The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

A model and an inspiration for living a holy life

WORD OF FAITH: A breakdown of each week's upcoming Sunday readings to better understand the Word of God at Mass.

In a recent Jubilee Year of Hope event, titled “The Jubilee and Synodal Meeting for the Discernment of Hope on the Future of Life and Family,” Pope Leo XIV addressed a gathering of Latin and Caribbean Church leaders on the challenges families contend with in our modern society and culture. He said, “The Jubilee of Hope invites us to leave these peripheries and return to our roots: to the faith we received from our parents, to the persevering prayer of our grandmothers counting the beads of the rosary, to their simple, humble and honest lives which, like leaven, sustained so many families and communities.”

Those peripheries the Holy Father is speaking about are the marginalization spiritually and relationally that families experience in our society and culture. We find that when family life is lived in these peripheries, often marriage, family and the dignity of the human person are not honored. These are not new challenges, but their impact on marriage, family and the dignity of the human person has more acutely affected the stability of our society and culture.

In an earlier Jubilee Year event held in June of 2025, titled “The Jubilee for Families, Children, Grandparents and the Elderly,” sponsored by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, Pope Leo stressed the importance of evangelization. He said, “The profound thirst for the infinite present in the heart of every human being means that parents have the duty to make their children aware of the fatherhood of God. In the words of Saint Augustine: ‘As we have the source of life in you, O Lord, in your light we shall see light.’ ” (Confessions, XIII, 16)

He encourages the faithful to look to the example of the Holy Family, of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, to sanctify and nurture marriage, family and faith. This will then elevate the dignity of the human person and stabilize society and culture.

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph did not have an easy start. In both Mary and Joseph’s Annunciations, they are told by the Angel of the Lord, “Be not afraid,” the announcement they each received revealed their trust in God’s word. They witness to that trust by traveling to Bethlehem for the census that was ordered by Augustus Caesar. They migrated to Bethlehem where they were left out in the cold. After the birth of Jesus and after the departure of the Magi, the Angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream and instructed him to take Jesus and Mary and go to Egypt. Now, the Holy Family becomes immigrants as they flee to Egypt.

The First Reading from the Book of Sirach reminds us of the covenant God makes with his people at Mount Sinai: the covenant calls for the honoring of Father and Mother, “Whoever honors his father is gladdened by children, and, when he prays, is heard.” (Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14) Sirach reminds us that our faith requires us to care for our loved ones and that the kindness we show to father and mother will not be forgotten. 

The Second Reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians also recalls the covenant that God made with the Israelites at Mount Sinai: as God loves us, we are to love one another. Jesus himself would sum this up in the great commandment: to love God and to love our neighbor. As a family made holy by the blood of Jesus, we can love as Christ loves and forgive as Jesus forgives. 

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph epitomizes this through the example of their holy lives. Mary and Joseph put the needs of Jesus before their own needs, that is what a good parent does. They give us the example of parenthood. By putting the needs of Jesus first, they put the needs of all humanity above their own needs and safety. By putting aside their concerns for themselves, the savior is able to be born into the world, and we have salvation given to us. Just as Mary and Joseph became the model and inspiration for parents, Jesus becomes the model for all humanity on how we are called to honor our parents. Jesus honors our heavenly Father by being obedient to the Father’s will. He laid down his life according to the Father’s will, and the entire family of God benefited. In the same way, all people are to love with the unconditional love of the Father.

Only with an understanding of marriage, family and faith as the foundation of our society will we ever overcome sin and injustice. The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph has given us the model and inspiration of living a holy life.