Homily (Reflection) for the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and
Joseph (A) (30th December)
Sir 3:2-6.12-14 or Col 3:12-21;
Ps 127:1-5. (R. cf. v. 1);Matt 2:13-15.19-23.
Holy Family
consists of Jesus, Blessed Virgin Mary, and Saint Joseph.
Veneration of the Holy Family formally began in the 17th century by Saint François de Laval, the first bishop of New France, who founded a Confraternity.
And the Feast of the Holy Family
is a liturgical
celebration in the Catholic Church
in honour of the trio. Since the 1969 revision of the General Roman
Calendar, the feast is celebrated on
the Sunday between Christmas and New Year's Day
(both exclusive), or on 30 December when both Christmas Day and New Year's Day (the Solemnity
of Mary, Mother of God) are Sundays[1].
Topic: Shared responsibility.
In today’s gospel, Saint Joseph in obedience to the message
of an angel took Mary and Jesus to Egypt. And after the death of Herod, he
brought them back to the land of Israel and settled in Nazareth also in
obedience to the message through an angel.
Saint Joseph, the head of the family (cf. Eph 5:23) protected the holy family
from danger. He was ever obedient to the will of God made known to him through
His angel while carrying out this function. Mary and Jesus obeyed him as they
ought.
As we celebrate the feast of the holy family, it is necessary
to look briefly at some of the things expected from every member of the family.
Saint Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reads,
Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives,
be subject to your husbands....Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved
the church and gave himself up for her, in order to make her holy by cleansing
her... (Eph 5:21-22.25-26).
In his letter to the Colossians he also admonished all, “Husbands,
love your wives and never treat them harshly. Children, obey your parents in
everything, for this is your acceptable duty in the Lord. Fathers, do not
provoke your children, or they may lose heart” (Col 3:19-21; cf. Eph 6:1-4).
As we honour the holy family today, we must remember always that
this family is the model for every Christian family. It is necessary for every
one of us to consider how he/she is fulfilling his/her duties in the family. For
a family to be what it should be, husband, wife, and child/ren must work
together. None of them can do it alone as we see in the holy family. It is a
shared responsibility. The bible also tells us that Jesus was obedient to
Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary, cf. Lk
2:51. Let us emulate the holy family and make the world a better place
starting from our respective families.
Bible Reading: 1Cor 7:1-16; Eph 5:21-33; Col 3:18–4:1.
Thought for today: Being responsible in your family.
Let us pray: Lord, the author of every Christian
family, give every man, woman, and child the grace to fulfil his/her
obligations in the family – Amen.
You are free to share this reflection with
others if you consider it worthy.
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