IWKnights Corner For December 13, 2020

Did you know this about the IW Knights of Columbus?

The following is Part 1 of an article, which will be published over the next several weekends, entitled: In the School of Nazareth - As they lead their own domestic churches, Christian parents can learn from the example of the Holy Family.

"For a moment, all is quiet during the Mass. Kneeling down near the back of the church, we suddenly catch a glimpse of our nimble-footed 3-year-old reaching for a large holy water dispenser nearby. The entire thing falls over with a deafening crash. All heads turn; the priest pauses. We wish we could disappear or at least pretend that we did not know this child."

"As we calm our wayward toddler, the congregation slowly returns to prayer.  We return to prayer as well, and try to enter into the mystery that is unfolding before us.  But soon enough, our 6-year-old chimes in, 'Is it over?' — just as our 8-year-old 'accidentally' drops a heavy wooden kneeler, adding, 'Not yet.'  We desperately wish for a moment of silence, for a chance to pray in peace.  But in our hearts we also know that God has entrusted this family to us, and that there is an essential relationship between our family and the Church."

"St. John Paul II wrote, 'The Christian family constitutes a specific revelation and realization of ecclesial communion, and for this reason too it can and should be called 'the domestic Church'  (Familiaris Consortio, 21).  To appreciate this teaching, it is helpful to recall that the first Ecclesia domestica (domestic church) was the Holy Family, whose feast day we celebrate this year on Dec. 27.  The mystery of the Incarnation, which is the abiding source of the Church’s unity, was entrusted first to Mary and, in a secondary sense, to Joseph.  By contemplating their hidden life in Nazareth, Christian families can better understand their own vocation as a living cell of the Church."

"During his historic visit to the Holy Land in 1964, Pope Paul VI described the home of Nazareth as 'the school where we begin to understand the life of Jesus — the school of the Gospel.'  Among the lessons to learn from 'the school of Nazareth,' St. Paul VI focused on three main points: the mission of the family to welcome the gift of new life; the importance of silence and prayer; and the dignity of work undertaken for the good of the family and society.  By educating children in prayer and work, Christian families bear witness to the truth that divine love has truly entered human history, exalting what is lowly and uniting nature and grace."

This article was written by Nicholas and Maruška Healy (parents of seven children - the family lives in Maryland) and it appeared in the KofC on-line Columbia Magazine.  We will continue reprinting it in installments over the next three issues.  You can link to it via one of the following sites.  Also, find more about the Knights of Columbus at IWKnights9981.com/bulletin or in facebook.com/IWknights9981 and NOW on Twitter at twitter.com/IwKnights.

Links Related to this week’s column:

In the School of Nazareth
	As they lead their own domestic churches, Christian parents can learn from the example of the Holy Family.
		By Nicholas and Maruška Healy - Columbia Magazine  (12/1/2020)
			Click here for Article

Prayer for Protection in Time of Pandemic
	A Novena which seeks Our Lady’s Intercession for Protection in Time of Pandemic
		By His Holiness, Pope Francis (3/2020)
		A PRAYER FOR PROTECTION IN TIME OF PANDEMIC (PDF Version)
				Click here for the Prayer