This Sunday, also called the Sunday in the Octave of Christmas, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Family. Having spent four Sundays and most of December preparing for Christmas the Lectionary (book of readings) insists on holding onto Christmas for longer than the one day that the secular world keeps. Liturgically the Christmas season lasts from the evening prayer on Christmas Eve until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which this year is on January 13, 2002. During this time the readings focus on different aspects of the Christmas event.

First Reading: Sirach 3: 2-7, 12-14

2 For the LORD sets a father in honor over his children; a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons. 3 He who honors his father atones for sins; 4 he stores up riches who reveres his mother. 5 He who honors his father is gladdened by children, and when he prays he is heard. 6 He who reveres his father will live a long life; he obeys the LORD who brings comfort to his mother. 12 My son, take care of your father when he is old; grieve him not as long as he lives. 13 Even if his mind fail, be considerate with him; revile him not in the fullness of your strength. 14 For kindness to a father will not be forgotten, it will serve as a sin offering–it will take lasting root.

NOTES on First Reading:

* 3:2-9 Here the writer enjoins special duties toward others on us, such as honor and respect toward parents, with corresponding blessings.

* 3:10-13 According to the sage this respect is due even to old and infirm parents.

* 3:14(and 15 which is not part of the reading) Through it, the sins of the children are pardoned. In the next verse (16) failure to render respect to parents is equated with blasphemy and merits a curse from God. See also Exodus 20:12, 21:17; Deut 5:16; Tobit 4:3-4; Prov 1:8, 20:20; Matt 15:3-6; Eph 6:2-3.

Second Reading: Colossians 3:12-21 (Shortened version is 3: 12-17)

12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 13 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. 14 And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful. 16 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. 17 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. 18 Wives, be subordinate to your husbands, as is proper in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and avoid any bitterness toward them. 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, so they may not become discouraged.

NOTES on Second Reading:

* 3:12-17 We are not only to do no harm to anyone, but to do what good we can to all. The elect of God are holy and beloved, and ought to be humble and compassionate towards all.

* 3:16 These inspired songs are probably charismatic improvisations provided by the Holy Spirit during liturgical assemblies. Instead of “the word of Christ” the earliest version of this may have read simply, “the Word”.

* 3:18 Paul gives a general standard of behavior here. The next few verses provide specific ways in which individuals will be challenged to live out this general principle. The attitude of constant thanksgiving to the Father through Christ is characteristic of one who follows Jesus.

* 3:18-4:1 Paul here follows one of the common literary conventions of the day. It was a common practice of that time for morality writers to list the duties and responsibilities of various members of a society or of a family. A similar listing of duties is found in Eph 5:21-6:9; Col 3:18-4:1 and 1 Peter 2:18-3:7. One of the common criticisms of Christianity in those days was that it caused rebellion and disregard for authority by splitting households around the issue of religion. Pagans saw it as a threat to the structures of society and a danger to the stability of the home and the empire. The advice Paul gives is pretty much in line with the roles established by pagan society. He is faced with society as it was in the first century so he advised each member of that society to live out his/her role but to do it “in the Lord”. While the outward appearances might not seem much different, the motivation and guiding spirit of the actions were to be based in Christ. So then, the wife submits not because society forces her to but to further the interests of “the kingdom”. Just as Christ used His authority over the church to save her and bring her to the Father, the husband is to use the authority that society gives him over his family, not to dominate and seek his own selfish satisfaction but rather to aid in the salvation and spiritual development of his family and household.

* 3:18 The Greek word used here is “hupotasso”, a Greek military term meaning “to arrange [troop divisions] in a military fashion under the command of a leader”. In non-military use, it came to mean “a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden”. Thus the wife willingly places herself in this relationship with her husband not because of his virtues or superiority but in order to further the manifestation of “the Kingdom” in the world. Paul further develops the view of marriage upon which this injunction is based in Eph 5:21-33. Similar views are found in 1 Peter 3:1-7.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 2: 13-15, 19-23

13 When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.” 14 Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. 15 He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

19 When Herod had died, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” 21 He rose, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go back there. And because he had been warned in a dream, he departed for the region of Galilee. 23 He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He shall be called a Nazorean.”

NOTES on Gospel Reading:

* 2:13-23 Both biblical and nonbiblical traditions about Moses are applied to the child Jesus, here, even though the dominant Old Testament type is really Israel and not Moses (Matthew 2:15).

* 2:13 Although Egypt was a traditional place of refuge for those fleeing from danger in Palestine (see 1 Kings 11:40; Jer 26:21), the more important reason why the Child is to be taken to Egypt is so that He may relive the Exodus experience of Israel.

* 2:15 Matthew, here takes a citation from Hosea 11:1. Israel was seen as God’s son called out of Egypt at the time of the Exodus. Now Jesus, the Son of God, will also be called out of Egypt in a new exodus. The father-son relationship between God and the nation of Israel is set in a higher key. This time the son is not a group of people adopted as “son of God,” but the Child who, as conceived by the Holy Spirit, stands in unique relation to God. He is Son of David and of Abraham, of Mary and of Joseph, but, above all, He is Son of God.

* 2:20 Compare the language here:”…for those who sought the child’s life are dead” with the language used to tell Moses who had fled from Egypt because the Pharaoh sought to kill him (Exodus 2:15) that he should return “for all the men who sought your life are dead.” (Exodus 4:19).

* 2:22 This refers to Archelaus who with the agreement of the Emperor Augustus, received half of his father’s kingdom, including Judea, after Herod’s death. He had the title “ethnarch” (“ruler of a nation”) and reigned from 4 B.C. to A.D. 6.

* 2:23 Even as early as the writing of this gospel the tradition of Jesus’ residence in Nazareth was already firmly established. Matthew sees it as being in accordance with the preannounced plan of God. There is a difficulty however in that the town of Nazareth is not mentioned in the Old Testament, and no such prophecy can be found there. The vague expression “through the prophets” may be due to Matthew’s seeing a connection between Nazareth and certain texts in which there are words with a remote similarity to the name of that town. Some such Old Testament texts are Isaiah 11:1 where the Davidic king of the future is called “a bud” (neser) that shall blossom from the roots of Jesse, and Jdgs 13:5,7 where Samson, the future deliverer of Israel from the Philistines, is called one who shall be consecrated (a nazir) to God. Some have interpreted this statement as referring to the Nazarite vow.
Joseph probably was aware of the recent establishment of a Roman garrison (Sepphoris) a short distance away from Nazareth and the building boom that resulted in a great demand for construction workers including carpenters. The workers for this effort came from Nazareth. This working for the Romans by many of the people of the town may be one of the reasons that the people of Nazareth were looked down on by many of their more pious brothers and sisters in Judea (John 1:46).

Scripture text: New American Bible with revised New Testament copyright © 1986,1970, Confraternity of Christian Doctrine.
Commentary Sources:
Vince Del Greco
The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (1990) (Eds. Brown, Fitzmyer & Murphy)