Good afternoon, and a blessed Christmas season to everyone! Some of us are still on Christmas vacation; however, if you are like me, many of us return to work tomorrow. In other words, for many families, life returns to normal after the hustle and bustle of the holiday season with all its travels, festivities, and family and social gatherings. We see this happening in today’s Gospel. The shepherds returned to their flocks, “glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:20), and “the magi had departed” “for their country by another way” (Matthew 2:12). After all the excitement surrounding the birth of our Lord and Savior, the Holy Family found themselves alone as a family once again on that silent night. And yet, it is precisely in this quiet intimate relationship of father, mother, and child that makes family life so sacred and enduring. It is in the family that faith is nurtured, hope springs eternal, and love is unconditional through the mutual self-giving of each family member. And the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph is our model par excellence.
Joseph shows us what sacrificial love is when he embraces his responsibility as the provider and protector of Mary and Jesus. Moreover, as a man of faith, he knows that he does not shoulder this burden alone but with the grace of God. It is as we heard proclaimed in today’s Gospel: “[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.’ Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt.” And then again, “[when] Herod had died, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 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.’ He rose, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel.” This is important for all husbands, fathers, and men to remember: it was precisely because Joseph was “afraid” that with humility, he trusted God and entrusted himself and his family to God’s love, mercy, wisdom, and grace.
Mary, knowing that Joseph, her betrothed, was a righteous man of faith, trusted him and entrusted her heart to him. She was “subordinate” to Joseph not because he was an oppressive, controlling husband but because she knew that he loved her and desired the best for her. Recall that when “Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit, Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. . . Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and. . . [when] Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home” (Matthew 1:18-24). Once again, this is important for all husbands, fathers, and men to remember: “love your wives. . .” All wives are like Mary, who kept things in her heart, pondering what they all mean for her family. As husbands, we are called to protect our wife not only from physical harm but also from mental exhaustion, emotional numbness, and spiritual emptiness by being men of prayer and allowing the “peace of Christ control [our] hearts,” the hearts of our family.
Jesus, “though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance” (Philippians 2:6-8). As a child, Jesus was “obedient” to his parents, Mary and Joseph, and obeyed them in everything (Luke 2:51) because this was pleasing to his Father in heaven (Colossians 3:12-21). It was in the family of Mary and Joseph that “Jesus advanced [in] wisdom and age and favor before God and man” (Luke 2:52). Like Jesus when he was a child, it is in the family that children are encouraged to become the best versions of themselves, to become who God intended them to be because “the love of a family is where you get to be your worst self. . . alongside your best self and still know love” (David J. Laughlin, 11/27/2025). From their father and mother, children learn “heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, and patience,” and forgiveness. Most of all, children learn to be thankful, to have hearts filled with gratitude to God for the many blessings in their lives, especially the blessing of their family. And so to all children, look to the child Jesus as your role model and obey your parents, trust in their wisdom and judgment, and know that they love you and desire what is best for you.
As a deacon, I am privileged with opportunities to journey with you all - the faithful people of God, my sisters and brothers in Christ through the Holy Spirit - as you face the joys and difficulties of family life. During this Advent season, I ministered to a young wife who was devastated by her husband's infidelity. I presided over the Rite of Committal and Commendation of a beloved mother, grandmother, aunt, who passed away after her courageous battle with cancer. I shared in the joy of families preparing for the Baptism of their children. I rejoice with young couples who shared their first Christmas together as husband and wife. I prayed with families who have loved ones who are ill and with men who are facing the prospect of unemployment and the stress of how to provide for their families. I witness parents encouraging their children not to be afraid to come talk to them about anything that is weighing on their minds so that they can unburden their young hearts. In the Holy Family, as we heard in today’s Gospel, we see how quickly the circumstances and situations of our lives can change in an instant, from joy to sorrow, from peace to chaos. Through it all, though, in the same way that Jesus was with Mary and Joseph, during their perilous journey to Egypt and, then later, their return to Israel, God is with us.
My sisters and brothers in Christ, this is the human condition and the reality of family life and, yet, the God of the universe, the Lord of lords, and the King of kings, in his mercy, lovingly enters into the human family to sanctify family life. God comes to us in the family of Nazareth to show us how to love one another as the Father loves us. Families are a communion of love, like the communion of love of the Holy Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and the communion of love of the Holy Family of Nazareth - Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. “Let us therefore ask our Father in Heaven, through the intercession of Mary and Saint Joseph, to bless our families and all families throughout the world, so that by following the model of his Son made man, [families] may be for all an efficacious sign of his presence and his endless charity” (Pope Leo XIV, Angelus, 12/28, 2025), as we pray this Consecration to the Holy Family together as a family.
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