Franciscan Friar Fr. Paul Gallagher reflects on the Gospel readings for Holy Family Sunday. Can you recall a situation when your family struggled? How did that affect your relationship with each other, and with God?
The content is edited by Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity Sister Anne Marie Lom and Joe Thiel. The excerpts from the Sunday readings are prepared by Joe Thiel. To read or download the complete pdf with excerpts for your prayer, please click here: Franciscan Gospel Reflection December 28 2025. Excerpts are from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Photos: Nativity of Our Lord Parish, St. Paul, Minnesota, Flight into Egypt * Joseph is the fatherly protector for his wife and child. ) Flight into Egypt, Diocese of Madison
Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23
When the Magi had departed, behold, 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. He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
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. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go back there. And because he had been warned in a dream, he departed for the region of Galilee. He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He shall be called a Nazorean.”
Background:
The church celebrates Holy Family Sunday the Sunday after Christmas, a time when many families have come together for the holidays. The typical family of Jesus’ day was different from many of our concepts of family in a number of ways. The strongest emotional bond was between the mother and her oldest son. The bond between husband and wife was usually the weakest. The typical family at the time of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus was part of a large extended family. It is likely that Mary and Joseph had relatives in Bethlehem. Because Nazareth was a small hamlet of about 100 persons, it is likely that everyone there was part Jesus’ extended family.
Throughout his Gospel, Matthew portrays Jesus as the fulfillment of the Hebrew prophecies regarding the messiah. Matthew quotes Hosea, a prophecy that originally referred to God calling Israel in the Exodus from Egypt. To that end, Matthew describes Jesus as a kind of “second Moses.” Matthew’s community was familiar with the stories of their ancestors moving to Egypt during a time of world famine. And they were aware of the Egyptian pharaoh becoming fearful of the Hebrews and trying to kill all the male infants. The infant Moses miraculously escaped being killed at birth and was raised by pharaoh’s daughter. As an adult, Moses was called by Yahweh to lead the Hebrew people out of Egyptian slavery to a new land and a new relationship. Matthew is making use of these very familiar events to shape his description of Jesus. He wants his community to understand Jesus as the “one God is using” to free them from a new kind of slavery to the law, and that they are being invited into a new eternal relationship.
Reflection Questions:
- Can you recall a situation when your family struggled? How did that affect your relationship with each other, and with God?
- Who in your family helped shape your relationship to God? Who taught you your prayers? Who taught you how to pray? Who taught you the values you try to live by today?
- What kind of relationship do you think Joseph had with God? How important was Joseph’s role in the life and development of Jesus?
- Joseph, Mary, and Jesus had to flee for their lives into a distant land. Why would God’s care for them not make them immune from such threats?
- Joseph heard God speak to him in dreams. How does God speak to you?
- How might God use struggle and adversity in your life? How would like to respond?
- Can you take some time to talk with God about how God has used things like family, adversity, or moving to a totally new location to help shape your relationship with God?
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