Saint Rita Catholic Church and School in Webster, NY - An Introduction to the Sunday Scripture Readings

“And Over All These, Put On Love”

On this Holy Family Sunday, our readings focus our attention on the family model set for us by Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Above all, they were holy, living in right relationship with God and with each other. Their life was one of obedience and respect.

Our first reading (Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14)can be summed up simply - Honor thy father and thy mother. It is a call for love and respect within the family that is as holy as the holy family itself. Sirach writes, “God sets a father in honor over his children; a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons . . . Whoever reveres his father will live a long life . . . he stores up riches who reveres his mother.”

In our Epistle reading(Colossians 3:12-21), St. Paul offers a lesson in the virtues that should thrive within all Christian families, “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.” After offering this list of virtues, Paul put the icing on the cake, "And over all these, put on love."

In our Gospel reading (Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23), we hear how Joseph, being warned in a dream by an Angel, took his family and fled to Egypt to escape the slaughter of Herod. Then on the death of Herod, he returned to Galilee and settled in the town of Nazareth. All the while, they remained a family, holy and obedient to God.

With His incarnation, Jesus not only entered into the human family of God’s chosen people, He also entered into a singular family, obedient and respectful of His mother and earthly father. The ethics and values listed in Paul’s letter to the Colossians are those lived by Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. They lived their lives within the context of God’s power and purpose. This is the example set for us today.

While we may stumble and fall short at times, we can always desire and aspire to live as they lived.

God will bless the effort.

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122825.cfm