A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew 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 land 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: "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."
Their travels were from the western bank of Bethlehem to an unnamed location in Egypt. That was approximately 300-500 miles one way. Then 7-8 years later they travelled back to Nazareth. "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."
On the initial trip, The Holy Family had one donkey as their means of transportation. It is not known how long it took for the trip, but it is amazing how all this came about. The angel visited Joseph in his dreams and Joseph, in his silence, promptly obeyed. The life and protection of Jesus and Mary was in Joseph's hands; however, God was in control. God's help was not lacking.
My family used to take road trips, mainly to Colorado, every summer. One of the earlier trips we took was with one baby in diapers, and a two door car. It was a lot of work. There was feeding, cleaning and entertaining my baby in the car. One point in our trip, the air conditioner broke. It took us 17 hours by car to travel the 1063 miles. It was important to visit the grandparents every summer. We knew that family came first.
Unfortunately, nowadays, the family is under attack with different morals, values and the internet all telling our children that it is okay to be angry, jealous, unfaithful, addicted, pro choice, vengeful, bitter and that it is okay for same sex marriage and “I” come first.
Families should be grounded in the will of God and it is important for the family to live in the love of God. This is a must on our list of keeping our families anchored. The family unit was so important that Our Lord was allowed to grow and be nurtured for thirty years before His ministerial life.
God has a plan for each one of us and a plan for our families. We are to trust in Him, and be willing to sacrifice our plans for God's plans. Are we willing to live our lives with joyful hope?
Keep in mind the long suffering of the Holy Family and their example. When we suffer countless dangers or problems, be reminded, it is best to obey and trust in silence.
God Bless
