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| “The Holy Family” by Claudio Coello, ~1685 |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Sirach 3:2-6,
12-14
God sets a father in honor
over his children;
a mother’s authority he
confirms 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.
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Commentary on Sir 3:2-6, 12-14
This reading from
Sirach is essentially an exposition of the Commandment to Honor your father and
mother. I goes into greater length about the positive benefits that come to the
person who does so and does link to early Hebrew belief that the honor received
by the father of a household was transferred to the children (just as in the
omitted verses 8-11, the sins are also transmitted to the children).
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm
128:1-2, 3, 4-5
R. (cf. 1) 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. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his
ways.
Your wife shall be like a
fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
your children like olive
plants
around your table.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his
ways.
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. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his
ways.
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Commentary on Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5
Psalm 128 is a song of
thanksgiving. It begins here with the typical blessings for following and
having faith in the Lord. This selection features the blessing a family brings
to the faithful using the symbolism of vines and olives so favored by even the
Lord.
It also supports the creation of
woman and the marriage theme in Genesis 2:18-25. It is the
logical extension of the two becoming one flesh and the children flowing from
that union.
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Reading II: Colossians
3:12-21
Brothers and sisters:
Put on, as God’s chosen ones,
holy and beloved,
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.
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Commentary on Col 3:12-21
Here we have the
rather controversial family hierarchy of the era described by St. Paul
When the
subordinated relationships are described below, equality in membership in the
family is established.
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Brothers and sisters:
Put on, as God’s chosen ones,
holy and beloved,
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.
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Commentary on Col 3:12-17
This is the
introduction to the family hierarchy of the era described by St. Paul. This
entire section of the letter is a discourse on harmony within the family of
Christ. It is important to note the instruction given in the first part of this
reading. Paul describes the Christian rules for relationships; “Put on, as
God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another”.
The consistent focus of the passage brings home the Pauline ideals of harmony
and unity within the Christian Family.
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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 Nazorean
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Commentary on Mt 2:13-15, 19-23
The story of the Holy Family
fleeing to Egypt is provided in Matthew’s Gospel. Angelic messengers to keep
Jesus from harm guide Joseph, the father of Jesus. (The verses 16-18 which are
omitted in this reading tell the story of the slaughter of the Holy Innocents
in Bethlehem whose feast we celebrated on December 28.) The actions that follow
accomplish the task of saving Jesus from Herod. It is also reminiscent of Moses’
flight from Egypt and subsequent return which triggered the salvation event –
the Exodus.
The account also mentions that
all that happens is in accordance with what has been prophetically revealed.
The first reference, indicating that the Messiah was to be called out of Egypt
is a reference to Hosea 11:1. The second
reference is less clear as there is no specific Old Testament biblical
reference to Nazareth. It is possible a confusion with the term “neser”. Old
Testament texts are Isaiah 11:1 where the Davidic king of the future
is called "a bud" (neser) that shall blossom from the roots of
Jesse, and Judges 13:5, 7 where Samson, the future deliverer of
Israel from the Philistines, is called one who shall be consecrated (a nazir)
to God.
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Reflection:
We continue to celebrate the early events in the life
of Jesus during the Christmas season.
Today the tranquility of the birth of the Lord and the accompanying
rejoicing are shattered in a dream. A
messenger from God visits Joseph again in his dream. This time the message is one of alarm. He is told that King Herod wishes to kill Joseph’s
ward and son; like the Egyptians from the time of Moses (Exodus 1:22). He was instructed to flee to Egypt until the
danger passed.
We can only imagine the alarm this caused with Mary,
the mother of Jesus. There can be no
doubt, however, that this devout family listened to the Lord’s instructions and
immediately left the area. We also know
the threat was real. Shortly after the
Holy Family left Bethlehem, Herod’s troops descended upon the town and killed
every male baby between birth and two years old. Hosea the prophet had heard the cry of that
horrible deed hundreds of years before.
Infants, who had yet to utter a word, offered their life’s blood for the
savior of the world.
Nothing is known of the years Joseph and the Holy
Family spent in Egypt while waiting for word from the angel to return. There are tales in the Apocryphal Gospels
about these early years of Jesus’ life but nothing authoritative. What we can surmise is these were years of
great peace for Mary, Joseph and their young son. Their devotion to God was intense, since only
one who listens carefully to God may hear with clarity their call to
holiness. Only one who intensely loved
the Father would be chosen with the most precious gift ever given. Only one who walked with God daily would hear
the messenger who told them it was safe to return.
We rejoice today with the Holy Family, Joseph, Mary
and Jesus who is the Christ. We rejoice
for their years of peace and love, safe in Egypt. We thank God for calling them back to
Nazareth so the young Jesus would grow to manhood and fulfill the rest of his
prophesied mission to bring us salvation.
Finally we look to the perfect love expressed within the Holy Family and
pray that our families may work toward that same unity.
Pax
[1]
ALTRE
[2]
The picture used today is “The Holy Family” by Claudio Coello, ~1685
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
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