How scary to have a dream and know that you are to take Mary and the Child and flee to Egypt! Joseph again obeys and, fearing that Herod will seek to harm Jesus, immediately arises from his sleep, wakes Mary and takes her and the Infant Jesus away. This is a marvelous example of faith!
I think of all the refugees who flee for their lives. Jesus is a refugee. Joseph takes Mary and Jesus to Egypt to stay there. Perhaps he is able to use the gifts of the Magi to find a dwelling and again seek work as a carpenter. It cannot be easy. I think the story of the night flight into Egypt is to make us realize what is happening at our own borders. We are turning away people who are fleeing for their lives. I pray for the refugees everywhere, but especially for those who manage to get to our border, full of hope, and then we refuse to allow them to enter. Many come because they have a friend here, but we still are not welcoming and we need to try to do more to welcome the stranger. We have a huge country with many resources and so we need to give shelter to those who are fleeing from violence. I know it is difficult to deal with so many begging to come in, but we need to do more to help as many as possible. The mystery of the Flight into Egypt calls us to see how we can do more for those in need.
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