“Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’ Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I have called my son.’” -Matthew 2:13-15
Jesus was effectively homeless for a while as a result of the Holy Family’s flight to Egypt. From an early age, the son of Man had nowhere to lay his head, and from this we are also reminded that, like Christ, “We have no lasting city, but we are looking for the city that is to come” (Hebrews 13:14). We are all rootless without God, and, even as his followers, we wander on our pilgrimage until we reach our heavenly home.
Prayer
God, as we remember the poverty and defenselessness of your beloved holy family, feed us with the truth of your gospel and the power of your Spirit, that we may be ever vigilant for the homeless, the abandoned and the destitute, so that all your children may life with dignity and hope until your kingdom come. Amen.
