Welcome to unpacking the mass with Keith Nester on this podcast we dig into the week’s readings for the upcoming Sunday for the Catholic church so that when you go to mass you are ready to hear what God has to say to you through the scriptures so grab your Bibles and let’s get
Digging hey everybody Welcome to unpacking the mass my name is Keith Nester and I’m so thankful that you’ve taken the time to join us here today to go over the readings for the Feast of the holy family I hope that you had an amazing time on Christmas Eve Christmas
Day with your family and that you are continuing to celebrate our Lord’s coming my friends we’re so excited for the opportunity to come together each and every week and study his word let’s pray and we’ll Jump Right In in the name of the father and of the son and of the
Holy spirit amen come Lord Jesus as we study your word may it reach our hearts may we have ears to hear what you would speak to us and as we examine your family may we be inspired and challenged to take what we’ve learned from you and
Apply it in our own lives we thank you and we praise you we pray these things in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit amen so today’s feast of the Holy Family is both a celebration of the ultimate family but
It’s also a model and inspiration to us when we think about our families how do we understand what holy looks like in our families it’s a very important question and one that we’re going to deal with today and the way we’re going to do this is we’re going to go through
These readings and then I’m going to share some principles with you of things that we can apply from the holy family and these texts into our own lives now full disclosure what we are going to see here is the standard we don’t all do this perfectly as a matter of fact none
Of us do this perfectly so when you think about the things that you see and hear today don’t be discouraged be inspired and that’s really a choice that we all have to make isn’t it when we see something that that may seem Out Of Reach to us we can sometimes become
Discouraged and think well I could never be like that but rather we should be inspired and say hey how can I grow and move in that direction that’s my hope for all of us today as we look at these readings and our first reading comes
From the book of serak chapter 3 and it reads this way for the Lord honor the father above the children and he confirmed the right of the mother over her sons whoever honors his father atones for sins and whoever glorifies his mother is like one who lays up
Treasure whoever honors his father will be gladen by his own children and when he prays he will be heard whoever glorifies his father will have long life and whoever obeys the Lord will refresh his mother oh son help your father in his old old age and do not grieve him as
Long as he lives even if he is lacking an understanding show forbearance in all your strength do not despise him for kindness to a father will not be forgotten and against your sins it will be credited to you I really hope my kids were paying attention to that because
There will come a day when I will be losing my mind and unable to care for myself Lord willing if I’m still around and I’m going to want my kids to uh take care of me so uh this principle is pretty important and the first one that
We’re going to look at here is that God desires that children honor and respect their parents because the parent child relationship mirrors our relationship with God and if you notice this built-in chain reaction to how this text lays things out that a father is honored by his children and then that you know
Takes care of the children of course and then as the father gets older now it’s the children’s turn to take care of of him and I think what this what this reveals to us is something that we already know that whatever happens in our families is going to continue with
Our Offspring so how we teach and Model Behavior for our kids it’s going to go with them and we’ve all experienced this because we’ve probably all said things like well I don’t want to do X like my parents did to me if especially if you had a bad relationship with your parents
I don’t want to be like this person or that person they were horrible or whatever well what tends to happen is the more you focus on that the more you find yourself repeating some of those behaviors have you ever had that moment where you’ve said things
And you thought man I sound just like my Dad or I sound just like my mom I love that that uh commercial I can’t remember what it’s for that is like we can’t help you from becoming like your parents and it has these funny skits of of you know
Middle-aged people acting like their parents I just think that stuff’s hilarious but it points to this principle that God has set this up so that what is passed down through families in a chain reaction is supposed to be Holiness and goodness should be a chain reaction of Honor love and care
But often times what happens is we see patterns of neglect or abuse or destructive Tendencies passed down and we’re called as children of God to not allow that to take place in our families so our first principle of understanding that what’s going on in our families is
A mirror of what of what God in our relationship is like therefore we honor our parents that’s what God has said and you know you talk about this it’s one of the 10 commandments honor your father and mother and the promise of this command is that you will have you will
Have blessing as a result of this my friends so that’s our first principle that children honor their parents because that relationship is a picture of how we honor God it’s going to be really hard for you to honor God appropriately if you don’t honor your own parents now you might say well Keith
Have you seen my parents they’re they’re terrible they don’t treat me well well one of the things that we’re going to run through in this in this whole day worth of readings is the idea that we treat our families based on what God calls us to not based on what they deserve and
That’s the overriding theme of everything so if you don’t want to hear this whole episode of unpacking the mass you just want to get right to it here’s what we have God calls us to treat our families with honor and respect and love in a holy relationship because he deserves it not
Because they do and that sets that Chain Reaction okay the second principle is that we need to set up this pattern of Holiness otherwise a pattern of evil will be set because what we have to remember is Holiness in the family is not the default the default is selfishness and
Sin and we talk about those patterns repeating themselves over and over again that’s because that’s what we’re naturally inclined to do because we are sinners so what we have to make the decision to do and intentionally so is to say I am going to create a culture
And a pattern of Holiness in my family that will lead to a chain reaction and it’s got to be something that I work at and persevere in and do intentionally because if I don’t do that if I just leave it to chance if I just let things
Develop on their own that’s going to steer us toward evil let’s look at our response orial Psalm from Psalm 128 and this Psalm even gives us this understanding of what the result is of doing things God’s way blessed are those who fear the lord and walk in his ways
Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord who walks in his ways you shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands you shall be happy and it shall be well with you blessed are those who who fear the lord and walk in his ways your wife will
Be like a fruitful Vine within your house your children will be like Olive chots around your table blessed are those who fear the lord and walk in his ways Lo thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord the Lord bless you from Zion may you see the prosperity of
Jerusalem all the days of your life blessed are those who fear the lord and walk in his ways if you want God’s blessing you have to live God’s way that’s just the bottom line if you want God’s blessing you have to live God’s way okay keep that in mind my friends
Our second reading comes from the book of Colossians and it starts in chapter 3: 12 put on then as God’s chosen ones holy and beloved compassion kindness loneliness meekness and patience forbearing one another and if one has a complaint against another forgiving each other as the Lord has forgiven you so you also
Must forgive and above all these put on love which binds everything together in Perfect Harmony and Let the Peace of Christ rule in your hearts to which indeed you were called in the one body and be thankful let the word of Christ dwell in you richly teach and admonish
One another in all wisdom and sing Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God and whatever you do in word or deed do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father through him wives be subject to your husbands as
Is fitting in the Lord husbands love your wives and do not be harsh with them children obey your parents in everything for this pleases the Lord fathers do not provoke your children lest they become discouraged before we continue with the video I want to talk to you about a new
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To sign up now let’s get back to unpacking the mass principle number three after looking at this text from Colossians is this forgiveness and love are the keys to living out God’s plan in your family we see in this text that the the way that this is going to play out the
Behaviors the attitudes and it all comes down to forgiveness and love because you’re going to need those things because people in your family and I know this is going to be completely just hard for you to realize they’re Sinners even you Perfection is not what we are going
To see in our families it’s what we see in the holy family but remember that’s the standard how do we get there do we just look at that and say oh I could never be like the holy family or do we say how how can we become more like the
Holy Family well here are some key ways that we can do this we’ve got to have compassion we’ve got to have kindness loneliness meekness and patience think about these things if you insert these things into your family Dynamic friends it’s going to become a lot easier to
Live out God’s plan and you you’ve got to do that my friends now when we talk about this whole issue of wives be subject to your husbands I know that this can be sort of one of those things we get hung up on because this text and
Like other texts in the book of Ephesians unpack these roles that we have when it comes to how we live our lives out in our families my friends we’ve got to set the parameters around what we’re trying to do we’ve got to Define who we are as a family and we’ll
Get into that more when we get into the gospel here but we have to remember that you will not be able to do this without forgiveness and without love the fourth principle that I want to share with you is that the way we treat our families is
An act of worship to God and it’s so important that we remember that because sometimes we can divide those two things and we get into lots of trouble with that and here’s what I mean sometimes people can say well you know I love Jesus but my family life is a mess and
My family is actually makes it harder for me to love God so in the name of my faith I’m going to neglect my family I’ve even heard people say well because I love Jesus so much and my husband is not on fire for the Lord I’m going to
Divorce him and marry this other guy who’s way more holy and you know I remember seeing this play itself out in a different way when I was a youth pastor and we would have our Wednesday night youth group meetings which were a lot of fun a lot of and and they were
Very exciting and kids love to come and I would see parents sometimes ground their kids from church and I it was always a little bit puzzling to me until I became a parent that I had to do that too occasionally because what were they doing they were trying to punish their
Kid by taking away something they really wanted to do so they would tell them well you can’t go to youth group on Wednesday night and I would see kids that would tell me later oh yeah I was grounded from church but I snuck out of the house to come worship God because
God’s more important than my parents right and I’d be like wrong no we don’t get to to use our relationship with God as a way to disobey what God has said which is to honor your parents and to honor one another to live in this this
Godly way we don’t get to do that so we have to make sure that we recognize these things aren’t separated they’re together now another way that some people might look at this is they might Elevate their family over their practice of their faith and I’ve seen this play
Out too where families have decided that well because our family is so important to us and you know our kids are involved in these particular activities or whatever or we want to go do this we don’t even need to go to church because we’re going to go do something as a
Family together and I’ve had people get in my face about that too when I would when I would challenge that behavior and they would say well why are you asking us to choose between what we want to do as a family and coming to church of
Course I would say well because this is what you’re supposed to be doing as a family and this is the idea my friends our worship of God is made manifest in our families these two things are connected and when we try to separate them things never go well and we can
Either separate them at the expense of our family or at the expense of our relationship with God and the practice of our faith we can’t do that we’ve got to make sure that we recognize that our family life is an act of worship toward God and when you can get this dialed in
It’s absolutely beautiful my friends when you see families that have dialed in the the way that they’re supposed to treat each other according to this second reading and recognizing that their family dynamic is rooted in the worship of God it’s absolutely incredible and that of course is the
Picture of the Holy Family now this moves into this issue of husbands and wives which people can get hung up on but I want to talk about this for a minute principle number five is that husbands and wives and children all have complimentary roles to play and that’s a
Very important principle that we understand see there is the mindset out there in in some some situations where people feel like there’s not comp mentary roles there’s equal roles so you see in the world of theology when it comes talking about this stuff you’re either a complementarian or you’re an
Egalitarian an egalitarian believes that there’s no specific roles to a husband wife you know they might say there is to a child but but they they would say there is nothing inherent for the role of a wife verus the role of a husband complementarian point of view um is that
That these roles are distinct but that they compl ment one another one isn’t greater than the other but you need them both in order to have the ideal standard and what we often see when we talk about these verses is people get worked up because they’re looking at things that
Aren’t the ideal standard and then they’re wanting to throw out what the standard is so what happens is you you see a wife whose husband is very harsh with her or is not a good leader and she says well I don’t want to submit to him
Or be subject to him because he’s a jerk or he’s not leading our family in a Godly way so because he’s not doing what he’s supposed to be doing I’m not going to do what I’m supposed to be doing and we see that switched around as well a
Husband might say well I’ve tried to be a good leader to my wife but she doesn’t listen to me she wants to control everything she wants to tell me what to do all the time so I just give up I’m not even going to try I’m just going to
Sit here and do nothing and leave everything to her and what happens my friends it’s a chain reaction isn’t it it just keeps perpetuating and what we see in these texts remember this isn’t a description of what’s already happening this is the standard and the goal to
Which we are supposed to be moving toward so if you’re struggling with this in your family recognize this you need each other to fulfill these complimentary roles but you wherever you are if you’re the wife or the husband what you can do can help your spouse
Fulfill their role so let me talk to the husbands for a second if you want your wife to follow your lead a little bit more then you need to step up and demonstrate to her your leadership abilities consequently wives if you want your husband to lead a little bit more
And you want him to be in charge then let him be in charge don’t second guess everything he says don’t undercut him don’t try to take control of the situation even if you think what his way isn’t the greatest way just roll with it okay now I know everybody thinks about
Well what about in the sinful situations and what about if someone’s being abuse all we’re not talking about the failure we’re talking about the standard okay that’s what we’re moving toward and remember this even in those moments of failure that doesn’t get us off the hook for those things that we read in
Colossians when it comes to to kindness compassion love and forgiveness and all those things now I always have to say this when we talk about this if you’re being abused you don’t have to stay in that situation you can fulfill your complimentary role without allowing yourself to be abused my friends it’s
That’s a different issue altogether okay but don’t take those instances of failure on the part of your spouse and turn them into justification for you not to do what you’re supposed to do that’s how we get into trouble my friends because when we start setting that up as
The ground rules we are never going to make it we’re never going to make it and children you have ground rules to play too you you have to obey your parents and you know that Dynamic changes as time goes on I mean I am a husband I am
A father and I’m a son so I have different roles as as we all do and you know when I was growing up I needed to be subject to my parents I’m a grown man when I go see my my dad I am still subject to him in certain ways but not
In every way because I’m My Own man now but I still will honor and respect and all of those things even if I disagree but I think this is mainly talking about you know kids in the home you don’t get to disobey your parents because you disagree with them and
Fathers you don’t get to provoke your children lest they be discouraged remember this is the standard man this is great stuff we haven’t even got to the gospel yet but we’re going to see in the gospel is a really powerful understanding of how how this identity
Of Holiness is put forth to us and what we can see from this and the promise of God Luke 2: 22-40 read this way and when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses they brought him up to Jerusalem to present
Him to the Lord as is written in the law of the Lord every male that opens the womb Shall be Called holy to the Lord and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord a pair of turtle does or two young pigeons
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon and this man was righteous and devout looking for the consolation of Israel and the Holy Spirit was upon him and it had been revealed to him by the holy spirit that he should not see death before he had
Seen the Lord’s Christ and inspired by the spirit he came into the temple and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him according to the custom of the law he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said Lord now let us thou servant depart in peace
According to Thy word for mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou Hast prepared in the presence of All Peoples a light for Revelation to the Gentiles and for Glory to thy People Israel and his father and mother marveled at what was said about him and Simeon blessed
Them and said to Mary his mother behold this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel and for a sign that is spoken against and a sword will pierce through your own soul also that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed and there was a prophetess Anna
The daughter of fuel of the tribe of Asher she was of a great age having lived with her husband 7 years from her virginity and as a widow till she was 84 she she did not depart from the temple worshiping with fasting and prayer night
And day and coming up at that very hour she gave thanks to God and spoke of him to all who were looking for the Redemption of Jerusalem and when they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord they returned into Galilee to their own City Nazareth and
The child grew and became strong filled with wisdom and the favor of God was upon Him principle number six my friends the presentation is about the identity of the Holy Family and it’s about the identity of our families as belonging to God that’s what the presentation is
About it’s not about checking off some lists of religious things that needed to be done it’s about saying we as a family belong to God two radically different things there my friends often times we can reduce our worship of God as a family to just check in the boxes oh
Will we pray the rosary together we went to mass we did the devotions we did the stuff okay check check check check and now that we’re done we can just go off and do whatever we want we have to remember that what we’re called to isn’t
A list of tasks it’s an identity and the presentation is about remembering who we are and that’s powerful language that we need to use in our family life my friends when we’re instructing our families on what we’re going to do and why one of the most powerful things that
You can say is this is Who We Are we worship God because this is who we are we belong to God and those choices that we make as a result of belonging to God are rooted in this identity not just in whatever whims we have not just in Mom
And Dad’s opinions no this is who we are we have to cultivate a family identity and a family culture that’s what the presentation is about so how would this change things in your family what does this look like if you were able to cultivate that identity in your family
Instead of just making it about a list of dos and don’ts if it became about who we really are and that’s what the presentation is about as we said before we must set the tone and culture of our families as belonging to God or the
World will set it for us as belonging to itself and we don’t want to belong to the world my friends we don’t want to belong to the world it it’s so important that we that we understand that because in our family Dynamic remember we’re doing two things we’re worshiping God
Through our family and we are creating a pattern setting up a chain reaction that’s what we see from the Holy Family another thing that I think about with Simeon and Anna is the idea that radical obedience combined with patience leads to blessing we saw that in both of them
To to be at the temple night and day to to have the This Promise given to them and faithfully and patiently live into that led to this incredible blessing not only did Simeon get to see the Messiah he got to hold Jesus In His Hands friends powerful stuff and the same
Thing is true in our lives radical obedience combined with patience leads to blessing and you need to hear that because some of you have struggled in these areas your obedience has been kind of medium your obedience has been lacking you you you’ve been lazy you’ve been laxing these areas and your family
Is paying the price it’s time to up that obedience it’s time to get a little more radical and to the world this is going to seem radical if you live out your life God’s way in your family and there’s going to be some trouble but you’ve got to stick with it because
Here’s the thing it leads to blessing remember what we read in our responsorial Psalm that that those who walk in the way of the Lord will be blessed and the last thing I want to say about this goes to something that Simeon said to the Blessed Mother when he
Talked about her own soul of Sword shall pierce right this way of living will invite sorrow but never at the expense of Joy it’s a battle and you’re going to feel that especially when your children start to feel the pressure of wanting to live the world’s way and they’re not
Mature enough to be able to understand these things so they’re going to come at you with all of these these issues of like well how come I can’t do this how come I can’t be on that traveling team that that takes me away on Sundays and
And prevents me from from going to mass you now the great thing about being Catholic is you can still go to mass anywhere you are but I think you understand what I’m saying if there there are things that get in the way that the world says is no big deal why
Can’t I watch those movies or have that device or or have access to that content or whatever my friends do this my it’s it’s normal friends we got to remember this what the world says is normal when you live according to the standard set by the holy family is going to seem
Completely completely crazy because the world is crazy if you haven’t noticed and the desire of the world is to destroy our families and we have to remember that it’s our job to set this standard and to protect our families from the evils of this world and to
Offer them to the Lord just like Mary and Joseph offered their family offered Jesus to the Lord that’s what the presentation is all about and that’s what I want this new year to be all about for us I I hope we’ve had awesome holidays and all of that but you know
Whenever we step into a new year and I know we’re in the New Liturgical year but now we’re getting into a new calendar year this is a great time to have those conversations and to make those decisions and those dare I say resolutions to take some more steps
Toward this standard both in our marriages and in our our parenting if we’re if we’re in that situation and if we’re not then in in how we can live out our calling in whatever situation we are in friends it’s so important because the Lord has called us to do this and
Remember how we live out our family life is an act of worship before the Living God and I hope that this has been helpful for you to look at this my friends it’s been awesome I I love looking at this text every year and I’m so thankful and you know sometimes it
Can be discouraging it can be hard because you can look at yourself and go I have so far to go and I I want us to together not let that discouragement come to us but rather instead to be inspired to move forward to say wow what are some things that we can Implement
Into our lives this year so I want you to have that conversation with your family set the tone set the culture set the standard and then work toward it by God’s grace and I think it’ll be awesome thanks so much for joining me here on unpacking the mass I look forward to
Being back here with you next week for the readings on the Epiphany we’re in some incredible stuff my friends so make sure that you don’t miss out do me a favor and share this video if you’re watching on YouTube and if you’re listening on a podcast please leave us a
Festar review and share this with whoever you can so we can get more people studying the word of God and preparing their hearts and ears to hear what he would speak to us friends thank you so much for joining me take care and God bless
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