Transcript
How to celebrate the feast of the Holy Family? Let’s picture it this way. You’re scrolling through your news feeds, the reels and see another story about families fleeing violence, seeking safety in foreign lands. It hits differently when you realise this isn’t just today’s headlines, it’s literally the story of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph because 2000 years ago, the Holy Family were refugees too. When the angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, warning him about Herod’s murderous plot, there was no time for a five-year plan, or a Pinterest board titled “Moving to Egypt.” They had to trust God’s voice in the darkness and pack up their entire life in one night. Talk about the leap of faith that makes our biggest life decisions look like choosing a Netflix series. Mary, on the other hand, carrying the Christ child, must have felt her heart breaking as they fled into the unknown. Mary’s sorrow wasn’t just about leaving home, it was about trusting God’s plan when everything felt uncertain. Joseph didn’t carry a GPS or Google Translate for Egypt, but he had something better, an unwavering faith in God’s guidance. So, here’s what’s revolutionary about this story, God chose family as the vehicle for salvation. Not a corporate boardroom, not a political campaign, not even a mega-church, a family. A young couple navigating parenthood, displacement, and the weight of raising the Son of God. What an amazing courage! Amazing grace! Today we are all facing our own “Herod moments”, cultural pressures trying to destroy what’s sacred in our lives. Social media algorithms that profit from our division, hookup culture that commodifies love, career pressures that make us forget our deeper calling. The question is, will we be like the Holy Family, protecting what’s holy and trusting God’s plan even when it’s inconvenient? Let us celebrate today our family. Pray together as a family. Because when families pray together, they build something the world can not cancel; an authentic relationship with God and each other. They create sacred space in a chaotic world, just like Mary and Joseph did in that foreign land of Egypt. Let us also be generous to today’s “refugees,” whether they’re immigrants, those experiencing homelessness, or that lonely person at work or at school? As we step into 2026, let’s carry the courage of Joseph, the faith of Mary, and the trust that even when we can’t see the full picture, God is writing a story of salvation through our ordinary, extraordinary family lives. Have a blessed new year ahead!