Matthew 2:13-18

1 John 1:5-2:2

Psalm 124:2-3, 4-5, 7cd-8

Matthew 2:13-18

When the magi had departed, behold,

the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,

“Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt,

and stay there until I tell you.

Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.”

Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night

and departed for Egypt.

He stayed there until the death of Herod,

that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled,

Out of Egypt I called my son.

When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi,

he became furious.

He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity

two years old and under,

in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi.

Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet:

A voice was heard in Ramah,

sobbing and loud lamentation;

Rachel weeping for her children,

and she would not be consoled,

since they were no more.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you know all things and can do all things. I am easily overwhelmed by the evil in this world. Do not let me be discouraged, but strive all the more to overcome evil in my own life and live a life of holiness and goodness in you.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Herod vs. Joseph: The peacefulness of our Christmas contemplation is interrupted today by the evil actions of King Herod. One of the contrasts in today’s Gospel is that between Herod and Joseph. Herod is concerned only with saving his puppet kingdom from Jesus, the newborn king. No action, including the slaughter of innocent children, is too immoral for him. By contrast, the fundamental attitude of Joseph is his abandonment to God’s will. He promptly and immediately responds to God’s messenger and takes the child Jesus and his mother to Egypt. He didn’t flee to the comfortable familiarity of Nazareth or to Zechariah’s house close by in the hill country of Judah. No. As a man of prayer, he listened to God’s voice and did as God commanded without hesitation.

2. Herod’s Will vs. God’s Will: On the one hand, we learn that, in the end, God’s will, and not Herod’s, is fulfilled. God knew from all eternity that the Holy Family would flee to Egypt and that he would call his only-begotten Son out of Egypt. This was foreshadowed in Genesis, where we encounter another Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his brothers to a caravan headed to Egypt. God’s plan was not thwarted by the sins of Joseph’s brothers. God brought good out of evil and used it to save the family of Jacob and fulfill his promise to Abraham to make his descendants a great nation and as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore. On the other hand, we see the importance of listening to God in our own lives and discerning his will carefully. Joseph protected the Holy Family not through his own strength alone or ingenuity but by heeding and collaborating with God’s holy word.

3. The Light of Christ: In the First Reading, we continue to read the First Letter of John. Yesterday, we began the letter, and it invoked the theme of life. Today’s theme is that of light. The Gospel of John identified Jesus as the light. Here, John reveals that “God is light and in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). John then distinguishes the way of light from the way of darkness. To walk in the darkness is to live in a sinful way, fail to keep the commandments, and reject communion with God. To walk in the light is to be cleansed from all sin by Jesus’ blood, keep the commandments, and enjoy communion with God and others. While King Herod followed the path of darkness and hatred and sought only himself, Joseph followed the path of life and love and sought the good of others.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, help me to enter more deeply into the mystery of innocent suffering. I trust in you and that you will bring out good, an even greater good, from evil.

Living the Word of God: This Christmas season, am I walking in the light and heeding the will and word of God? How can I show my love for my family in deed today?