The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Year A (Dec 28, 2025)

It is very appropriate that we celebrate this Feast of the Holy Family on the Sunday after Christmas, when so many people are home with their families. What do the readings teach us about the Holy Family? How can we learn from them about making our own families holy?

The first reading is from Sirach, a book of maxims or wise sayings. Today’s passage seems to underscore the Gospel of Matthew’s emphasis on Joseph’s role as the quiet strength of the Holy Family.

God sets a father in honor over his children; a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons. . . Whoever honors his father is gladdened by children. . . Whoever reveres his father will live a long life; he who obeys his father brings comfort to his mother. . .

The second reading, from Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, is problematic to us moderns, and homilists will need to explain it carefully. First, Saint Paul is often unfairly criticized for this passage. The truth is that Colossians might not have even been written by Paul but by another writer who used Paul’s name. This seems strange by today’s standards of authorship, but in the ancient world the practice was quite acceptable. Regardless of authorship, the Church has always considered Colossians (and Ephesians, and other letters attributed to Paul) as the inspired word of God. 

Whoever wrote Colossians, it is important to keep in mind that this particular passage, and much of Saint Paul’s commentary and advice to his communities, reflects the social mores of the early first century. There is no way we can exactly apply those customs and viewpoints to our modern society without controversy.

Wives, be subordinate to your husbands, as is proper in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and avoid any bitterness toward them . . . 

Keeping in mind the rather brusque social standards of the first century Roman Empire and its conquered peoples, this household wisdom in Colossians is revolutionary. Yes, it recognizes the subordinate role of wives in the ancient world, but it also places responsibility on the husband to love their wives – all within the context of loving the Lord. 

We also need to read this passage in context with the author’s discussion on the total household: husbands, wives, children – and masters and slaves. The author realizes it is not his place to directly challenge the social structures of his day. Rather, he gives advice on how to live more compassionately within those structures.

Certainly, we can find modern application in such wisdom as: 

Put on, as God’s chosen ones, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another as God has forgiven you. . . Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Today’s Gospel passage from Matthew continues the remarkable Christmas story from Joseph’s point of view. Placed after the visit of the Magi, this passage serves as a bookend to the story of the Holy Innocents: the angelic direction for Joseph to take his family to Egypt and, after a period of safety there, the family’s return and settlement in Nazareth – all to fulfill the ancient Scriptures. In other words, Joseph, without complaint, accepts his role as the father and protector of Jesus.

Every family is different. Every family has their own unique dynamics, and unresolved issues from childhood often get surfaced again when families come together for the holidays. Instead of falling into familiar behavioral patterns that might cause friction in the home, let’s all take a deep breath of God’s Spirit and learn from the Holy Family.

Some commentators bewail the disintegration of the traditional family. But when you think about it, the Holy Family is far from traditional. A man of quiet strength named Joseph took on the role assigned to him by God to protect his wife and the child not his own – who happened to be the Son of God.

What makes the Holy Family holy? I think it’s because Joseph and Mary loved Jesus as a Child of God. Can you imagine what kind of a beautiful world we would live in if, within our families, we treated all our kids as children of God.