Shikrot Mpwi – Sunday Synopsis
Fr. Justine John DYIKUK
Dear friends in Christ,
On the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Year A (28 December 2025), I bring you greetings and God’s blessings!
Theme: Imitating the First Family
Introduction
Friends in Christ, today, the family institution is at a crossroads. This is no thanks to the upsurge of irreligion leading to indifferentism, crass individualism and a moral freefall. Humanity faces an existential threat in capitalist systems where things are seemingly prioritised over genuine love and upholding family values. Amid this ugly development, our liturgy presents us with the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph as a prototype for all Christian families where father, mother and children are urged to live in love. In the first reading, children are charged with honouring their parents. In the second reading, St. Paul talks about submission and mutual love between husband and wife. The gospel details how Mary and Joseph saved the Child Jesus by fleeing with him to Egypt.
Review of the Readings
In the first reading (Sir 3:2-6), Ben Sirach invites children to honour their parents, stressing that blessings are associated with doing so as God stores up riches for children who revere their parents.
In the second reading (Col. 3:12-21), St. Paul calls for mutual love and lasting fidelity between couples, warning against any form of bitterness. He also urges children to obey their parents in everything as it pleases the Lord.
The gospel (Matthew 2:13-15,19-23) reveals how Mary and Joseph saved the life of the Child Jesus by escaping with him to Egypt to evade Herod’s wicked plans.
Takeaway Lessons
1. Our first reading invites children to obey their parents in the Lord, as doing so comes with unlimited blessings here and in the next.
2. Parents are urged to fulfil the four functions of the family espoused in Pope Saint John Paul II’s 1981 Familiaris Consortio (No.17), namely, forming a community of persons, serving life, participating in the development of society and sharing in the life and mission of the Church.
3. In a world where divorce is rife, couples are encouraged to embrace mutual submission, lasting fidelity and protection of the sacred institution of marriage.
4. Jesus’ parents did not give up on him; rather, they made efforts to save his life from Herod. As such, parents are encouraged to never give up on their children, just as they provide them with food, shelter, clothing, medical care, as well as religious and civic education.
5. Young adults should not be afraid to embrace family life by determining to have a family of their own, where they would raise godly children in what is the domestic church.
Conclusion
Our liturgy urges governments to provide friendly policies that support life and low-income earners to raise families. It calls us to stand against child labour and trafficking while praying that children imitate Jesus by being obedient to their parents. May we all be united one day with the First Family in the Kingdom of Our Father as we stand up for our individual families and the family of God, which is the Church. Happy Feast Day!
