Matthew 2:13-15,19-23 NRSVue

¹³Now 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.” ¹⁴Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt ¹⁵and 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.”

¹⁹When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ²⁰“Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.” ²¹Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. ²²But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. ²³There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazarene.”^,

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Reflection on Matthew 2:13-15,19-23

Inspiration from 2025-12-28 Daily Prayer

Almost nothing has gone as the Holy Family might have expected.  First, having to uproot themselves from Bethlehem, they find themselves forced to travel to Egypt to escape the murderous tactics of King Herod, and even after his death, it seemed safest to travel northwards to the little village of Nazareth.

We can visualise their plight and are reminded of it by the many migrants who find themselves in equally hazardous conditions today, with nowhere safe to lay their heads, and in need of the support, care and guidance of those around them to stay afloat.