Jesus parents are worried. Is he in danger they wonder, as “they cannot find him.” “They returned to Jerusalem to look for him.” They remained worried, concerned about him being in danger for another 3 full days. “After three days they found him.” “When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him,” “Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
The Feast of the Holy Family and the World Day of Peace are blended this year. Pope Francis begins his Peace sermon for 2025, saying he is “Listening to the plea of an endangered humanity.” He knows “no one comes into this world doomed to oppression: all of us are brothers and sisters… born to live in freedom… for our part (we) feel bound to cry out and denounce the many situations in which the earth is exploited and our neighbours oppressed. These are… “structures of sin”, that … are also consolidated and maintained by a network of complicity… (They) represent a threat to the existence of humanity as a whole. At the beginning of this year, then, we desire to heed the plea of suffering humankind… (Let) us make a number of changes in order to confront the present state of injustice and inequality… Like the elites at the time of Jesus, who profited from the suffering of the poor, so today, in our interconnected global village, the international system, unless it is inspired by a spirit of solidarity and interdependence, gives rise to injustices, aggravated by corruption, which leave the poorer countries trapped… governments and private financial institutions of the richer countries unscrupulously and indiscriminately exploit the human and natural resources of poorer countries, simply to satisfy the demands of their own markets. In addition, different peoples, already burdened by international debt, find themselves also forced to bear the burden of the “ecological debt” incurred by the more developed countries… I ask for a firm commitment to respect for the dignity of human life… We need to work at eliminating every pretext that encourages young people to regard their future as hopeless or dominated by the thirst (of) revenge… May the year 2025 be a year in which peace flourishes! A true and lasting peace… Peace does not only come with the end of wars but with the dawn of a new world, a world in which we realize that we are… closer and more familial than we ever thought possible.”
“I do not want to stand by and watch… I do not want to stand by and let Christianity be co-opted by extremists… Why force apocalyptic thinking instead of nurturing peace on earth? Why galvanize around hate of others instead of rallying around love of what we can create together?… How do I love radically enough to stop racism, theocracy, elitism and chauvinism, to educate, to help the poor and needy, to support women and the marginalized… I don’t want to alienate anyone, but I don’t want to be complicit either in my silence, and not call out the danger I feel raging around us… They have the guns and are stock piling more, preparing to use them. I do not want war… I follow Jesus.” (A Voice crying Out in the Wilderness – Polly Castor)
Prayer: Beautiful Spirit, encourage us toward actions for peace.
Question: While others have guns to fulfill their plans for violence, what do I have to fulfill my plans for peace?
December 29, 2024 Gospel Matthew 2:13-23/Luke 2:16-21 Feasts of the Holy Family and World Day of Peace Celebrating Mary, the Mother of God.