Sir 3:2-6, 12-14/Col 3:12-21/Col 3:12-17
Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5
Mt 2:13-15, 19-23 Full Readings
The Holy Family
Today we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family of Joseph, Mary and Jesus. The feast is celebrated on the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas, that is, the Sunday between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day (both exclusive), or if both Christmas Day and the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God are Sundays, on 30 December (always a Friday in such years like the way this is this year). Today let us pray that the holy family may be our model and pray for all broken families that God may mend them, those who have lost their family member or members that God may be their family member and rest the dead in peace, and that all our families may become a holy ground in which everyone is called to be holy.
The Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, the Incarnate Son of God, came to dwell in a small town in Nazareth with Mary and Joseph. He was born and lived in a family. By being born in a family, Jesus made all the families holy, and a pathway to holiness. The family life of Jesus, Mary and Joseph was spoken of in the Scripture very little. We read of the birth of Jesus, the presentation in the Temple, the flight into Egypt and the finding of Jesus in the Temple at age twelve. But other than these stories of their life together, we know very little. But the fact that God has been born into this family, makes it sanctified and holy and so is called the Holy family, a family where all the members accepted with their lives to the will of God no matter what.
Nevertheless, no one can imagine a more special family, yet, in many ways they were ordinary. There was nothing extravagant about their lives. Joseph was a carpenter, Mary a handmaid like many others. When Jesus came to Earth, he could have chosen any place in the world of noble origin or wealthy background. Yet, he chose a poor, simple family to be born in. They had no need to follow the earthly traditions of consecrating Jesus to the Lord, but they did. Jesus followed the customary laws, studied the scriptures as he was taught by his parents, played, slept, and did his chores. He experienced everything about being the son of a human family. By his humility and love for humanity, He took on our nature to consecrate it to the Father; and Mary and Joseph, in their ordinariness, were part of this extraordinary mission.
Brethren, Jesus being born in a family, sanctified the family and so everyone who lives in it has a vocational path to holiness. All the family members are therefore invited to live holy lives characterised by love, fidelity, trust, communion, harmony and all other gospel values. He made a family a safe place where people feel secure, protected and loved. In the Gospel today we see Joseph, the protector of the family taking Mary and Jesus to Egypt as they flee from Herod who wanted to kill Jesus'. Shouldn't we think God God was able to protect Jesus even without telling Joseph to flee him and Mary to Egypt? Of course, God was capable, but the fact that he gave the responsibility to Jospeh to take care of the family, invites us also, each and every one to take place in the saving plan of God. We are called to protect our families especially husbands, we are called to protect our children from any attack or any harm and take care of them as Jospeh did. We are called to make our families a safe, better, peaceful, and conducive place for everyone to live and enter in as St Joseph did. Parents, are you doing your responsibilities? Children as you respecting, listening and cooperating with your parents as Sirach advises us in the first reading. This feast must teach us to create holy families, otherwise, we will be celebrating for the sake. In our families ought to follow the divine law which ordained the family and also the church teachings on being a better Christian family. Let the gospel be our leader and guide in our families.
The Holy family thus becomes a model of all our families. All the members of the Holy Family played their roles faithfully in making the wonderful family which we celebrate today. The last sentence of the Gospel says that Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature and in favour of God and people. This shows that Jesus' parents did the work of parenting Jesus both physically and spiritually by bringing him near to God. Jesus lived a full human life, did chores, played like other children and the parents nursed him very well. Jesus in turn obeyed his parents and did well as a good child. We too should follow the example of this family, putting God first and then performing our respective responsibilities.
St Paul in the alternative first reading of today (Col 3:12-21), gives great instructions of living in a community and a family: compassion, forgiveness, love and peace not to mention but gratitude. Love is a sort of overcoat, holding all the other qualities together. If we reflect on these and put them into practice there can be no rivalry or hostility in the Christian community even within a family, where the strains of Christmas often make love grow thin. However, a loving family is the model for the different relationships of a loving Christian community. God’s fatherhood and motherhood is the model for human parentage, and Christ’s devotion to his body the Church is the model for the devotion of spouses to one another.
St Paul ends by giving some advice for the family members. Wives should be obedient to their husbands, husbands should love their wives, children should be obedient to their parents and parents should never resent their children lest they frustrate them, and should never give them a bad example, for anyone who causes one of the little ones to sin, it's better a millstone should be tied in his or her neck and thrown in the sea. Paul tells wives to be obedient to their husbands because even though wives love from their hearts, sometimes they tend not to be obedient, and he tells husbands to love their wives because it is hard for men to love from the heart though they are obedient especially to their wives. Children let's follow the example of Jesus. Sirach advises us to respect our parents for through this, we receive blessing, forgiveness of sin, long life, good life, happiness, joy, and above all to take care of our parents especially when they are aged.
Reflect today on the birth of Jesus in a family and how he sanctified it. How are you and your family living according to the model family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Pray for all the graces to live in peace and Harmony in your family and pray for all the families especially Christian families.
Let us Pray
Dear Lord, thank you for calling me to a family, not only the family that I was born into, but also the family of God and the Church. Let me be aware that in this mystery, I join the mystery of your Incarnation. Help me to be united to you in the way I live my own life within my family and to trust that by my obedience I am growing in holiness and pleasing you. I ask the Holy Family specially to watch over and protect me, my family, and all those whom I love. Amen
Be blessed.
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