The reading from Sirach is instruction about family life, identifying the kind of living that results in family harmony. As wisdom instruction, Sirach lists the blessings that follow such a way of life. The child who respects and obeys both father and mother is promised life itself, remission of sins, riches, the blessing of children, and the answer to prayer. The entire teaching about respect for parents takes on a completely different perspective when we remember that it is addressed to an adult offspring, not a youth.
Paul’s exhortation to virtuous living is introduced with the stated rationale for such a manner of life. Because Christians are God’s chosen, holy and beloved, they should act accordingly. The virtues themselves are all relational, directed toward others, requiring unselfish sensitivity. While the author still insists that wives must be subject to their husbands, he instructs the husbands to act toward their wives with love and thoughtfulness. Children are still told to obey their parents, but fathers are advised to be moderate in the training of their children lest discipline become oppressive. This means that in Christ, the relationships between man and woman and child have been radically altered.
The Gospel reading consists of two discrete narratives, the flight to Egypt and the return. They contain many echoes of the Exodus tradition. The family’s flight into Egypt, precipitated by the hatred of Herod, recalls Joseph’s escape to that same land because of the hatred of his brothers. Both the Holy Family and the family of Jacob/Israel remained in Egypt until the death of a ruler persuaded them to return to their land of origin. Just as Israel’s return resulted in its being shaped into the “people of God,” so Jesus returns to his homeland, there eventually to establish the reign of God. This reading emphasizes the early Christians’ belief that the active presence of God directed the events in the life of Jesus.