The Word today, Holy FamilyA
- Admin
- Dec 27, 2025
- 3 min read
December 29 - January 03, 2026
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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