Psalm 128 (127 in the Vulgate) is a short, serene “Song of Ascents,” one of the fifteen psalms (120–134) pilgrims sang as they climbed the road to Jerusalem for the great feasts. Probably composed in the Persian or early Hellenistic period, it offers a quiet theology of blessing rooted in covenant faithfulness. To “fear the Lord and walk in his ways” is not servile dread but reverent obedience to the Torah; the reward follows naturally, like harvest follows sowing.

The imagery is deeply domestic and agricultural: the faithful man eats bread earned by honest toil; his wife is a fruitful vine within the home (not outside, emphasising security and modesty); his children are vigorous olive shoots around the family table—an enduring symbol of peace and prosperity in Israel. The final blessing from Sion links personal happiness to the welfare of Jerusalem, reminding every household that its flourishing is bound up with the holy city and the Temple.

On the Feast of the Holy Family (Sunday within the Octave of Christmas), this psalm is chosen with exquisite precision. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph perfectly embodied the “fear of the Lord” in the hidden years at Nazareth. Their home was poor, yet blessed beyond measure: Mary truly the most fruitful vine, Jesus the choicest shoot, Joseph the just man whose labour of hands provided daily bread. The psalm’s refrain—“Blessed are all who fear the Lord, and walk in his ways”—becomes a portrait of the Nazareth household.

In an age that often measures family success by wealth or status, Psalm 128 quietly insists that true prosperity is the peace and fruitfulness that flow from walking humbly with God. As the Church contemplates the Holy Family, she holds up this psalm as the pattern for every Christian home: reverence first, then toil, fidelity, children, and blessing from Sion—the blessing now poured out fully through Christ and his Church.