When the magi had departed, behold,the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,“Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you” (Mt 2:13).
The scene the magi left from was not a glamorous one. Mary gave birth to Jesus in a stable or a cave. This setting was not the most hygienic of situations as this is where animals were kept. After the shepherds and kings come to pay the baby homage the situation does not get much better. For as we read in today’s Gospel from Matthew, Joseph is urged by an angel to flee because Herod had ordered the death of all male children under two years of age.
Sounds a bit extreme of a measure, and one might think this could just be a trumped up story. Until looking back to see how Herod killed anyone he felt threatened without thinking twice. This included his own wife, Mariamne, and three of his sons. The news Herod received by the magi that they wanted to see “he who was born the king of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2) and the messianic fervor that was growing because the prophecy of Daniel (cf. Dn 9:24-27) predicted the messiah during this time period, could have easily fed Herod’s paranoia. When the magi did not return to reveal the location of this baby king, he wasn’t going to take any chances for this wee one to grow up.
Joseph would have known about Herod’s temperament as he was the rightful heir to the thrown of David as well as the caretaker of Jesus, the baby who, it was becoming clearer to Joseph, was the Messiah. With the words of the angel, Gabriel, Joseph trusted again and packed up all they had. The three of them were on the road again, not back home to Nazareth, but to Egypt.
The Son of God could have easily been born in a palace, among a family with power and stability, yet his Father chose to send him to be born among the poor and displaced. His earliest days were ones marked by instability and danger. The only stability and safety that Jesus had was in Mary and Joseph. They trusted in God, followed his guidance, and were willing to sacrifice their lives to protect and keep him safe.
Over these past days of readings we have encountered simple and yet significant figures of faith: Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, Stephen, Mary Magdalene, Peter, John, and today, Joseph. In the face of not understanding the reality of the conception of Jesus, he chose to trust Gabriel’s invitation to take Mary as his wife, to provide and protect her and Jesus. He risked his life by going into the territory of the crazed king Herod and then onward to Egypt until presumably Gabriel would call them back to Nazareth.
Joseph did what each of us are called to do, to follow the will of God – to be saints. We are called to listen to, trust in, and do whatever he tells us. In this way, we play our part, as Joseph and the others did. We are to allow the love of God to flow through us to those in our realm of influence, make a difference in our corner of the world, and make it a place where the dignity of each person in our reach is respected and cared for. When we do that, miracles happen!
Photo: St. Joseph Catholic Church, Poquonock, CT. Christmas Day, last year.
Spiritual Stepping Stones 