Feast of the Holy Family
Reading I
Sir 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.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 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.
Reading II
Col 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.
Gospel
Lk 2:22-40
When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
they took him up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
"Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in sight of all the peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel."
The child's father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
"Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
--and you yourself a sword will pierce--
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
There was also a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.
When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee,
to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him.
COMMENTARY
The Book of Ben Sira is one of the longest books of the Bible and one of the
rare books actually written by the person to whom it is ascribed. Sirach
also forms part of the collection of Wisdom Books of the Bible. True
religion, i.e., fear of the Lord in all its implications, also involves duties
to others, first of all to parents. Honoring father and mother, the
cornerstone of biblical ethics (Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16), will bring a person long
life, forgiveness of sins, and other blessings. Parents will bless their
child who reveres and serves them; the result is that the child will have
"firm roots." But the child who shows parents no respect will be
uprooted. One must also cherish aged, feeble, and senile parents.
One who fails to do this is a "blasphemer" who provokes God himself.
The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Colossians begins with an exhortation
to virtue that Biblical Scholar W.A. Meeks calls the "baptismal
reunification formula", and builds to the proclamation "Christ is all
and in all." From this list of virtues, Paul gives an exhortation and
instruction on household duties or "household code." The code
reflects the social mores of the time and is not directed at the specific
situation in Colossae. Three pairs are addressed: wives/husbands,
children/parents, slaves/masters. The subordinate member of each pair is
first admonished to "be subject," and then the other member of the
pair is charged with responsibility.
Jesus is not just Savior for some people - he is the Savior of all. Like
his precursor John, he is circumcised and formally "stamped" as a
member of God's chosen people, through whom world salvation
was to come. The evangelist stresses the family's fidelity to the Law of
Moses. The new form of God's salvation comes with obedience to this Law.
In keeping with this Law, the Holy Family follows the law for purification and
consecration of the firstborn male.
Simeon (whose name means "God has heard") and Anna (the prophetess
whose name means "Grace, Favor") embody the heart of the Temple cult,
which is service to God. These two pronounce the theme of salvation: God's
salvation in Jesus moves out and embraces God's people Israel and then encircles
the others, the nations. Many, however, will reject Jesus. By
placing Anna and Simeon together at the Temple, Luke has given both men and
women the same dignity before God.
REFLECTION
Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Family. What greater
example could there be of family life? Very little is known of the life
that Joseph, Mary, and the child Jesus lived in the small village of Nazareth,
however, through the study of civilizations, culture, and through archeological
excavations, a picture can be painted of what life was like during those times.
These facts, placed along side the Gospel accounts can help recreate the story
of the Holy Family.
I remember as a child how my parents made the difficult decision to flee our
native country in search of freedom and a new life in America. Having to
leave all their possessions, without speaking the language or a way to make a
living in a strange land, this was not a decision to be made lightly, yet the
thought of their children growing up in a land where religion was and still is
considered a crime against the State and the fear of a future of political
turmoil was reason enough to make this most difficult of choices. My life
and the lives of my sisters, was more important to my parents than their own.
What a sacrifice on their part - what an act of love! Eventually, our
family grew and rooted itself into this country, and my sisters and I have grown
into men and women with our own families to look after.
Like Mary and Joseph, my parents and many others like them have sacrificed
greatly for the future of their children. They have taken to heart the
responsibility of raising a family and following the model of Mary and Joseph.
Today's feast celebrates the family as a symbol of the Divine. The Divine
Love that flows between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit flows also through
father, mother, and children, inspiring them to live for each other and through
each other. That is why a husband rejoices at the complements given to his
wife, and a wife rejoices at the success of her husband, and both share in the
accomplishments of their children. The family that becomes a reflection of
the Divine Love of God share both in the joy and pain, hopes and fears that each
may have, and are each able to put aside their own desires in order to give to
the other. Let us pray that in this Feast of the Holy Family, we may
become more like Joseph, Mary, and Jesus and be a true reflection of the Divine
Love of God.
Biblical SourcesNew American Bible; United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops; Seitz, C. (ed.) Skehan, P.W. and A.A. Di
Lella, "The Wisdom of Ben Sira"; The Collegeville Bible Commentary;
Bruce, F.F., "The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the
Ephesians"; Fitzmyer, J.A., "The Gospel According to Luke";
LaVerdiere, E., "Luke";Brown, Raymond E., S.S., "Introduction to
the New Testament"; Brown, Fitzmyer, and Murphy (ed.) "The New Jerome
Biblical Commentary.
Reflection: Deacon Lazaro J. Ulloa