First Reading

A reading from the Book of Sirach (3:2-6, 12-14)

God sets a father in honor over His children; a mother's authority He confirmed over her sons. Whoever honors his father atones for sins, and preserves himself from them. When he prays, he is heard; he stores up riches who reveres his mother. Whoever honors his father is gladdened by children, and, when he prays, is heard. Whoever reveres his father will live a long life; he who obeys his father brings comfort to his mother.

My son, take care of your father when he is old; grieve him not as long as he lives. Even if his mind fail, be considerate of him; revile him not all the days of his life; kindness to a father will not be forgotten, firmly planted against the debt of your sins - a house raised in justice to you.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (128:1-2, 3, 4-5)

(R) Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in His ways.

Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways! For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; blessed shall you be, and favored. (R)

Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the recesses of your home; your children like olive plants around your table. (R)

Behold, thus is the man blessed who fears the Lord. The Lord bless you from Zion: may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Colossians (3:12-21)

Brothers and sisters: As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Wives, be subordinate to your husbands, as is proper in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and avoid any bitterness toward them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, so they may not become discouraged.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (2:13-15, 19-23)

When the magi had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him." Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, out of Egypt I called my son.

When Herod had died, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead." He rose, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go back there. And because he had been warned in a dream, he departed for the region of Galilee. He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, He shall be called a Nazarean.

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

Today's gospel, Matthew (2:13-15, 19-23), centres on Joseph, the husband of Mary and foster father of Jesus. The gospels do not have record of Joseph saying a single word. He appears to be a silent father figure. In fact, we don't know much about him at all. To say the least, among the gospel writers, Mark never mentions Joseph by name and John on only two occasions while Matthew and Luke speak about Joseph, but only very briefly. We can say, based on the information available to us, that Joseph faced many moments of difficulties and crisis throughout his life with Mary and Jesus.

First, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him that Mary to whom he was legally betrothed, was pregnant with a special child by the power of the Holy Spirit and that He was the Son of God, and His name would be Jesus, but he should not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife. When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel had directed him, Matthew (1:18-25). Then just a few days before Mary gave birth to Jesus, Joseph took her from their hometown Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in Judea which was about 70-80 miles away to be enrolled in the census. There, Jesus was born not in a palace or inn, but a stable, Luke (2:4-7). Afterwards, having been warned in a dream of Herod's intent to kill Jesus, Joseph took his family and fled with them to Egypt, Matthew (2:13-15). Later, after Herod's death, he brought his family back to Judea, but cautiously avoided living there, in fear of Herod's son, Archelaus, who had become the king. Instead, after being warned again by God, he took them back to Nazareth, Matthew (2:19-23).

In the meantime, he also brought Mary and Jesus to Jerusalem for the rites of presentation and purification required by the Law of Moses, Luke (2:22-38), during which they were surprised, and quite possibly disturbed by the prophecy of Simeon: "a sword will pierce through your soul", Luke (2:35). Later, when Jesus was twelve years old, they went to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover and there Jesus went missing for three days. When they eventually found Him in the temple discussing scriptures and the Law with teachers, Mary rebuked Jesus saying, "Why have you done this?" Your father and I have been anxiously looking for you."

In response, Jesus said that He "must be in My Father's house", that is, in God's temple. But they did not understand Him. They were confused by Jesus' behaviour, Luke (2:41-52). After this event, Joseph disappears from the scene. We do not know what happened to Joseph or when he died. Most scholars assume that he died sometime before Jesus began His public ministry because Joseph is not mentioned as being present at the Wedding at Cana or crucifixion whereas Mary was present. In fact, Mary continued to be present among the first disciples even after Jesus' death and resurrection, John (19:25-27) and Acts (1:14).

Now, when it comes to all that happened in Joseph's life, they were not mere events. Those were moments of doubt, confusion, anxiety, fear, misunderstanding, distress, and hardships. But those were moments that Joseph probably pondered in silence in the same way Mary did, Luke (2:18-19). Those were also the moments that revealed Joseph's real character. Despite all the challenges and uncertainties, Joseph protected Mary and Jesus, provided for them, and remained faithful, humble, and obedient till the end, and so, today, we call them the Holy Family. Holy doesn't mean perfect. They are the Holy Family not because they were perfect but in moments of crisis they stayed together in faith, love, and the practices of traditions and virtues, thereby showing us a model of what a Christian family should be

Today's first reading from the Book of Sirach (3:2-6, 12-14) has a message which is relevant for all Christian families. It reminds us of the sacred bond between parents and children and calls the parents to guide, protect, and form their children, and the children to honour, respect, and care for their parents, especially in the moments of weakness and old age. It also assures us that God will honour our devotion and obedience with the blessing of riches, long life, prayers and forgiveness of our sins.

In the second reading, Corinthians (3:12-21), St Paul, too, encourages us to practice every virtue, especially compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and love, implying that they are not optional in our families but essential for harmony and peace. He further urges parents not to provoke their children, but to teach and counsel them with all the wisdom that God gives, reminding us that authority in our families must be exercised with care, guidance, and tenderness, not domination or harshness. Lastly, Paul calls on everyone to be thankful to God for all things and all our loved ones and to celebrate and rejoice by singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, and by supporting one another in our endeavours, and to honour our efforts, whether small or great.

What is the message for us?

Today, more than ever, families face many challenges. We may smile for pictures and post them on social media with captivating family captions like "Rooted in love," "Unforgettable moments," "Family our greatest blessing," "Family first, always," and so on. But behind closed doors, we all know that family life is full of moments that test our understanding, patience, kindness, faith, love, and sacrifice. So, trying to be a family, let alone be a holy family, is exceedingly challenging and difficult, especially with so many distractions and threats from the secular world. We see evil forces everywhere uniting to destroy the institutions of marriage and family, to do away with morality, cultural and religious beliefs, traditions, and practices, and to glorify all that is lewd and profane.

Individuals increasingly are not engaging with their families enough due to various factors. Everybody today seems to be in a terrible rush, anxious for greater development and greater riches, so that children have little time for their parents, and parents have little time for their children and for each other. We witness more and more families quietly falling apart and family members purposefully choosing to distance themselves from one another.
There is a story from the German philosopher Schopenhauer. It was the coldest winter ever. Many animals were dying because of the cold. The porcupines, realizing the situation, decided to group together to keep warm. This way they covered and protected themselves; but the quills, that is, the needle-like spikes of each one wounded their closest companions. After a while, they decided to distance themselves one from the other to stop being wounded. As they did this, they began to die, alone and frozen. So, they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the earth. Wisely, they decided to go back to being together. They learned to live with the little wounds caused by the close relationship with their companions in order to receive the warmth that came from the others. This way they were able to survive.
The story teaches us that if we want to make our families holy like the Holy Family, we too must bear with pricks, wounds, hurts, and grievances from family members. No one is perfect, including you and me. There are no perfect parents and there are no perfect spouses and there are no perfect children. So, no matter how different we may be in thoughts and perspectives, we must ultimately be united behind imitating the virtues of the Holy Family. Remember the proverb, "United we stand, divided we fall." So, despite the pain and suffering that we cause one another, we need to group ourselves, united like the porcupines. We need to stay strong, seek peace and keep moving forward, otherwise it will lead to overwhelming loneliness, disconnection, misunderstanding, distress, resentment, estrangement, and even death.
Sometimes just being together in peace, without anger, resentment, envy, or family quarrels is enough to rejoice. So, let us not only be people who wish and pray for peace for one another, but also truly "pursue peace with everyone, as well as holiness, so that we can see the Lord" and receive ever more favours from Him, Hebrews (12:14; Romans 12:18). St Mother Teresa once said, "If you want to change the world, go back home and love your family." This quote highlights that true world change begins at home. To experience the gifts of true hope, peace, joy, love and light that the God-Incarnate brings to all, we must begin in our homes now, modelled on the virtues of Mary and Joseph and ultimately flowing from the heart of Christ.

Today, on this feast of the Holy Family, let us pray for all families carrying pain, division, or unspoken wounds, that they may overcome every root of hatred, resentment, pride and personal (selfish) desires and accept one another for who they are, not for what they want them to be, so as to experience true peace and happiness in their lives.

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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