Feast of the Holy Family, December 29 2019
Sir 3:2-6, 12-14; Col 3:12-21; Matt 2:13-15, 19-23
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Today is the feast of the holy family, and like every year, the readings are all about the holy family and family virtues. I want to reflect on the Gospel reading, but first I have to say a few words about today’s second reading.
The reading from Colossians contains one of those passages that gets St. Paul in trouble with women today, and gets Christianity in trouble with modern culture: “Wives, be subordinate to your husbands.” This passage has often been used by domineering men to put women in their place. The men who do that are guilty of a common offense against the Bible. It’s called proof-texting, which means plucking a phrase or sentence out of its biblical context and using it as an argument to bolster your own viewpoint. Proof-texting is trying to get your own way by using the Bible as a weapon. What we really need to do is to read the Bible to find out what God is trying to tell us.
If we look at today’s second reading in context, it is not insisting on male dominance. In Paul’s day, it was understood that wives were subordinate to their husbands, who ruled over the family. That was a given. Paul is saying, Yes, follow the general social order—but lovingly. Men, don’t lord it over your wives and children. Whatever your role in the family, carry out your duties, but do it with love and kindness. Which brings us to the holy family.
Today’s Gospel passage from Matthew shows Joseph trying to protect his family from Herod the Great and his son Herod Archelaus. One of things that struck me about this passage was the contrast between St. Joseph and the Herods. Consider Herod the Great, the puppet ruler of Judea when Jesus was born. When the magi told him about a new king of Israel, he was afraid of losing his exalted position. Think about it: he was afraid because of a prophecy. But if the prophecy was true, then it came from God, and it would be futile for a mere human being to fight it. Still, he fought it. He slaughtered every child that might be the new king.
Joseph is a great example of a different kind of fear—what we call the fear of God. “The fear of the Lord is the Bible’s code word for a full-bodied faith that includes trembling before the mystery of a Transcendent God and trusting in the tenderness and faithfulness of an imminent God.”[1] It is not fear like Herod’s. Herod felt threatened by a new king; he was afraid of losing something. Joseph did not feel threatened by God. Fear of God gave Joseph faith and hope. He did not feel threatened by Mary’s child, even though it was not his. In faith, he obeyed God’s will and took Mary as his wife. Where Herod was willing, because of his fear, to commit any crime to avoid losing his throne, Joseph’s “fear” made him willing to undertake any hardship in order to protect the family God had given him. Where Herod tried to thwart prophecy, Joseph’s courage enabled him to fulfill the prophecy, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”
Joseph put aside his own very natural fears and embraced the
fear of the Lord. He faced the reality
of known dangers and an unknown future, armed only with the courage of his
conviction that God would not abandon him.
God gives us that promise, too.
Whatever the future holds for us, God will be with us and will not
abandon us. Therefore, we can
confidently carry out his command (from the second reading) to treat one
another with “heartfelt compassion, kindness,
humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one
another.”
[1] Alyce McKenzie, “The Fear of Herod Versus the Faith of Mary: Reflections on Matthew 2:13-23,” https://www.patheos.com/progressive-christian/fear-herod-alyce-mckenzie-12-23-2013.html, accessed December 1, 2019.