NBVM Novena Day 1: A Healing Experience for the Family
The 9-day Novena in honour of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary begins on Friday, September 2nd 2022 with a flag-raising ceremony followed by Mass celebrated by Rev Fr Simon Labrooy.
Addressing the congregation gathered at the NBVM Church compound for the flag-raising ceremony, parish priest Fr Dominic Santhiyagu said that it is a spiritual journey with our Blessed Mother that we are embarking on these 10 days. He invited everyone to open our hearts that we may encounter Christ on this journey. The invitation is for everyone; it is up to us to respond.
Family: An apt starting point
At the beginning of Mass, Fr Simon expressed that it is indeed apt to begin the Novena with a focus on the family. He invited the congregation to spend some time in silence to offer a prayer for one family member who is in most need of prayers.
Fr Simon began his homily by putting the Gospel of the day (Luke 5:33-39) into context. The pharisees, he said, are engrossed with the concern of following the law to the letter and looked at Jesus as merely a prophet. Jesus, however, in telling them the parable of the cloth and wineskins is saying that something new and unusual is happening. He has come to fulfill the law and the prophets and bring newness into their lives. “Nobody who has been drinking old wine wants new. ‘The old is good’ he says.” (Luke 5:39) Like the pharisees, we too are often unable to transcend to something better because we are comfortable with where we are and what we have.
In the movie Life or Something Like It, an ambitious news anchor gets a wake-up call to examine her priorities when she is told she will die in a few days. In our celebration today, we are aptly reminded of the family. “Unless and until we get a wake-up call, our families won’t mean too much to us,” said Fr Simon.
The relationship between family members could be compared to the old and new cloth and wineskins. There is a clash of cultures between generations. Parents grumble about children who treat homes as hotels. The elderly and the sick are depending on the young and able to be there for us. Children are hoping that parents will understand where they are coming from. However, in spite of our differences the reality is that each of us has something to contribute to the family.
A call to conversion
We need to experience metanoia – a radical conversion for us to be able to acknowledge and appreciate each family member. A change of mindset. It is often easier to appreciate a coworker, but so difficult to appreciate a brother, sister or parent. Let us ask the Lord for the grace to change our mindset. We firstly need to change the mindset of wanting everything to revolve around ourselves — I cannot be the centre of everything. It’s not just about my needs, it’s also about the needs of the family. We are called to sacrifice. “It is when I look at others as important to me that the family grows,” stressed Fr Simon.
Returning to his invitation at the beginning of Mass to pray for a specific family member, Fr Simon encouraged the congregation to further examine ourselves. “Am I responsible for the person’s state at this point in time?” “Have I refused to see where he/she is coming from?” The Gospel challenges us to do this. Like in the movie mentioned, we must not wait until we receive a dramatic wake-up call to change ourselves. We often hear many good words in a eulogy, however, the only way to grow is to speak those words to the person when they are still alive. As difficult as it may seem, it is not the end of the world to do that. It is always a new beginning.
Today, the question for us is, “Where can I begin anew?” “Where can I put on a new mindset?” This is the invitation of Jesus and Mary. Let us not be pharisees, let us be family. We entrust our families to God with all our difficulties and brokenness. All families have fights, but we must come back together because there is something greater than division.
As he ended his homily, Fr Simon led the congregation into deeper prayer for the family, invoking the Holy Spirit to breathe His healing presence into every family member, relationship and circumstance.