Did you know that Canadians were the first to observe the Feast of the Holy Family? Yes, that's true! If this Feast is observed in present day in other parts of the world, then Canadian Catholics are to be thanked for originating this particular observance. Yea for us!
Speaking of firsts, I made another leap into the realm of modern-day electronic communications today. Starting today, the homilies that have been podcast for the last year or so are now live!
When I began this venture last October, I wanted very much to record the spoken reflections live while they were being spoken to the congregation, however it has taken a little bit of time to get all the ducks in a row. Finally I managed to procure the necessary equipment, thanks to our established customs of exchanging gifts on the occasion of Jesus' birthday.
In addition, I conscripted the help of the lucky person who happened to be scheduled as lector at the liturgy this morning, and asked her to take charge of the recording device. Cudos for the wonderfully clear recording. I'm still learning about all the ups and downs, ins and outs of the technical world and how it's best suited to proclaiming the word to those who can't be with us in person.
Perhaps it's apropos that my reflection for this weekend focused on family, since we are all part of God's family, even those who aren't with us in person. If you know of someone who might be excited to try out listening to these musings on the web, or even if you think someone needs to hear these words, feel free to pass the word along. You might be surprised at the results, and people might even thank you for the suggestion.
As always, you can read the text of my reflection on the holiness of families or you can listen to the podcast. Beginning with this post, we are also including the entire Liturgy of the Word, beginning with the proclamation of the readings upon which this reflection is based, and concluding with the Prayers of the Faithful which were offered at today's Mass.
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