The place God Incarnate chose to begin manifesting His sacrificial love, which reached its culmination on the Cross, was the family home.
Together with Mary and His earthly father Joseph, Christ began to reveal something of the unity of love within the most perfect of communions, the Holy Trinity.
It is fitting to celebrate the Holy Family as part of the Christmas cycle. We contemplate the coming of the Lord in imitation of that final, perfect communion with God to be enjoyed only by the blessed in heaven. In the older, traditional calendar we celebrate Holy Family today. However, I am using the prayer from the Novus Ordo to explain the feast.
The family is a paradigm of all other human relationships. Food for thought during the presidential campaign process and also as we scrabble for solutions to so many growing social ills.
The Holy Family teaches us, still in this world but moving inexorably toward our judgment and final goal, how to live together in this present state of “already, but not yet”.
COLLECT (2002MR):
Deus, qui praeclara nobis sanctae Familiae
dignatus es exempla praebere,
concede propitius,
ut domesticis virtutibus caritatisque vinculis illam sectantes,
in laetitia domus tuae praemiis fruamur aeternis.
This is a new composition for the Novus Ordo. [A commentator, below, suggests that this is an adaptation of a prayer from the Ambrosian Rite. Seems likely.]
OBSOLETE ICEL (1973):
Father, help us to live as the holy family,
united in respect and love.
Bring us to the joy and peace of your eternal home.
According to the fine Lewis & Short Dictionary the noun exemplum, which we have seen before, means, “a sample for imitation, instruction, proof, a pattern, model, original, example….” For the ancient Fathers of the Church, exemplum – a technical tern from rhetoric – could mean many things: man as God’s image, Christ as a Teacher, and the content of prophecy, etc. In Greek and Roman rhetoric and philosophy, which so deeply influenced the Fathers, exemplum had auctoritas, “authority”, which means among other things the persuasive force of an argument. When we hear this prayer with Patristic ears, exemplum is not merely an “example” to be followed: it indicates a past event as a reason for hope and an incitement to the spiritual life that leads to being raised up after the perfect exemplum, the Risen Christ.
The deponent verb sector (you know the word “sect”) is, “to follow continuously or eagerly… to strive after.” The playwright Publius Terentius Afer (Terence + 158 BC) uses it for followers of a philosopher (Eunuchus 2.2.31). These disciples would take their name from their philosophical master just as we “Christians” have taken ours.
In the ancient Church there was a gossamer thin distinction between religion and philosophy. Christ, the teacher offers His disciples perfect exempla. He is the verus philosophus. He is Wisdom and Truth. Our Faith is vera philosophia.
That illam goes back, necessarily to familia (singular feminine), not to exempla (neuter plural).
Praeclarus, a, um, the adjective (paired with exempla) signifies basically, “very bright, very clear” and then by extension, “very beautiful (physically or morally), magnificent, honorable, splendid, noble, remarkable, distinguished, excellent, famous, celebrated.” Praeclara …exempla is so packed with information that it is really impossible to render it into English completely without a long excursus, like, “authoritative models for imitation very beautiful in instructive clarity”. Also, the combination of praebere exempla is very common in the writings of the Fathers often for “offering examples for imitation” of virtues or good works.
This prayer is laden with philosophical vocabulary revolving around instruction of and conformity of life to wisdom through virtues.
The term domestica virtus, is used by ancient authors of philosophical works (e.g., Cicero (+43 BC) and Seneca (+AD 65)) and thereafter by the doctor of the Church St. Ambrose of Milan (+397) in his own works on virginity and on virtues and duties.
This word pairing brings to mind the Second Vatican Council’s description of the family as the “domestic Church”, presented again in the Catechism of the Catholic Church 1656 citing Lumen gentium 11:
In our own time, in a world often alien and even hostile to faith, believing families are of primary importance as centers of living radiant faith. For this reason the Second Vatican Council, using an ancient expression, calls the family the domestic Church (Ecclesia domestica). It is in the bosom of the family that parents are “by word and example…the first heralds of the faith with regard to their children. They should encourage them in the vocation which is proper to each child, fostering with special care any religious vocation.”
LITERAL WDTPRS TRANSLATION:
O God, who deigned to provide us
with the very beautiful models of the Holy Family,
grant propitiously
that we who are eagerly imitating them in domestic virtues and the bonds of charity,
may enjoy eternal rewards in the joy of Your house.
NEW CORRECTED ICEL (2011):
O God, who were pleased to give us
the shining example of the Holy Family,
graciously grant that we may imitate them
in practicing the virtues of family life and in the bonds of charity,
and so, in the joy of your house,
delight one day in eternal rewards.
Father asks God to enable us through grace, building in us the supernatural virtues of faith, hope and especially charity, to imitate the clear examples (praeclara exempla) of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in the communion of their earthly household. We are to build communion among ourselves, on their authoritative model, which in turn exemplifies the communion of the Church and of the Persons of the Trinity.
Thereafter, our examples, our own families, serve as the building block of a society oriented to God, the “city of God”, not the “city of man”.
The reward for doing this faithfully is participation in the heavenly household of God the Father in the new family of the Church triumphant.
What the Holy Family offers us is a real exemplum, authoritative model, of freedom.
This is not the false freedom of self-interested satisfaction of appetites, or the freedom to “choose” divorced from consideration of objective truths.
This is freedom within, not from the bonds of charity.
The more we are implicated or “bound up” in the love of God, giving Him our freedom, the freer we truly are.
Vinculum literally means “that with which any thing is bound”, a “fetter”, like a chain. Here it describes effect of real charity, vincula caritatis, the kind of sacrificial love based on obedience to God’s will that the Holy Family had for one another and Christ showed forth perfectly while fixed and bound to the Cross.
The “bonds of charity” require sacrifices and the abandoning, or better, transformation of selfish desires.
The bonds of the family, and any authentic relationship based on something other than mutual use of each other, seem to modern eyes often to restrict personal freedom. But this is not the case. God’s love and God-like love, charity, makes us freer than we could ever hope to be without it.
The bonds of love and virtues of the Holy Family are foreshadows of the harmony of heaven which we are eagerly striving after.
The family, nourished in the faith and sacraments of the Church, is an image of the Holy Family, itself an image of the communion of persons of the Church in heaven and of the Persons of the Trinity.
Today’s Collect points to the importance of the “domestic Church.” The family is the first “church” children know.
Parents are the first examples of God children experience. Your children first learn who God is by experiencing you.
Can anyone wonder why the forces of hell are bending relentless attacks upon the family and the virtues which must be practiced in the home?
Through the media, especially cinema, TV, and the internet, there pour into our homes a constant assault on virtue. And it is precisely virtue (not diversity, not tolerance, not inclusivity, not politically correct sensitivity, not freedom of choice unfettered from charity) that makes possible a family and therefore a society.
This prayer is a contradiction of worldly ways and an affirmation of the God’s true image in us.
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These never cease to amaze me. “Separate but equal” was never equal, and “dynamic equivalence” is pretty much never equivalent.
Even though my reading of Latin mostly rests on the rickety stilts of a background in Spanish and cognate recognition, I can see what’s missing in ICEL ’73. “Domesticis virtutibus caritatisque” ? “respect.” That’s going from a deep pool of centuries of teachings on charity to a buzzword birdbath.
But how radically would it reform society if we thought of our families as domestic churches. It would restore fatherhood in society (and not the bumbling TV dad). There would be a gravitational pull toward the restoration of marriage and the family. It would fundamentally re-order the priorities of society. If only.
I ranted and raved today in conversation and on my blog about parents not taking responsibility for leading their children to the Faith. I was struck by this part of your post, which is very beautiful.
“Vinculum literally means “that with which any thing is bound”, a “fetter”, like a chain. Here it describes effect of real charity, vincula caritatis, the kind of sacrificial love based on obedience to God’s will that the Holy Family had for one another and Christ showed forth perfectly while fixed and bound to the Cross.”
It is all about suffering for others and obedience. God bless you, Fr. Z.
“To obey is better than sacrifice; and hearkening than the fat of rams.”
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Yes, indeed. God Bless you Fr. Z. The break down of the family unit is in my view the single most responsible cause of a great number of our problems today in society including a growing lack of respect for laws and people and an alarming increase of crime by ever younger children addicted sadly, to drugs, instant gratification of accumulation of material possessions without regard to other people`s pain, injuries and yes even death in some cases. To my amazement the question even came up last from the biased and liberal media during the GOP debate in New Hampshire although I believe they were trying to back them into a corner on the question of gay marriage laws. It did not work. They all answered well, who were asked. Pax
Am I missing something? I thought today was the transferred Feast of Epiphany in the Novus Ordo calendar. According to my Novus Ordo hand missal, the Feast of the Holy Family is the Sunday between Christmas and New Year’s, or, in a year such as this one, Dec. 30
About Christ being the verus philosophus, in 1938 Belgian archaeologists discovered a mosaic in a cathedral in Apamea on the Orontes that depicts Socrates the Athenian seated at a table surrounded by his disciples. The mosaic has been dated to the fourth century. It is easy to see how Christian communities in the Greek east might have looked to Socrates as a Christ-like figure of Greek antiquity, especially since the philosopher suffered a kind of martyrdom.
Father, you wrote – “Parents are the first examples of God children experience. Your children first learn who God is by experiencing you. Can anyone wonder why the forces of hell are bending relentless attacks upon the family and the virtues which must be practiced in the home?”
Amen and amen. This hits the nail on the head. Thanks and God bless.
Optime Pater,
I believe that this Collect is actually a bowdlerized version of this prayer from the Ambrosian Office, the fourth prayer of Vespers:
Deus, qui nobis praeclara sanctae Familiae exempla ad imitandum proponere voluisti, concede, ut Jesu, Mariae et Joseph vestigia sectantes, domestica virtute et caritate conjuncti, in sempiterna gloria numquam separemur. Per eundem.
[Let's see it nearby:
Deus, qui praeclara nobis sanctae Familiae dignatus es exempla praebere, concede propitius, ut domesticis virtutibus caritatisque vinculis illam sectantes, in laetitia domus tuae praemiis fruamur aeternis.
Very likely. Good job!]
‘In the ancient Church there was a gossamer thin distinction between religion and philosophy. Christ, the teacher offers His disciples perfect exempla. He is the verus philosophus. He is Wisdom and Truth. Our Faith is vera philosophia.’
This brings to mind an idea for a way to communicate to critics and scoffers of our Catholic Religion, that it also can be called a Philosophy. Young minds are ever searching for meaning. They attach to ideas and practices to figure them out to great extents of drugs, cyber things etc. Maybe, they’ve perceived (from families or school) that the Catholic faith around them is akin to having to eat spinach instead of fries type of thing, and reject it out of hand as unalluring. Sympton of the disease. Approaching their faith and examining it as a sound Philosophy, complete with definitions of virtues and viewpoints as taught by our Teacher, to consider along their lost ways would possibly help them to gravitationally grow into deeply loving faithful.
I won’t get into just how psychically ill (and for how long) I became after a few years of reading some 19th and 20th century literature posed as the illuminated freedom found in the philosophies of modern thinkers. A lemming from public educ., who never connected my own faith to a philosophical frame because it wasn’t on the syllabus.
‘This prayer is laden with philosophical vocabulary revolving around instruction of and conformity of life to wisdom through virtues.’
Fine post, of course. One of these days, I’m going to write on my learning more about Who God is through being a parent: eg, knowing children, and well, before they even know themselves…feeling worse for their offenses than they do themselves,…being overjoyed at THEIR little accomplishments. Really, stuff like that. It’s been amazing.
Striking post, really hit on the nail, especially the one one the importance of the domestic church, about children learning about God through the parents.
We have been “teaching” this point in Worldwide Marriage Encounter for 40 years now… people seeking God for a lifetime, not knowing that God makes Himself manifest in the intimate / unconditional / covenant love of a husband and wife.
I agree with you on the demise of the family unit… it is the cause of most of the unhappiness today… how prophetic was familiaris consortio on this.
“CATECHISM of the CATHOLIC CHURCH, Second Edition” – - –
” 2207 The family is the original cell of social life. It is the natural society in which husband and wife are called to give themselves in love and in the gift of life. Authority, stability, and a life of relationships within the family constitute the foundations for freedom, security, and fraternity within society. The family is the community in which, from childhood, one can learn moral values, begin to honor God, and make good use of freedom. Family life is an initiation into life in society.”
AND
” 2685 The Christian family is the first place of education in prayer. Based on the sacrament of marriage, the family is the “domestic church” where God’s children learn to pray “as the Church” and to persevere in prayer. For young children in particular, daily family prayer is the first witness of the Church’s living memory as awakened patiently by the Holy Spirit.”
This should be taught in all Catholic pre-Cana classes.
We must encourage all those over age 16 to study the “CCC 2nd Ed”.
Anne 2
I don`t know what country you live in however, here in the U.S. It`s all most people can do to protect their children from the perverse influence of a society and peer presure that constantly exposes them to sex and drugs and from those I`ve talked to it would almost be impossible to get them to read CCC 2nd ed. unless of course, they are fortunate enough to have parents who have escaped the results of the economic downturn and can afford to send their children to Catholic school such as some of mine are doing. Having raised five children and now with twenty grandchildren and one great grandchild, I can tell you it wasn`t an easy feat. Thank God however they all turned out fine with the, believe or not Baltimore Catechism although, it wasn`t always according to my schedual and in the order I wanted, with hard work and never giving up and with God`s help it all worked out fine. I sometimes wish life were as simple with the easy solution to all our theological and philosophical questions as they pertain to the complex, diverse world we live in, as being able to find all those answers in one book. Reality, sadly, is not always an easy thing to adjust to and ideal settings and environments call for the application of teachings to be applied to different people in different ways. Anyway that`s my personal experience. Would be nice though. Pax.
Dr. Peters ~ AMEN to that!!
Tom T: The CCC is one of the cheaper texts available to us today. However, if the low cost of the printed volume is too high, it can be found online in several places. One such is St. Charles Borremeo, Picayune, MS. Similarly, the Baltimore Catechism can be found on Gutenberg.
Making time can be a challenge, but costs is much less an issue in these days of Internet life.
wmeyer
I`ve read it. I think you missed my point. Pax
For those who prefer the internet, there is a complete version of the CCC on the Vatican Web
with Elugos Intra Text converted into a “lexical hypertext,” an interactive hypertext system, with instructions and alphabetical listings etc. Pax