During the Christmas season, the Church observes the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. It is no surprise that the adjective “holy” is used to describe this family that was unique in all human history.

 

Jesus, the child of Mary, was the Son of God. He was the long-awaited Savior of the world whose birth was announced by a heavenly choir.

 

Mary, as the angel Gabriel proclaimed, was “full of grace” from the moment of her conception for she had been chosen to bear the child who would “be called holy, the Son of God.”

 

Joseph, who was of the lineage of David, was directed by an angel of the Lord to take Mary as his wife and to care for the child conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

The members of this holy family truly embodied the qualities praised by St. Paul in today’s Second Reading (Colossians 3:12 -21). They were full of “heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” They were “God’s chosen ones, holy, and beloved.”

 

Besides being holy, Mary and Joseph also exhibited another quality in caring for Jesus. They were protective. They did all in their power to keep Jesus safe from harm. We see that in this Sunday’s Gospel (Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23).

 

When the angel of the Lord warned Joseph that the life of the infant Jesus was being threatened by Herod, Joseph acted immediately. He left his village, his relatives and friends, his employment, and his culture. He took his family and migrated to Egypt. Joseph abandoned all he knew to protect Mary and Jesus.

 

When Joseph was told it was safe to return, he did not go back home. Out of an abundance of concern for the safety of Jesus, he relocated his family to Galilee and to the town of Nazareth.

 

Mary also had to make sacrifices to protect her child. She had to care for her infant son while enduring the arduous journey to Egypt. Once there, Mary had to adjust to a new culture and way of living without the benefit of her support system back in Israel.

 

Mary and Joseph both did what was necessary to protect their little boy. They also showed that same protective love when Jesus was 12 years old. Mary and Joseph spent three days anxiously searching for their son whom they believed was lost in the Temple.

 

The example of Mary and Joseph not only reminds parents of their call to be holy and open to God’s will; it also challenges parents to be protective and to safeguard their children from harmful influences and evil.

 

Unfortunately, today children are immersed in a society that can seem as evil as the one that tried to destroy the child Jesus.

 

Smart phones, tablets, and other digital devices expose children to ideas, images, and concepts that can destroy their innocence.

 

Public education can present ideas and beliefs that contradict and even ridicule Christian concepts of morality and sexual ethics.   

 

Influencers can use their media platforms to promote ideas that confuse children and lead them to think that a person’s sex is determined not by biology but by one’s free choice.

 

Government officials can give children rights to make life-changing choices without the knowledge of their parents and with little understanding of the implications of their choices.

 

More than ever, our world needs parents like Mary and Joseph who are ready to make the effort and sacrifices necessary to protect their children from negative influences and harmful forces. We might say that today’s children need their parents to be “holy protectors.”

 

© 2025 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski

 

Best Wishes for Happy and Holy Christmas Season,

and a New Year blessed with the Peace and Presence of the Lord.