27 December 2025

27 December 2025 - Feast of the Holy Family

Transcript

Reading:  

Matthew 2:13

Write:  

The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said…

Reflect:   

Can you imagine being so in tune with God that you would trust your dreams to be actual messages from God? There are two Josephs in the Bible and both of them used dreams. While the Joseph of the Old Testament is a character of great significance, he is not the subject of this season or today.

Our Joseph for today has a number of lessons for us. One of which I have never learned: you do know that Joseph never says a word in the Bible? Does that mean I need to shut up? Okay. (start to leave the pulpit) Just kidding. But seriously, all of us can learn to listen more to God than we speak to God. That is probably the most important lesson we could learn from St. Joseph.

Being open to hear the voice of God in our own lives takes a lot of practice. There are some things we can do habitually to get there: (1) giving God enough time – especially silent time when we can let our heart be moved by God; (2) spending time with the Bible where God can speak to us; (3) seeking the counsel of people we trust in the spiritual life and reading good books; (4) practicing penance and… some mortifications so that we can develop a detachment from the things of this world to facilitate our approaching God. And it’s not just a matter of detaching from this world, but attaching to God.

Another lesson from St. Joseph happens after we hear the voice of God. Hearing his voice must lead us to act on his behalf. Some spiritual writers suggest that God stops sending inspirations when we habitually refuse to act on them. Whoops!

Saint Joseph sets an example for all Christian fathers especially – and for all believers generally – of how to hear God’s voice and obey it.

Apply:   

St. Joseph was a man of – ahem – no words! What if we were to take his path now? How long of a silence could you endure – right now? Some of you may be surprised to hear the voice of God welling up inside you. What might he say?

You’re not praying enough! – I don’t think so.

Show my love to your wife – to your husband – to your children! YOU BETCHA!!!

Help your neighbors more.

I have work for you to do…

Will you let my mother untie those knots that keep you from wanting to serve me? (I know that one is for me, I just can’t leave Our Lady Undoer of Knots on the sideline – but maybe it is for you too.)

Last one: Jesus asks, “together can we make this new year a chance for my light to shine in the world – through you?”

[Big Pause]

Also, because we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family today, this year we miss celebrating the Feast of the Holy Innocents. We hear about them in the gospel today, but other than recognizing them in this moment this year we do not recognize them. And we know that in our society today, in our church today, we draw an immediate connection between the Holy Innocents and the victims of abortion. Let us pray for all innocent life. [Pause]

St. Joseph, Savior of the Savior and terror of demons, pray for us.

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