DUE TO ED’S ILLNESS, OUR YAM OFFICE WILL BE OPEN ONLY ON
MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS
FROM 5:30 PM TO 8:30 PM
Reminders
NO FAITH SHARING SESSION – UNTIL JANUARY 2024
Please refer to our website after January 2, 2024 FOR MORE INFO
Update
Our Youth Minister, Ed Macalalad, is recovering gracefully.
Ed is overwhelmed by the outpour of prayers and thoughts from all of you.
Your support has brought light to his darkest days.
Please continue praying:
“You can count on me to pray for you, And you can count on God to answer”.
Challenge
Sunday’s Gospel – luke 2:22, 39-40
The child Jesus was presented to god
SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, THE HOLY FAMILY, Year b
When the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, Mary and Joseph
brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. Then they returned to Galilee to their
own town of Nazareth. There Jesus grew up and became strong, and filled with wisdom.
Even though we call them the Holy Family that does not mean they never had problems to face.
Just as each follower of Jesus has a cross to carry, so did the Holy Family had to experience
the cross in their own way. To mention just a few examples; we can imagine how misunderstood
both Mary and Joseph must have been about the conception of Jesus before they came to live
together. Joseph was even planning to divorce Mary privately before being assured that it was
the work of God. Nine months later, the birthplace of Jesus was an animal shelter. They also
had to flee as refugees to Egypt because Jesus’s life was in danger from King Herod. In much
the same way refugees from war-torn countries have to flee to save their lives. This prompts us
to be more aware of, and show more empathy towards those refugees in our own day who seek
a safer life among us than they had in the countries from which they fled.
Then too, the public life of Jesus must have taken its toll on Mary. Simeon had predicted that a
sword of sorrow would pierce Mary’s soul. At the end, Mary watched her son die in public
disgrace, on the cross.
What sustained the family of Nazareth through all of these trials and crosses? What holds
families together in times of difficulty is love and trust. A major threat to family life
nowadays is that we don’t spend enough time together. We are so busy working, socializing,
using our electronic gadgets or watching TV that we have no time to talk to each other.
A busy career woman, was living not too far from her widowed father. Months have passed between her
visits to him. When he asked her when she might bring his grandchildren to visit him, she gave many excuses. Father then asked, “When I die, will you come to my funeral?” Message was understood, and
his daughter began to visit him regularly after that.