Sunday Readings for December 27-28, Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
By Lyn Zahorik | For On Mission
Every December, we may gaze upon Nativity scenes with a wistful sigh. There they are — the Holy Family — bathed in candlelight serenity. Mary, radiant and composed. Joseph, calm and capable. Baby Jesus, swaddled like a Hallmark miracle image. Even the animals seem unusually well-behaved. It’s a portrait of peace, a tableau of divine domesticity.
And then we glance at our own households.
The dog just ate the ham cooling on the counter; we’ve got laundry mountains that rival Bethlehem’s hills; sibling squabbles make the Herod subplot look tame; and once again, fewer socks come out of the dryer than went in.
It’s tempting to feel inadequate next to the Holy Family’s glow. But let’s remember they weren’t living in a snow globe. Their story includes a long, dusty road trip while pregnant, no room at the inn, a birth in a barn, and a king with murder on his mind. That’s not serenity, it’s survival.
We don’t know every detail of their domestic life, but we can imagine. Jesus was fully human — he probably cried at 3 a.m., spit up on tunics, and was not particularly fond of hummus.
We do know he didn’t tell his parents where he was going at least once. Mary may have had days when she dreaded the long walk to the well. Joseph surely had moments of doubt, wondering if he was doing enough. They were holy, yes — but also human.
And that’s the gift.
The Holy Family teaches us that holiness isn’t about perfection. It’s about presence. It’s about showing up for each other in the mess, the noise, the not-knowing. It’s about love that endures chaos, faith that survives sleepless nights, and grace that grows in the cracks.
They show that God doesn’t wait for us to be perfect. He enters the world through a messy birth, in a messy place, to messy people. The manger isn’t a symbol of tidiness, it’s a declaration that divine love dwells in reality, in the messy.
So, if your family feels more like a scene of “Everybody Loves Raymond” than a sacred scene, take heart. The reality of family life is often far from picture-perfect, and that is perfectly okay.
The mess, the laughter, the unexpected mishaps — these are part of what makes a family truly holy. Perfection isn’t the goal; being present and loving each other through the chaos is what matters most. When the noise and clutter threaten to overwhelm, remember that grace and holiness can be found in every imperfect moment, just as it was for the Holy Family. Let your home, however messy or lively, be a testament to love that endures and faith that grows in the midst of real life.
Holiness might look like cleaning tracked-in mud off the floor for the third time in a day. Or laughing when sugar instead of salt went into the casserole. Or pausing to breathe in the peace of Christ when everything feels like too much.
And let’s remember not all families look alike. Some are loud and sprawling, some are quiet and small. Some are chosen, some are found, and some are held together by one faithful heart.
Even the family of one is sacred — because love, like God, doesn’t require a crowd to be real.
This season, let’s honor the Holy Family not by stressing over being perfect, but by embracing the sacred in our own chaos. Let’s light candles in the clutter. Let’s sing carols off-key. Let’s love each other fiercely, even when we’re frazzled, because even the Holy Family probably had moments when serenity was on back order and grace came in the form of a deep breath and a shared laugh.
The readings for Sunday, December 28, can be found at Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph | USCCB.