Feast of the Holy Family (A)

Sir 3:2-7, 12-14
Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5
Col 3:12-21 or Col 3:12-17
Mt 2, 13-15, 19-23

Hello, I’m Franciscan Father Greg Friedman, with the "Sunday Soundbite" for the Feast of the Holy Family.

At a family reunion some years ago, I was struck by the physical resemblances among my family members. The facial characteristics of some of the older folks there were visible in some the younger members. I wondered, too, whether the values which motivated my immigrant ancestors to come to America some one hundred and fifty years ago, were still present in my family today.

Today's Gospel, from Matthew's account of Christ's infancy, shows us a family grappling with a crisis. Joseph has to take Mary and Jesus to safety, to avoid the clutches of King Herod, who seeks the child's life. Scripture scholars tell us that there's meaning below the story's surface. Matthew is reflecting on Old Testament references which lead us to see Jesus as the "new Moses" and the "new Israel." The story of the Israelite slaves leaving Egypt for freedom in the Promised Land would have appealed to Matthew's audience. They were, most probably, a Christian community struggling to focus its new identity in relation to its Jewish origins.

Our American religious experience is also rooted in family origins: our ancestors who struggled to keep the faith as oppressed slaves, impoverished immigrants, persecuted minorities. Knowing where we've come from, and keeping ourselves rooted in Christ and his mission, can help us weather any crisis.

Scripture:

•Whoever reveres his father will live a long life; (Sirach 3:6)

•For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; blessed shall you be, (Psalm 128:2)

•Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, (Colossians 3:16)

•Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, (Matthew 2:13)

•Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, (Matthew 2:20)

Reflection:

•What is the most important aspect of your life? If it was all you had to sustain you, would it be enough to survive?

•If you were to take a spiritual journey, what (who) would you bring?

•In Matthew, are Egypt and Israel metaphors for a spiritual journey?

•Is Egypt the journey to nowhere or nothingness and Israel the journey back to God?

•Are these normal stopping points on the spiritual journey?

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

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we celebrate the Holy Family as well as our own families. All the scriptures at Mass give us instruction on how to be a holy family.

The first reading tells children (young and old) to "honor" and "revere" their parents, to be considerate of them when they get old and feeble and to be kind to them even if they fail to love us well. It does NOT say that children have to obey their parents ALL the time. This scripture never uses the word "obey".

We are to only obey God, and if a parent instructs us to do what God wants us to do (as in the responsorial Psalm), then by obeying Mom or Dad, we're obeying God, but if a parent disobeys God, we are not to follow him or her into sin. We can honor and revere our parents by respecting their personhood even while refusing to cooperate with their sins.

The second reading instructs us to "put on love, the bond of perfection", and to make sure that the peace of Christ controls our hearts. How? Saint Francis de Sales said, "Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset."

Verse 18 is NOT saying that wives should do this by obeying their husbands as if in a child-father relationship. To understand the message here, replace the word "subordinate" or "submit" with "respect". God has put the husband in charge of providing protection for the family (which is why in the Gospel reading it's Joseph, not Mary, who was given the dream) — including spiritual protection (teaching holiness and leading the family to heaven). When a wife respects her husband's personhood (the man God created him to be), she's placing herself (subordinating herself) into his protection, which is also God's protection.

And the husband is commanded to love his wife. Why isn't the wife told to love her husband? Because by nature she's a nurturer and a care-giver. But the man, created to protect, is by nature a warrior. To be holy, the husband must overcome his innate urge to protect himself so that he can make sacrifices for his family, just like Jesus.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

Which family relationships need to become holier? What can you do this week to improve these by (choose the ones that fit your situation) honoring your parents, teaching your children, and showing respect and love for your spouse (or ex-spouse) in imitation of Christ?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

Husbands (and ex-husbands and widowers), explain how important it is to feel respected. Wives (and ex-wives and widows), share how respect for husbands is effective in nurturing the marital relationship. How does the husband's protective nature imitate Christ? How does his love also imitate Christ? How is this similarly played out in a priest's relationship with his parish?