TWO HOLY FAMILIES
How often, on TV, do you see people fleeing persecution by murderous tyrants? When I was at school, some of the pupils were the sons of those who had fled from Poland to escape Nazi and then Communist persecution. It seems that generation after generation, millions of people have been forced to leave their homelands to escape the violent rule of despots. What grabs at the heart are the pictures of the desperate, pleading eyes of parents on the verge of total despair, only hanging on to life in order to protect their children.
That was the case with the Holy Family. Once again, Joseph is the hero. Once again, in the deep sleep of a just man, he is able to receive a divine message. Herod is seeking to annihilate all the male children in Bethlehem for fear that one of them might threaten his hold on power. The child Jesus is in mortal danger.
‘Arise, take the child and his mother, and flee into Egypt.’ And Joseph did so. That night and by night, such was the urgency, such was the need for secrecy.
Have you ever thought: What if Egyptian border guards had turned back this refugee family? What if, instead of finding safe haven and sanctuary, this desperate family had been denied entry?
So we see that the divine plan to rescue Jesus from a murderous tyrant depended not only on Joseph but, also, on the Egyptian authorities. The Holy Spirit prepared Joseph’s character during his lifetime. The Holy Spirit had prepared the Egyptians over the decades preceding the birth of Jesus. The Holy Spirit prompts, inspires and encourages individuals like Joseph, but also prompts, inspires and encourages communities, societies and nations.
And so we discover two Holy Families in this Gospel episode. One is the little Holy Family with Joseph, Mary and Jesus. The other is the larger Holy Family of humanity embodied in those Egyptians who provided sanctuary, who opened their land to allow Joseph, Mary and Jesus to settle out of danger.
How are we doing in Australia in the light of this Gospel? We might expect, or at least hope, that we might live up to the long title of our nation: ‘Austrialia del Espiritu Santo’ – South Land of the Holy Spirit. It is true that we have received hundreds of thousands of refugees since World War II, from Europe, from Asia, from Africa, from Central and South America.
That humanitarian policy gives me, at least, confidence that the Holy Spirit is at work in Australia so that the bonds of our common humanity may be strengthened. But the challenge remains.
Can we be a people who give safe haven to the little holy families in desperate plight in the dangerous refugee camps, stranded without the necessities of life? Can we be as hospitable and open as the Egyptians of today’s Gospel? Another baby in another family of refugees may depend on our answer!
© Fr Michael Tate; mtate@bigpond.com, https://www.liturgyhelp.com/calendar/date/2025Dec28/0/HomMiTa