Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. The readings call us to attitudes and actions that can bring harmony and joy to our family life. Sirach, echoing the lesson of the Fourth Commandment, emphasizes our call to obey, honor, respect and even revere our parents. He notes the many blessings that this reverent and respectful attitude can bring us.

In a sense, when we honor our parents, we also honor our God, who worked through those parents to bring us life. The catechism reminds us that respect and honor to parents “derives from gratitude toward those who, by the gift of life, their love and their work, have brought their children into the world and enabled them to grow in stature, wisdom, and grace” (CCC 2215). This gratitude to our parents and to God can lead us to deeper appreciation of the gifts we have received through the basic gift of life.

Paul, in his Letter to the Colossians, gives us tools to bring healing to our family relationships. As God’s children, holy and beloved, we are called to put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, and to top these qualities off with forgiveness and the bond of love. Perhaps most important, Paul reminds us as Christian families to put Jesus at the very center of our family life: to be controlled by the peace of Christ, to let Jesus’ word dwell within us, and to do everything in the name of Jesus.

(Fr. Michał Pająk, OMI, Dec. 28, 2025)