333 South Davis St, Maryville, MO 64468
660-582-3833
660-582-3833
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12/18/2022
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Another reminder that Monday, December 19 from 5:30 7 PM we have a Communal Reconciliation Service in the church. There will be six of us priests present to hear confessions. Please plan to come, celebrate Reconciliation, and then come to the Parish Hall for some soup or chili. We are all sinners, we all need forgiveness, and the graces will be flowing in preparation for Christmas. I would especially like to see families come and celebrate the sacrament as a way to teach children how to prepare for big occasions (for example, Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, First Communion, Confirmation, Matrimony, Holy Orders). Forgiveness of sins is one of the ways that Jesus comes to us in this season.
This year we have a full four weeks of Advent. As a result, after Christmas the Feast of the Holy Family is relegated to the Thursday before January 1. Usually it is on the Sunday after Christmas and before January 1. In any case, since we are blessed with so many families in this parish, I would like to talk about making your family a Holy Family by seeing it as a part of the “Domestic Church.”
What is the “Domestic Church”? The term “Domestic Church” refers to the family, the smallest body of gathered believers in Christ. The term appears in Lumen Gentium #11 from the Vatican II Council, but it goes back to the first century. This is what the document said: “From the wedlock of Christians there comes the family, in which new citizens of human society are born, who by the grace of the Holy Spirit received in baptism are made children of God, thus perpetuating the people of God through the centuries”. By baptism, all of us become “children of God.” That is a source of dignity that we possess which can NEVER be taken away. It can be ignored, but not removed.
As with any gift, that of being a “child of God” needs to be developed. The “Domestic Church” movement is an attempt to capitalize on this great gift by creating a life style which reenforces and builds upon this gift. Lumen Gentium goes on to say, “In it [the home or Domestic Church] parents should, by their word and example, be the first preachers of the faith to their children; they should encourage them in the vocation which is proper to each of them, fostering with special care vocation to a sacred state.” In a document that can be found on the USCCB website, it offers suggestions for building up the Domestic Church:- Begin praying as a family and reading from Scripture daily, certainly before meals, but also first thing in the morning or before bed. Find a time that works for your family. Use the liturgy of the Church as a model for prayer, and try to include heartfelt unstructured prayer as well.
- Pray a Family Rosary (each member leads a decade, and everyone shares intentions).
- Have a crucifix in a prominent place in the home, and in every bedroom.
- Make the Sacraments a regular celebration take the whole family to Confession and Mass!
- Begin family traditions based on the seasons celebrated in the liturgical calendar (Advent/Christmas, Lent/Easter, Ordinary Time, Feasts of saints or holy days).
- Make your vacation pilgrimage by visiting the shrines of our land and the world. Make worshiping God a priority. Never miss Mass, even while traveling go to: www.MassTimes.org to find a church near you!
- Teach stewardship and charity to your children, through word and example.
- Demonstrate love for your spouse, your children, your neighbors, and the world. Remind your children that they are loved by God and have been given gifts to serve others.
- Talk freely about the presence of God in the joys and sorrows of your life.
- Welcome into your home and support priests, brothers, sisters, deacons, and lay ministers in the Church.
- Participate in the lay ministries and activities of your parish community.
- Allow your children to witness you in private prayer. Encourage your children to pray daily on their own, to listen for God’s call, and if heard, to respond.
Let us make families in this parish strongholds of our Catholic Faith by centering our lives on Christ. It is a joy to await Christ’s coming with you.Father Albert, O.S.B.