Cycle A - Year II:  

29 December 2019: Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph 

(Liturgical Color: White)

Readings:

First Reading:        Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14

Second Reading:   Colossians 3:12-21

Gospel:  Please Read  Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

"The Family is in God's plan!"

Someone wrote that FAMILY is an acronym for "Father And Mother I Love You".  Because it is in the FAMILY where life begins and love never ends.

And so Jesus chooses to be born in a human family, with Mary as His mother and Joseph as protector.  And this speaks loudly how highly God regards family life.   

The Gospel narrative is about the Holy Family flight to Egypt to protect the infant Jesus from King Herod who wanted to kill the Child.  This tells us that even in Jesus' time family life is challenging and never easy.  The Holy Family, with Mary and Joseph and the infant Jesus had to work through difficult circumstances from the conception of Jesus.  Mary had to give birth to Jesus away from home in the town of Bethlehem.  And soon after Jesus' birth, the Holy Family were forced to flee to Egypt to escape King Herod.

Yet, it is in His human family, fraught with trials and challenges of everyday living that Jesus grew in wisdom, age and grace to prepare for His saving work.  In much the same way, God intends to prepare us for life's many challenges and makes us strong in His grace through the ups and downs of family life.  

The Gospel also depicts St. Joseph as a man who was obedient to God.  St. Joseph models how the father of every home exercises his role as head of the house by seeking first and foremost the will of God for himself and his family.

So then, it is important for both parents to be close to God, to be prayerful and to have an obedient spirit so that they can hear God speak and follow His plan for the family.

For God loves the family.  By the incarnation of the Son, God unites Himself with everyone through the family.  Mother Teresa wrote:  "The family that prays together stays together, because such a family learns something about how God loves each one of us."  That is why we can learn something from the examples of the Holy Family on their love, concern and respect for each other.

May our celebration of the Holy Family this Sunday call to mind how highly God the Father regards family life.  May we re-dedicate ourselves to building a strong relationship with Christ so that we can be a member of our own family that builds unity through our sincere caring attitude and virtuous deeds.

A blessed Sunday to us all.  And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!