God speaks to us in many ways, including through this Sunday’s Gospel which is taken from Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23. As we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we can offer all the members of our own families on the altar for God’s blessing. In this Gospel, we read about the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt not long after the wise men left. They begin an extraordinary journey of complete trust in God, pursuing their mission to protect the Christ child. We are invited to consider Joseph's protection of Jesus in the face of imminent danger. An angel appears to him in a dream, just as at the announcement of Jesus' birth. The angel warns Joseph of Herod's plans to kill Jesus. In an act of pure obedience, Joseph follows the command of the angel without complaint or comment. He takes Mary with the Christ Child to Egypt. Jesus’s journey to Egypt is like that of Jacob’s family, who went to Egypt to escape famine. The Holy Family only return after Joseph receives word in another dream when it was safe to do so. Despite having no specific destination and no way of supporting his family, he went in the dark night. We can only imagine his fear for the safety of Mary and Jesus. At the same time we know that from the moment of his acceptance of the message in the first dream, Joseph embraced God’s perfect plan.
In Joseph we see a man who radically trusted God. Herod's jealousy and wickedness contrast with Joseph's obedience to the words of the angel. The Holy Family's escape to Egypt is a reminder of the struggles and sacrifices that are required as preparation for God's salvation. Despite these struggles, whatever state of life we are (single or married, a parent or not), Joseph can always be our trusted model of fidelity to God and his plan for our lives. When we struggle with what God asks of us, we can ask for intercession from St. Joseph, thanking him for his God-given role in salvation history. Living through God’s plan for the redemption of humanity started in the family, which is a school of trust: not only is Jesus completely dependent upon his parents, but Mary and Joseph had to completely trust each other; each has had no option but to accept what God is doing in the other’s life. Let us pray for the grace of caring for one another in our own families, for each member of the parish family, and for all families of all the Church.
