The Holy Family

 

My dear parishioners,

God is Good!!!  All the time!!!  And all the time!!!  God is Good!!!

Jesus ben Sirach looks to the law of the Lord for wisdom. He knows the word of God provides the people with all they need to lead meaningful lives. In this reading, Sirach gives his readers the fundamentals for keeping a family close and secure. He begins by stressing how important it is to keep God at the center of the family. God is the origin of all. It was God who granted Adam and Eve the great privilege of having children in their own likeness. Sirach urges children to respect their parents from bringing them into the world and nourishing them to adulthood. Sirach ranks respect for parents with offering sacrifice to God in the temple. By giving honor to parents, children will enjoy benefits only God could grant them: prayers answered, atonement for sin, long life, having sons and daughters of their own. Sirach could have held up Joseph as an ideal example. Joseph respected his father, Jacob, in his old age. Because Joseph listened to the wisdom of his father, Joseph enjoyed blessings he could never have gained from the court of pharaoh.

This portion of Mt’s infancy narrative describes the various places the infant Jesus was taken by Joseph in order to protect him from Herod and then Archelaus. Mt presumes that the reader is very familiar with the story of the birth of Moses in Exodus The irony and intrigue that surrounded the birth and early days of Moses is clearly reflected in the present Gospel passage. Joseph is once again the lead character in the story. What he is supposed to do and when he is supposed do it are communicated to him in dreams. Again, a bit of a reflection on the Joseph story in Gen: 37 – 50. Because Herod was seeking to kill the infant Jesus, Joseph is instructed to take Mary and Jesus and go to Egypt. This would put them outside the jurisdiction of Herod, ensuring their safety.

After the death of Herod, Joseph is able to take his family and leave Egypt. Mt at this point inserts another fulfillment formula based on Hos 11:1, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” This is to bring to mind the ancient tradition of the exodus wherein God brought the chosen people out of Egypt. Jesus, too, will be led out of Egypt, but this time as Son of God. Mt is stressing the continuity between ancient Israel and Jesus, the Son of God. Eventually, Herod dies, and it is then safe for Joseph to take his family into Israel. Again, this reflects the experience of Moses in Ex 4:19.

What seemed to be safe due to the death of Herod turns out to be another form of danger because Herod’s son Archelaus was also a threat. This obstacle is given as the reason why the Holy Family ended up in Nazareth. Matthew sees this as once again fulfilling what the prophets said, “He shall be called a Nazorean.” The only problem is that no such prophecy can be found in the Scriptures. Some think that this is a general reference based on such texts as Is 11:1 and Jgs 13:5, 7. Mt’s real point is that all of these moves from Egypt to Nazareth have taken place through the careful guidance of God. Thus, from the very beginning, the Holy Family was faced with danger, intrigue, and divine guidance. They lived by faith that, as God had earlier guided the chosen people from bondage to freedom, God would do the same for this chosen family.

Excerpts from “Sunday Homily Helps”, is used by permission of Franciscan Media. www.FranciscanMedia.org. All rights reserved

 

Sincerely in Christ,

Fr. Aloysius