06 - Feast of the
Holy Family

Readings and Gospel

Lectionary for this day - This has all the readings and Gospel

Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 -  This mentions blessings and advice to children about honoring their father and mother.

(Letter/Epistle of St Paul to the) Colossians 3:12-21 - This talks about virtues that we are to have and about the Christian family.

Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23 - The Flight to Egypt and The Return from Egypt

• Flee to Egypt: Egypt was a traditional place of refuge for those fleeing from danger in Palestine (see 1 Kings 11:40; Jeremiah 26:21), but the main reason why the child is to be taken to Egypt is that he may relive the Exodus experience of Israel.

• The fulfillment citation is taken from Hosea 11:1. Israel, God’s son, was called out of Egypt at the time of the Exodus; Jesus, the Son of God, will similarly be called out of that land in a new exodus. The father-son relationship between God and the nation is set in a higher key. Here the son is not a group adopted as “son of God,” but the child who, as conceived by the Holy Spirit, stands in unique relation to God. He is son of David and of Abraham, of Mary and of Joseph, but, above all, of God.

Who / What / Where is...?

Sirach

• Information about Sirach

Colossians

• This letter is addressed to a congregation at Colossae in the Lycus Valley in Asia Minor, east of Ephesus (in today's Turkey). At the time of writing, Paul had not visited there. More information here.

Matthew

• He was a tax collector. He was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus.

  • • 12 Apostles - the first 12 people that Jesus called to follow Him.

King Herod

• Also known as Herod I, or Herod the Great.

• Herod reigned from 37 BC to 4 BC. He was a "client king" under the Roman empire. 

• More information here.

Archelaus

• Son of King Herod

• With the agreement of the Roman emperor Augustus, Archelaus received half of his father’s kingdom, including Judea, after Herod’s death. He had the title “ethnarch” (that is, “ruler of a nation”) and reigned from 4 BC to AD 6.

  • Ethnarch - generally refers to political leadership over a common ethnic group.

Dig deeper into this Sunday's Readings and Gospel with teachings from Brant Pitre.

Saints