Home » Worship/Sacraments » Our Faith » Liturgical Celebrations » Christmas » Feast of the Holy Family
Feast of the Holy Family
(Photo credit: By Kok Leng Yeo - , CC BY 2.0)
Feast of the Holy Family
December 31, 2023
Readings
First Reading: Sirach 3: 2-6 or Genesis 15:1-6; 21:1-3
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5 or Psalm 105:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
Second Reading: Colossians 3:12-21 or Colossians 3:12-17 or Hebrews 1:8, 11-12, 17-19
Gospel: Luke 2: 22-40 or Luke 2: 22, 39-40
CLICK HERE to read these readings
The Church has set aside this day to remember and uplift the Christian family and the Holy Family is presented as the model. The first and second readings reflect on what it means to love in the context of family. The gospel reminds us that there is One who, filled with wisdom, lavishes us with love and promises to be with us even as we struggle to love in difficult situations.
Think
Take some time to reflect on what family means to you. Do you cherish your family members even when there is tension?
Pray
Dear Lord,
Bless our family.
Be so kind as to give us the unity, peace, and mutual love that You found in Your own family
in the little town of Nazareth.
Saint Joseph,
pray for the head of our family.
Obtain for him the strength, the wisdom, and the prudence he needs to support and direct those under his care.
Mother Mary,
pray for the mother of our family. Help her to be pure and kind, gentle and self-sacrificing.
For the more she resembles you, the better will our family be.
Lord Jesus,
bless the children of our family.
Help them to be obedient and devoted to their parents.
Make them more and more like You.
Let them grow, as You did, in wisdom and strength and grace before God and man.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
by your intercession, love, and holy example, make our family and home more and more like Yours, until we are all one family, happy and at peace in our true home with You.
Act
How many families in our world have been torn apart because of violence and injustice? Pray for those families who suffer violence, hatred and animosity within the walls of their homes
Contact Families in Transition to see how you can help.