December 31 - The Feast of the Holy Family

 

 

First Reading Genesis 15:1-6; 21:1-3 (or the first reading from Cycle A: Sirach 3:2-7,12-14)

God fulfills his promise to Abraham, and Sarah gives birth to a son.

 

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 105:1-6,8-9 (or the psalm from Cycle A: Psalm 128:1-5)

A prayer of thanksgiving to God for his faithfulness to his covenant.

 

Second Reading Hebrews 11:8,11-12,17-19 (or the second reading from Cycle A: Colossians 3:12-21)

Paul examines Abraham's example of faith.

 

Gospel Reading Luke 2:22-40 (or shorter form: Luke 2:22,39-40)

  

This Feast of the Holy Family can help us see that families can be holy. The story of the Holy Family is the story of life not always turning out the way you expected. It’s the story of a teenage mother, conceiving a child before she was married.  It's the story of an anxious father, confronting scandal, planning on divorce. It's the story of a family forced to become refugees, living as immigrants in the land that once held their ancestors as slaves.  It's the story of a missing child, and days of anxious searching by his parents. The Holy Family has to go through all the difficulties and challenges like a normal human family. But there had two great qualities: Trust in God and sacrificial love. These are the same two qualities which will bring happiness and fulfilment to our families as well.