December 27 Homily by Father Tom - Catholic Community of Jeffersonville ~ Saint Augustine and Sacred Heart Catholic Church



Catholic Community of Jeffersonville St. Augustine Parish Website		Catholic Community of Jeffersonville St. Augustine & Sacred Heart Homily by Father Thomas E. Clegg Holy Family C St. Augustine Sacred Heart 2009 Every year at Christmas I receive about a dozen or so Christmas Cards with family photos on them. It always amazes me how quickly the kids grow in those pictures. It is probably because I only see their photos once a year, But it seems like they are babe in arms one minute and teenagers the next. I thought about all those photos that we all see so often, and I wonder why we have so little knowledge about Jesus during those growing up years. If what we know about Jesus as a child could be captured in a family photo album it would consist of four pictures. The first would be similar to the scene we see here to the left: Jesus in the manger…Mary and Joseph right beside him. A couple of shepherds, a sheep or two, some magi, and some angels. A nice photo, but it doesn’t tell us a lot about Jesus as a child. The second photo is when Jesus was still as an infant. Mary and Joseph present him in the temple for his dedication. Here we see Simeon and Anna prophesying great things about the child. The next picture is a little disturbing as it is a picture of Jesus in Egypt. You remember the story don’t you? One of the magi had told them that Herod was trying to kill the child and so they flee to Egypt and stay there for a couple of year. Finally, we see a picture of today’s Gospel. Jesus as a twelve year—teaching in the temple. This is probably the first picture that tells us anything useful about Jesus as a child. There it is. The family photos of Jesus as a child. They don’t tell us much about Jesus…. But they do tell us some interesting things about the Holy Family. Look at those photos again. The manger. The flight into Egypt. The Presentation in the Temple and the Passover when Jesus was 12. Those photos have something to tell us. The first thing they tell us is the Mary and Joseph were good people, people who made the best of difficult situations. No room in the inn…not what we had planned, but we’ll make do out here in the stable… Herod trying to kill our baby….not on our watch. We’ll do what we have to protect our child. In many ways, we can identify with the Holy Family in those two scenarios. Our families too have had to make do at times. Our families too have had plans changed and things not go according to our designs. We too sometimes have to make the best of difficult circumstances. We know what its like to want to do everything possible to protect our children from anything that would harm them. You know what it’s like when someone tries to do something to one of your kids. Your mama bear comes out, doesn’t she. That flight into Egypt tells us Mary and Joseph were the same, doing whatever it took to protect their child. The next two photos tell us something as well. These photos are of Mary and Joseph and Jesus in Church. These photos tell us that Jesus was raised in a family that valued what Church can offer. Faith was modeled for Jesus from the first days of his life. When the time came for him to be dedicated to God, Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the Temple. When Jesus was twelve Mary and Joseph took him to Jerusalem for Passover. They wanted their child to know the Traditions of his people. My friends, if we want our children to grow in wisdom, knowledge and grace, we would do well to make their participation in faith activities an important part of their lives. Mary and Joseph did just that. Look at those pictures one more time and hear their lessons once again The manger…The flight into Egypt… Do what you can and what you must to protect your children… The presentation in the temple and the Passover… Make participation in the faith an active part of your child’s life… Do these things and you have a much better chance of living like a Holy Family.

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