Sunday Connection

Gospel Reading
Matthew 2:13-15,19-23
In a dream, God tells Joseph to flee to Egypt to protect Jesus from King Herod.

Making the Connection (Grades 1, 2, and 3)

Family is the center of younger children’s lives. Teach children that the Holy Family is a model for Christian faith.

Materials Needed

• Nativity scene

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Invite children to share some activities they do with their families. Say: Our families love us and teach us about so much, don’t they? They teach us about Jesus and how to follow him. Ask: What are some ways that your family shows that you love and follow Jesus? (Accept all reasonable responses.)

2. Show children a Nativity scene and say: Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. Ask: Who are the three members of the Holy Family? (Mary, Joseph, and Jesus) Say: Let’s hear a Gospel story about the Holy Family.

3. Read aloud today’s Gospel, Luke 2:22–40.

4. Say: Mary and Joseph were faithful to God, and they taught Jesus how to be faithful in the Jewish tradition. When Jesus was just a baby, the Holy Family traveled a long way to present Jesus at the Temple, something that faithful Jews did to follow God’s law.

5. Say: Just as Mary and Joseph were faithful to their religious traditions and taught Jesus about their faith, our families follow our Catholic traditions and teach us about faith. Say: Mary and Joseph took baby Jesus to the Temple because it was a religious tradition. Ask: What sacrament do we celebrate with our families, often when we are just babies? (Baptism) Say: Our families have us baptized because they love us. They want us to be part of God’s family and to receive God’s grace. Let’s all gather around the Nativity scene and pray a prayer for the Holy Family and for our own families.

6. Pray: Thank you, God our Father, for the Holy Family and for our own families. Help us love and obey our families, who teach us how to be faithful to you. Close by praying the Glory Be to the Father.

Gospel Reading
Matthew 2:13-15,19-23
In a dream, God tells Joseph to flee to Egypt to protect Jesus from King Herod.

Making the Connection (Grades 4, 5, and 6)

Children are dependent upon their family's care and protection, and yet they may take this for granted. Today's feast is an opportunity to invite young people to reflect upon the importance of their families and their own responsibilities for their families.

Materials Needed

• The figures of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus from a nativity set or a picture of the Holy Family
• Paper and pencil

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Place before the group the figures of the Mary, Joseph, and Jesus from a nativity set or display a picture of the Holy Family. Explain that Jesus' family was made up of father, mother, and child. Reinforce that every family is unique, some are large and some small. Encourage children to think of their own families.

2. Ask the group to consider the question: What makes a family different from other groups of people? (Accept all reasonable answers.)

3. Say: There are many ways in which a family is different from other groups of people. One of the main qualities of a family is a commitment to caring for one another and protecting one another from harm. This Sunday we celebrate the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Let's listen together to the Gospel that we hear on this special day. Invite one or more volunteers to read Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23.

4. Say: Today's Gospel reminds us that Jesus was part of a family and that great pains were taken by this family to protect Jesus from danger. Why was Jesus in danger? (Herod was looking to kill him.) Who protected Jesus from this danger? (Joseph and God) How did Joseph protect Jesus from harm? (He took the family to Egypt.)

5. Ask: How do families protect each other from harm or danger? Think about a time when your family has protected you from harm. How did it feel?

6. Say: All family members share the responsibility of protecting one another and contributing to the good of the family. What are some things you can do that contribute to the good of your family? Make a list of these things on the board.

7. Invite each child to select one thing that he or she will do this week to contribute to the good of his or her family and to write that on a piece of paper.

8. Conclude in prayer by gathering the group around the image of the Holy Family. Pray together that family members will live up to their responsibilities for one another. Invite each child to place his or her piece of paper from #7 on the prayer table, as a sign of commitment to family. Sing together a Christmas hymn, such as "Once in Royal David's City."

Gospel Reading
Matthew 2:13-15,19-23
In a dream, God tells Joseph to flee to Egypt to protect Jesus from King Herod.

Making the Connection (Grades 7 and 8)

Young people at this age are beginning to pull away from their parents. They are beginning to recognize that their families are not perfect. The feast of the Holy Family helps us realize that although Jesus, Mary, and Joseph faced great difficulties, they got through them by being obedient to God.

Materials Needed

• An image of the Holy Family

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Arrange the young people in small groups and have them brainstorm names of TV families.

2. When they have finished, invite each group to report its list.

3. Ask the young people to identify which families were/are portrayed as being seemingly perfect and which were/are portrayed as having many problems. (Accept all reasonable answers.)

4. Say: As we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family, it's important to know that the word holy does not mean “perfect.” Let's listen to the Gospel for the feast of the Holy Family and see what it is that makes this family holy.

5. Invite volunteers to read aloud Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23.

6. Say: This Gospel reminds us that Jesus was part of a family and that this family faced some extraordinary difficulties. What difficulty did they face? (Herod was looking to kill Jesus. They had to travel far from home. Jesus was born in a stable.) Who protected Jesus from these dangers? (Joseph and God) How did Joseph protect Jesus from harm? (He took the family to Egypt.)

7. Ask: What made this family holy? (obedience to God) To be holy does not mean that you have no problems or that you are perfect. It means that you turn to God for help in getting through your problems.

8. Conclude in prayer by gathering the group around the image of the Holy Family. Pray together that family members will be obedient to God, listening to him and allowing him to guide them.

Gospel Reading
Matthew 2:13-15,19-23
In a dream, God tells Joseph to flee to Egypt to protect Jesus from King Herod.

Family Connection

In the midst of the Christmas season, it is quite appropriate that our liturgy asks us to pause to consider the Holy Family. In today's Gospel, we hear about how Joseph protected Jesus from danger by relocating the family to Egypt in obedience to God. Following the model of the Holy Family, we might use this feast to recall the responsibility that each family member has to contribute to the good of the family and recommit ourselves to one another.

Gather together as a family to work on a common project. You might prepare a meal together, prepare a special dessert, or perhaps do a craft together. When you finish, talk about how each family member contributed to the common project. Remind one another that each member of the family contributes to the good of the whole family. Recall that Jesus was also part of a family and that this Sunday we celebrate the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Read together today's Gospel, Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23. Pray together that your family will continue to protect and care for one another as Mary and Joseph protected and cared for Jesus.