teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

GOSPEL: Luke 2: 41-52 – The parents of Jesus went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom; and when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing him to be in the company they went a day's journey, and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances; and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him. And after three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions; and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when they saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously." And he said to them, "How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" And they did not understand the saying which he spoke to them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favour with God and man.

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The honour and respect due to parents, as Sirach, the pious Jew who lived in the second century BCE reminds us is fitting and just. Nevertheless, it is not absolute. Neither have parents a right to dominate their children, nor are their children bound to obey them blindly. Without mutual respect there can be no dignity in the members of a family, if a family it can be called. A contracted marriage is no excuse for abuse. Love makes a family, and families exist to secure and foster love.

This seems to contradict what Paul writes to the Colossians, a community established by Epaphras, one of his disciples. The advice to wives to be subject to their husbands, and the counsel to children to obey their parents in everything, seem to be diametrically opposed to any egalitarian principle taught by Jesus. They seem to contradict the recommendation that they should ‘let the word of Christ dwell in you richly’. Indeed, these are instructions which are to be, at best, understood in the context of the Christian love, and, at worse, as plain blunders. Marriage is an institutional micro-structure which, if accepted by the parties involved, should retain the characteristics of what Jesus willed for the whole community.

Such characteristics are, in part, indicated by Luke in Jesus’ relation to his parents, and in their relation to each other. Jesus is respectful to them, for sure, but not indiscriminately. His mission is above obedience or deference to them. Moreover, in the fact that it is Mary who rebukes the son, and not Joseph, as was his formal right as ‘head’ of the family—and this in full view of the Jewish teachers—clearly indicates the equal status of the spouses.

All families, and all marriages, of love are holy.