Reflection on the Word of God – Sunday of the Holy Family
4th Day of the Octave of Christmas, Year A
First Reading: Sirach 3:3-7, 14-17a
In Mozambique, around 1980, during the years of revolutionary fervour, to justify the celebration of December 25, instead of calling it “Christmas Day,” it was at times referred to as “Family Day.” Yet for us Catholic Christians, the liturgical feast of the Holy Family is celebrated on the Sunday following the Nativity of the Lord, within the Octave of Christmas, in reference to the family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, as the model of a Christian family.
The first reading this Sunday is taken from the Book of Ben-Sira, which belongs to the group of wisdom books. It is well known that this group of writings emphasizes the transmission of counsel, especially from parents to children, for success in family, social, and political life. This Sunday’s passage follows that pattern: echoing the Decalogue in Exodus 20:12, the author sets out various ways of honouring both father and mother (obeying them, supporting them, showing indulgence, among others), and the blessings that flow from such honour: forgiveness of sins, long life, and charity toward one’s father that will not be forgotten by future generations.
Underlying the text is the idea that whoever is a child today, if he honours his parents, may enjoy long life and thus one day become a father himself, receiving the respect of his children in the same way he honoured his own parents (cf. Eph 6:2-3; 1 Tim 5:4).
Second Reading: Colossians 3:12-21
With a more developed foundation, this passage begins by inviting a way of life that should be embraced by every member of the community, especially “if anyone has a grievance against another” (Col 3:13). The basis for forgiveness is the Lord himself, who has forgiven us (3:13). Hence the need to act in charity, which must be the bond of perfection (cf. Col 3:14).
From here Paul speaks of the commitment required of each member of a family so that it may truly be a Christian family: he asks wives to be submissive, husbands to love their wives, and children to obey their parents. In this framework, there is no room for machismo, as has often been claimed of this text and of Eph 5:22. On the contrary, it is about complementarity of affection and responsibilities within the same family, so that each member does his or her best for family harmony. More than submission of the woman to the man, it is submission of the woman to the “love of the husband” that is being referred to.
The parallel between Col 3:18 and Eph 5:21, 27 is significant and clarifying: in the latter text, after the invitation that spouses be submissive to one another, verse 27 orders the man to preserve his wife and present her without blemish, as Christ did with his Church.
Gospel: Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23
Placed within the so-called “Infancy Gospel,” this passage highlights the role of Joseph, adoptive father of the Child Jesus, in protecting the whole family, especially safeguarding the newborn Child, under God’s command. Extra-biblical historical data confirm the existence of Herod Archelaus, who succeeded his father Herod—called “the Great”—as ethnarch after his death. His reign lasted from 4 BC to 6 AD, when he was deposed by the Roman Emperor Augustus and exiled on charges of tyranny.
Humanly speaking, the Holy Family had reason to fear both Herod the father and Herod the son. But the most important aspect is the theological one that Matthew, writing primarily for a Jewish audience, intends to emphasize: just as Moses was in Egypt, Jesus, the “New Moses,” had to make his own “Exodus” toward the Promised Land.
Conclusion
The Word of God presents to us the family of Nazareth as the model of a Christian family, guided by God’s Word and by the principles of love, complementarity, and peace.