First Reading: Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 128:1-2, 3, 4-5
Second Reading: Colossians 3:12-21
Gospel: Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23
Reflection Questions
1. Why do you think God continued to speak to St. Joseph through dreams, and not in other ways? Do you think St. Joseph was ever afraid of falling asleep because of all these dreams? Why/why not?
2. St. Joseph took his family on a whirlwind tour of the Middle East. Let’s see what that trip looked like. Find a map of the Holy Land in Jesus time. (Many Bibles have them included.) List all the places that the Holy Family went to in this Gospel, starting with Bethlehem. Then, chart them on the map. How many miles did they travel? What do you think their mode of transportation was? How long do you think it took them to travel?
3. The Pope calls the family the ‘domestic’ (home) Church. What can you do to help your family grow in holiness? In what ways does St. Joseph example show you how to model holiness in your family?
Gospel Reflection
While there is relatively little in the Bible about St. Joseph, he remains one of the most influential men in all of Scripture. The first Sunday after Christmas is the feast of the Holy Family, where the Church celebrates not only the family of St. Joseph, Mary and Jesus, but also the holiness that is part of every family. In this Gospel passage, the Magi, who had come to give honor to Jesus, have just left the Holy Family to go home. The Holy Family was left with real danger in their land, for King Herod had gone mad, and was looking to kill the Child as a way to protect his power. We are then told of the first of three dreams that St. Joseph receives from God, in which an angel gives St. Joseph directions to follow. The first place St. Joseph moves his family is Egypt. Egypt is significant not only because Jesus is safe there, but because it was home to both Abraham and Moses. Jesus, like them, gets called forth from Egypt into service for His people. The Gospel passage is silent about the details of the Holy Family’s stay in Egypt: How long did they live there? What did St. Joseph do for work? Did they have to endure any hardships? St. Joseph knows it’s time to leave when he receives a second dream to go back to Israel. When they were getting close, Joseph received a third dream telling him to go to Nazareth, for Judea wasn’t safe. Finally they arrived in Nazareth, and were able to settle as a family to help their Child grow. We never hear about the death of St. Joseph, or about his day to day fathering and love for Jesus. We know from this passage that St. Joseph was a man who waited on the Lord, and when He commanded him, he moved without delay, trusting fully in God. St. Joseph’s lived a quiet life, with only God’s recognition as his reward. No doubt, St. Joseph was a special man, for God chose him to be Jesus’ foster-father. Unlike the celebrities of today, St. Joseph didn’t draw attention to Himself. St. Joseph’s life was about complete obedience to God. You and I have a lot to learn from St. Joseph. In the midst of our daily struggles and choices, we will be given opportunities to do things our way, and to take credit ourselves for our work. As followers of Jesus, we have to always be putting the credit and glory on Jesus, for Jesus is the source of our love and talents. Many will say that this attitude of giving Jesus the credit will take away from our self-esteem, but in Christ, we see ourselves as we truly are in God’s eyes – His beloved children who need to trust Him for everything. St. Joseph shows us how to do this – through complete obedience to God’s will, even when it is difficult. May God give us the strength to be able to imitate St. Joseph in our daily lives.
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