SOCL, Holy FamilyA

Sunday December 28, 2025

See

Our Gospel today omits—understandably?— the brutal massacre of the innocents. While the story is indeed brutal, it is unfortunately not unrealistic. Its omission is a pity because the tragic side of life is underscored, in different ways, by both Matthew and Luke, in anticipation of the passion. They were not composing sweet scenes for Christmas cards! On the contrary, they were addressing the full human condition, in its mystery, its joys and its tragedies. It is precisely within the family that we encounter death, life, happiness and the sheer wonder of being at all. Today’s feast invites us to look unflinchingly at the whole picture, in all its complexity.

Listen

Sirach 3:3-7, 14-17; Psalm 128 (127); Colossians 3:12-21; Matthew 2:13-23

Reflect

(Matthew 2:13-23)

The threat to the child Jesus put Joseph in a situation where he had to make a quick and yet wise decision. Perhaps you have also had to make a speedy response to an unexpected crisis. Who were the ‘angels’ who guided you to wise decisions? Remember them and give thanks.

The whole narrative is designed to bring out the guidance of God’s providence for the child Jesus. Have there been times when you have been grateful that things worked out well for you despite adverse circumstances or experiences?

External forces forced migration on Joseph and his family, until he came to establish a home in Nazareth. Where have you lived before coming to the place you now call home? How has this journey helped to fashion the person you are now? Perhaps you have a mixture of gratitude and regrets as you look back. Give thanks for the good memories. What helps you to deal with the disappointments and hurts in the past? Bring them to God with a prayer for further healing.

The story and today’s feast remind us of the importance of the family in nourishing and fostering new life. Recall and give thanks for those in your own childhood who helped you to find your way in life.

Pray

Loving God, guardian of our homes, when you entrusted your Son to the care of Mary and Joseph, you did not spare them the pains that touch the life of every family. Teach us to rely on your word, that in our trials as in our joys we may be clothed in gentleness and patience and united in love. Make us ever thankful for the blessings you give us through Jesus Christ, your Word made flesh, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, in the splendour of eternal light, God for ever and ever. Amen.

The Word today, Holy FamilyA

December 29 - January 03, 2026

Monday 29 December

Saint Thomas Becket, bishop and martyr

1 John 2:3-11 The Letter reflects on the Great Commandment. We are to “mind the gap” between what we say we believe and how we actually live. The standard set is high: we are to live the same kind of life as Christ lived. How can the commandment be both old and new? It is new because in the light of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are enabled by the Spirit put it all into practice — a challenging idea.

Luke 2:22-35 The reading jumps forward to the presentation/purification. The calendrical inconsistency is worthwhile because (1) the imagery of light is sustained within the birth narratives and (2) the delightful picture of the very old Simeon holding the just-born child Jesus.

Tuesday 30 December

1 John 2:12-17 The reading addresses the hearers directly but needs careful handling. The “world” does not mean creation as such but whoever in creation is opposed to God.

Luke 2:36-40 Matching the story of Simeon, we hear the story of Anna, daughter of Phanuel. She too is old and at the same time a model of Jewish piety and trust in God. As a prophetess, she proclaims Jesus to all longing for deliverance.

Wednesday 31 December

St Silvester, bishop of Rome

1 John 2:18-21 As in all communities, it was not all light and joy in the community of John: some had departed and these are identified harshly with the Antichrist. Nevertheless, those who remain “have been anointed by the Holy One and have all received the knowledge.” In a word, the challenges are an invitation to a deeper sense of our identity in Christ.

John 1:1-18 We have heard this Gospel already over Christmas and it is good to have the chance to hear it again in tranquility, especially at the close of the year. The very last line has the ring of truth: No one has ever seen God; it is the only Son, who is nearest to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

Thursday 01 January

Mary, the Holy Mother of God

Numbers 6:22-27 Today we have a blessing, a prayer for God’s help and presence as we start the new year. The psalm going with the reading continues the theme of blessing.

Galatians 4:4-7 Paul reminds us today that Jesus was born like one of us, a member of the Jewish people. Christianity is, in some way, the continuation of the Jewish faith, but for all humanity without distinction.

Luke 2:16-21 Today is the eighth day after the birth of Jesus and, according to Jewish tradition, the day for circumcising a newborn son. We are reminded that Jesus was Jew and that the roots of Christianity lie in God’s first chosen people.

Friday 02 January

Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, bishops and doctors

1 John 2:22-28 The reading reflects profound conflict in the community of the Fourth Gospel over Jesus’ identity. The tone is more confrontational than usual.

John 1:19-28 John the Baptist was a challenge to early Christians, precisely because John baptised Jesus. In this reading, the evangelist puts on the lips of John himself the word from Isaiah first used by Mark’s Gospel.

Saturday 03 January

The Most Holy Name of Jesus

1 John 2:29-3:6 Today we hear a justly famous passage, which goes simply and directly to the heart of the matter. The proclamation of the love of God is completed by presenting the consequences for us as believers.

John 1:29-34 What John says of Jesus reflects the understanding of the Fourth Gospel, an understanding which is deep and challenging. Most likely, we are not really hearing the opinion of the historical John the Baptist but the theology of the evangelist.

References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2025dg, December 28). Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122825.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings

One another, Holy FamilyA

December 28, 2025

Sirach 3:3-7, 14-17; Psalm 128 (127); Colossians 3:12-21; Matthew 2:13-23

Nurturing God, remembering the exile of the holy family and Herod’s slaughter of the children, we remember all who need our sustaining love. Hear our prayers for the church and the community in the world:

For the Church: that like Mary and Joseph, we may face the future with faith and trust in God, no matter what trials or uncertainties may stand before us: let us pray to the Lord.

For healings of relationships in our families: that the Spirit of God will show us how to love one another more deeply, support one another each day, and forgive one another generously: let us pray to the Lord.

For all married couples: that they may continually find new ways of growing in love and of supporting one another with heartfelt compassion and patience: let us pray to the Lord.

For all children: that they may appreciate the gift of their parents and grow in wisdom and virtue each day: let us pray to the Lord.

For all engaged couples: that they may continue to discover how God has gifted them to each other and how they can help each other grow in faith and love: let us pray to the Lord.

For deeper awareness: that each member of a family may recognize their responsibilities to one another and fulfill them with compassion, kindness and patience: let us pray to the Lord.

For all who have no families and for those who are alienated from or have been rejected by their families: that they may experience love and acceptance through this Christian community: let us pray to the Lord.

For parents of missing or run-away children: that God will watch over and protect their child from harm, and open a pathway for them to reconnect: let us pray to the Lord.

For patience for parents: that God will help parents to be patient as their daughters and sons mature and begin to develop their lives: let us pray to the Lord.

For those who are experiencing divorce: that the Christ Child may bring healing and hope to their hearts: let us pray to the Lord.

For all immigrants and refugees: that God will guide and sustain them, help them to adjust to all the new things that they experience, and protect them in their new homes: let us pray to the Lord.

For families who have fled warfare and violence: that they may stay bonded as a family, persevere through hardship, and continue to support and encourage one another: let us pray to the Lord.

For all children: that they may experience love and encouragement as they grow and use the gifts and opportunities to enrich the human family: let us pray to the Lord.

For greater appreciation of human life: that God will guide us in nurturing and protecting all human life: let us pray to the Lord.

For families suffering from financial crisis or unemployment: that God will open new opportunities for parents to use their gifts and to provide for their children: let us pray to the Lord.

For the people of Bethlehem and all the holy land: that God will inspire leaders in undoing injustices and wounds, in ending violence, and in establishing a just and lasting peace for all inhabitants of the Holy Land: let us pray to the Lord.

For peace amongst nations, ethnic groups, religions, and in our city streets: that God’s love made visible in the Christ Child may turn hearts from violence and open new paths of peace and justice: let us pray to the Lord.

Grant that all people may hear together the song of joy, and find their homes in the garden of justice and hope, that we may experience the fullness of life, which is your will for all, in the coming of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2025dg, December 28). Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122825.cfm

-Cormier, J. (1995). Lord, Hear Our Prayer: Prayer of the Faithful for Sundays, Holy Days, and Ritual Masses.