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Homily for the feast of the
Holy Family - Year A - Mt. 2:13-15,19-23
by
Canon Dr. Daniel Meynen
" Now when they had
departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream
and said, «Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to
Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search
for the child, to destroy him.» And he rose and took the child
and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt, and remained there
until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken
by the prophet, «Out of Egypt have I called my son.»
" But when Herod died,
behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
saying, «Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land
of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.» And
he rose and took the child and his mother, and went to the land of
Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus reigned over Judea in place of
his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a
dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and dwelt in
a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be
fulfilled, «He shall be called a Nazarene.» "
Homily:
" Now when they had
departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream
and said, «Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to
Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search
for the child, to destroy him.» And he rose and took the child
and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt. "
On the Sunday that follows
Christmas - that is, today - the Church celebrates the feast of the
Holy Family. Like last Sunday, it is Joseph who is in the spotlight in
today's Gospel. In these times, when men of goodwill beg the Lord, as
much as they can, for the gift of Peace for the world, and thus also
for the Church, is it not a marvelous sign to see Joseph honored in
this manner? For Joseph is he to whom God entrusted Jesus and Mary so
that he might watch over them, keeping them in security and peace, to
the extent that this is possible...
Joseph takes Jesus and Mary
to Egypt. The three of them flee before the threats of King Herod.
Would this be cowardice on their part? Why did they not go before their
persecutors as so many martyrs have? Is there a double standard here?
Not at all! For Joseph and the martyrs followed the Spirit who guided
them! God knows all things, and he knows what is suitable for one
person or another to do, in order that his Glory and his Power might
shine forth in each particular case. Joseph was prudent: he obeyed the
angel who had warned him and he carried out the will of God by fleeing
before Herod!
Today, Joseph watches over
the Holy Family that is the Church! Today, Joseph makes use of prudence
to keep the Church, and even the whole world, in security and peace!
But today Joseph is no longer alone: he has a multitude of brothers,
many other Josephs called to watch over the Church and the world! These
brothers, these other Josephs, are each and every one of faithful,
great and small, men and women, who believe in Christ and who,
throughout the ages, watch over the peace and security of the great
family of God that is the Church! Like Joseph, each believer is
responsible for peace in the world!
" But when Herod died,
behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
saying, «Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land
of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.» And
he rose and took the child and his mother, and went to the land of
Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus reigned over Judea in place of
his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a
dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and dwelt in
a city called Nazareth."
The danger has passed:
Herod is dead, and Joseph can return to Israel. However, Joseph remains
prudent: he suspects that the son of Herod is no less dangerous than
his father. So he decides to withdraw to the place where he had already
been living before the birth of Jesus: Nazareth. In doing so, he acts
in an absolutely prudent manner, for the Lord confirms that his
decision was a good one: "Being warned in a dream..."
Prudence! Always, prudence!
Saint Thomas Aquinas made it the mistress of all the virtues... Being
prudent does not solely consist of driving one's car with caution...
Being prudent is to take the time to think before acting, to weigh the
pros and cons, the advantages and the disadvantages of such and such a
decision. Being prudent is also to waste neither time nor money...
May the Most Blessed Virgin
Mary, silent in the contemplation of her Child-God, intercede for us
before the Father, in order that all of us might form but a single
heart and a single soul in the bosom of a single family: the Church!
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