It could have been

Friday January 22, 2021 Year of St. Joseph

“When Herod had died, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” He rose, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go back there. And because he had been warned in a dream, he departed for the region of Galilee. He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He shall be called a Nazorean.” (Mt 2:19-23)

I wonder how long they were they in Egypt?  What was that like?  I wonder what it was like when Joseph got back to Nazareth with Mary and Jesus?  How old was Jesus?  Was he still a baby or toddler or nearing the age when they would traveled to the temple in Jerusalem?  If Jesus was still young, did the people wonder how their child was spared the slaughter of the late infamous King Herod?

What must have been the thoughts of Joseph, having heard of the slaying of innocent male children of a certain age at the time of their flight to Egypt?  He was human after all. 

(Let’s try to get inside the mind and heart of Joseph)

“So much death.  So innocent…how could anyone kill children…kill babies..and now here we are with our healthy little boy…what must they think of us? Do they even connect the dots?  

Had I not listened to the angel, it could have been him.   He could have been laid low by the sword.  But even before that…If I hadn’t listen to the first angel in my dream, I may have quietly dismissed this little one from my life entirely.  That may have laid him low.  It could have been him and it could have been her.  Cutting Mary off with a quite divorce, what might that have done to her… her future, her hope, her child growing in the womb?  My plan may have cut them both in two.”

It could have been him…it could have been her…it could have been me!  But, somehow I listened to the voice of the angel.  I heard that deeper voice in my dream.”

The grace of God allowed Joseph to listen to the deeper voice…let us ask the same God and Father of us all, who spoke to Joseph, to open our ears, and open our hearts to listen to that deeper voice.  AMEN

St. Joseph.  Pray for Us.