30-Dec-16

Gospel MT 2:13-15, 19-23
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.
Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.”
Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night
and departed for Egypt.
He stayed there until the death of Herod,
that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled,
Out of Egypt I called my son.
When Herod had died, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream
to Joseph in Egypt and said,
“Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the lan d of Israel,
for those who sought the child’s life are dead.”
He rose, took the child and his mother,
and went to the land of Israel.
But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea
in place of his father Herod,
he was afraid to go back there.
And because he had been warned in a dream,
he departed for the region of Galilee.
He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth,
so that what had been spoken through the prophets
might be fulfilled,
He shall be called a Nazorean.
Reflection:
In accordance with the social norms of their world, Joesph, Mary and Jesus were not the perfect family.
But, they were a "tight" little group.
With their child under threat of death, they were undoubtedly frightened. Nevertheless, they bravely made their way through the desert to Egypt and then back to Israel to finally settle in Nazareth.
During the course of our lives we interact with many different groups, but our strongest and most lasting relationships are those with our family despite their imperfections.
Our family prepares us for life in the wider community. Beginning with our childhood, we learn how to interact with others. We learn our social graces and the customs and norms of the society in which we live.
From both good and imperfect examples, we, like Jesus, learn and are molded by our family.
My father once told me, "No matter what you achieve in life, never forget, you did not get there by yourself."
Jesus may have been born as the "Christ Child," but God used Joseph and Mary to protect Him and help prepare Him to be the Savior of the World.
"In every conceivable manner, the family is the link to our past and the bridge to our future." - - Alex Haley