A Reflection on the Feast of the Holy Family, 12/26/10 ~ by M. A. Allen

Sir 3:2-6, 12-14
Ps 128:1-5
Col 3:12-21
Matt 2:13-15, 19-23

The peacefulness and joy surrounding the birth of the Christ Child did not last very long for Mary and Joseph. Too soon, this Holy Family is faced with real danger. Herod has learned of the birth of a future King and he is determined to secure his throne by hunting down and destroying this Child.

Joseph is alerted to this potential danger by an angel of the Lord who tells Joseph in a dream to leave immediately for safety in Egypt. Joseph does not hesitate for he understands by now that he and his little family are under God's special protection.

In time, King Herod dies and Joseph is again advised by an angel that it is time to return home. Because there is still some danger because of Herod's successor, Joseph decides to settle in Galilee, in the town of Nazareth.

Life is different now for Mary and Joseph. Instead of being just a couple, with the birth of Jesus, they have become a family.

We learn from the first reading from Sirach, how families are to function and how God rewards families whose members strive to live together in peace... honoring and caring for each other, whether they be parent or child. When we honor our parents and each other, we atone for sin, our prayers are heard and God rewards us.

In the reading from Colossians, the analogy of the family is carried over into our community life. We are God's chosen ones, who are called to be holy and the beloved of God. We are to live lives of "heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another." (Col 3:12-13)

In our communities, as well as in our families, we are to embody love, which is "the bond of perfection." (Col 3:14) We are to live in peace and to allow the Word of Christ to dwell in us. These are the ways that we show our gratitude to God for all He has done for us.

There may be times of drama and danger in our own lives just as there were in the lives of the Holy Family, but we know that if we continue to walk in His way, God will bless us abundantly.


~ Flight into Egypt by Juan de Borgona, c. 1500
~ Free Christ Images.org