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December 30, 2022The two stories proclaimed in today’s Gospel (Mt 2:13-15, 19-23) are part of Matthew’s introduction to who Jesus is, telegraphed into two chapters that include a genealogy and several stories surrounding his birth and the Holy Family’s experience of exile due to Herod’s murderous intentions toward their newborn child. Matthew’s intention is to parallel the story of Jesus with the story of Moses, God’s instrument of salvation for Israel, whom Moses leads from slavery to freedom and the Promised Land. This time, as the visit of the Magi attests, God’s Chosen are all people. Furthermore, God does not act through another, for in Jesus (“God saves”) is found Emmanuel (“God-with-us”).
If Mary is filled with wonder at all that is happening with her through these and preceding events, how must Joseph have felt? We have already discovered that he is a gentle and patient man with a heart of compassion, willing to put aside his own reputation and needs to protect those he loves. Now we see that, like his espoused, he is a contemplative man, close enough to God to receive divine messages through his dreams and to obey them. He is also humble enough to recognize powers greater than he is and that sometimes the only way to protect his loved ones is to find refuge in a hidden place.
What makes this family holy is their cooperation with God’s grace. In seeking refuge to save their newborn, they facilitate God’s saving intention by saving Emmanuel from Herod’s murderous jealousy. Thus, they make it possible for Jesus to teach some years later, “whatever you do to the least of these, you do to me” (Matt 25:40). On this Feast of the Holy Family, let us pray for all those holy fathers and mothers at our borders seeking safe refuge for their family away from life-threatening realities back home.
