Sirach 3.3-7,14-17a | Colossians 3.12-21 | Matthew 2.13-15,19-23

*HOMILY* [12/28/25]
(Fr. Kleber Luiz Cardoso, css)

Once again, Merry Christmas to you all! I hope that Jesus has truly been born again in our hearts.
On the Sunday following Christmas, the Church celebrates the Holy Family: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
God loves families. God willed that man leave his father and mother and unite with his wife, and that both become one flesh (cf. Genesis 2.24; Matthew 19.5; Mark 10.7). God willed that the love between a man and a woman be fruitful and that new human beings come into the world from it (cf. Genesis 1.28).
God willed that Jesus – God the Son who became flesh to save mankind from their sins – have a family, a biological mother and an adoptive father. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are a model and an inspiration for our families.
Today, the evangelist Matthew tells us about the Holy Family's journey to Egypt, fleeing the massacre of boys under two years old by King Herod.
The communication between the Lord and Joseph - the adoptive father of the boy Jesus, the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary - took place through the Angel (the messenger), through dreams. It was in this way that Joseph, always attentive and obedient, took the child and His Mother, left Israel, and later returned there, after the death of King Herod, to live in Nazareth of Galilee.
In short, the evangelist Matthew was associating Jesus with Moses, who had also been saved from the massacre of Hebrew boys by Pharaoh, the king of Egypt (cf. Exodus 1.22); and who also left Egypt for Israel (cf. Hosea 11.1). The Gospel of Matthew wanted to demonstrate to the Jews that, in Jesus, the ancient prophecies were being fulfilled. Jesus was the new Moses, who would follow the same path as the Hebrews from Egypt to Israel, bringing full liberation to the Jews.
Joseph's dedication to his family is noteworthy. God-fearing, he saved the Son of God and His Mother from the insanity and envy of the violent king.
The family is a divine project that is realized through faith and love. For it to endure, husband and wife, parents and children must be in communication with God in order to overcome small and large difficulties.
Inspired by Joseph, let us care for our families, called to be a domestic Church, a sanctuary of life.
Today the author of the book of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) speaks to us of the commandment to honor father and mother, and of the graces received by those who fulfill it.
According to the author, the authority of the father and mother over their children comes from God. Children who honor their father and mother will receive forgiveness of sins, will be heard on the day they pray, will have joy with their own children, and will have a long life.
The author urges children to support their father and mother in their old age, without humiliating or causing them distress, being understanding when they lose their lucidity.
Father and mother - whether biological or adoptive - are called to be a reflection of God's love and protection in the lives of their children, correcting them according to the Lord's teachings, so that they may become the people God wants them to be.
The family is a small society, in which children learn from their parents about respect, responsibility, and work, preparing themselves for social life. Respect for father and mother prepares for respect for God, teachers, and legitimate civil and religious authorities.
Let us learn from the boy Jesus who, even being God incarnate, obeyed and supported His Mother Mary and His adoptive father Joseph in everything (cf. Luke 2.51).
Today the apostle Paul speaks to us in his letter to the Colossians about the love and respect that should exist in a Christian family.
Before that, however, the apostle spoke of life in community, which should be characterized by love - which is the bond of perfection - and by mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Peace should reign along with gratitude, strengthening unity. The Word of Christ should be taught with wisdom, in worship of thanksgiving to God, sustained in words and deeds.
Paul exhorted husbands to love their wives without rudeness, and instructed wives to be solicitous toward their husbands. To fathers and mothers, the apostle asked that they not intimidate their children, so that they would not become discouraged. And finally, to the children, Paul said that they should obey their parents.
The foundation of the Christian family is love and respect between spouses and between parents and children. There is a relationship between the community and the family: the values ​​that govern one should govern the other equally. The family is a domestic Church, governed by love for God and neighbor, in words and deeds. Parents are the first catechists of their children, guiding them to God, the Church, and the sacraments.
Let us look to the Holy Family and be inspired by it. May husbands be like Joseph, wives like Mary, and children like the child Jesus. And may we know how to welcome with respect families with configurations different from the traditional Christian ones. Where there is love, God is there (cf. 1 John 4.16).
Let us advocate for public policies that support families in their maintenance and sustainability, with housing, employment, food, health, education, and security, valuing holy courtship, the sacrament of Matrimony, marital fidelity, responsible pregnancy, and the natural end of life with dignity.
A family that prays together, stays together. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, our family is yours!