The Sunday after our celebration of Christ’s birth at Christmas, we celebrate Mary, Joseph, and Jesus in the feast of the Holy Family as we continue our journey through the Christmas season.
Pope Pius XII spoke about the ideal of family life to which all families should strive: “The life of a family united in intimate love is so beautiful! You can see each member eager and prompt in fulfilling his duties,… in practicing justice, honesty, kindness, patience in bearing adversaries and in forgiving wrongs, of strength in the hour of trial and under the weight of toil. You can see the parents educating their children with love and in the practice of all virtues. In a family such as this God is honored and faithfully served and everyone is treated with goodness. Can there be anything more noble and more edifying.” This is the ideal example for all Christian families. We know in our human weaknesses, we often do not attain this ideal vision of family.
The family is the basic unit of society instituted by God and ratified by our Lord Jesus Christ. We Catholics should see the family as a Christian institution, blessed by our Lord at the wedding feast of Cana and united in holiness in the sacrament of matrimony. Through the family, the parents and children and extended family members journey together as disciples of Christ.
In our Gospel today, Joseph protects his family in the face of danger and violence. Just as the angel announced Jesus’ upcoming birth to Joseph in a dream, so the angel communicates in dream Herod’s plans to harm Jesus. Joseph follows the angel’s command, taking Jesus and Mary to Egypt. They return only after receiving word in another dream that it was safe to do so.
Today’s Gospel comes from Matthew. We will be hearing from Matthew throughout the cycle A of Sunday readings throughout this liturgical year. Matthew’s Gospel presents Jesus as the messiah as the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. We can see parallels the Holy Family's flight to Egypt to the story of Moses leaving Egypt for the promised land in the Book of Exodus.
Next weekend at Mass, we will hear the story of the three Magi who traveled a long difficult distance from the East to find the baby Jesus and to honor him as the newborn king of kings. While the story of the Magi is filled with wonder and joy, it is in contrast to the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt, showing that not everyone received Christ’s birth with joy and obedience. Herod’s jealousy and nefarious goal is very different from the way Joseph obeyed the angel and did everything he could to protect his family. The Holy Family's flight into Egypt and the massacre that Jesus is saved from remind us of the struggles and sacrifices that are required from humanity as we journey as disciples in faith.
I had mentioned that we are called to live out the values of our faith as families, but often we can miss the mark. The end of today’s Gospel tells us that the child Jesus grew up and became strong in wisdom and received God’s favor. Our families are to help us grow in holiness, but no family is perfect. In our human weaknesses and imperfections, we can still grow in holiness and wisdom in our families, but we have to work at it and make the effort. Our journey of faith as individuals and as families is about how we grow in holiness and in love. May we give thanks for our parents and for our families today. In our families, may we help each other grow in holiness and obedience, in forgiveness and mercy, in virtues and love. May the Holy Family be an example for us on our journey.
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