Gospel
The Gospel according to St. Matthew, ii. 13-15.
“At that time an angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph, saying: Arise, and take the Child and His mother, and fly into Egypt, and be there until I shall tell thee. For it will come to pass that Herod will seek the Child to destroy Him. Who arose and took the Child and His mother by night, and retired into Egypt: and he was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which the Lord spoke by the prophet: Out of Egypt have I called My Son.”
Summary of the Morrow’s Meditation
We will meditate to-morrow on the flight of Jesus into Egypt, and we shall learn from it: 1st, to see and cherish the will of God even in the most painful trials, without ever allowing ourselves to be cast down; 2d, never to desire anything here below but this most holy and most amiable will. We will then make the resolution: 1st, to consider the good pleasure of God as the rule of our conduct and the end of our actions; 2d, to desire nothing beyond and to be content with our position, without dreaming of another. Our spiritual nosegay shall be the words of the Lord's prayer: “Father, Thy will be done.”
Meditation for the Morning
Let us adore, with admiration and love, the Child-God escaping by flight and a long sojourn in Egypt from the persecution of Herod. O profound mystery! He had at His command a thousand means whereby to escape the search made by the tyrant, but He prefers flight, and He goes away not from compulsion, but from design, because His flight will be full of lessons for us. Let us bless Him in union with the angels who accompanied Him.
First Point
The Flight into Egypt Teaches us to See and Cherish the Will of God even in the most painful Trials, without ever allowing ourselves to be cast down.
The Holy Family were living quietly in their poor dwelling, when suddenly an angel comes, in the middle of the night, and says to Joseph: “Arise, and take the Child and His mother, and fly into Egypt” (Matt. ii. 13). He does not say, Make ready to set out at the dawn of day, but Depart at once, in the midst of the darkness of the night. He does not say: Go, but Fly; it is a shameful resource in the eyes of the world, dangerous even; for they might be discovered and arrested. It is of no consequence; fly. And whither? Into Egypt. But what will become of us in that unknown land, without help, without protection? Joseph does not reason thus; he abandons himself to Providence, without being discouraged or troubling himself about the difficulties of the road and the means of livelihood in that distant country, and he sets off. God wills it; that is sufficient. If God wills it, He will provide for all; wherefore be troubled? Joseph starts on his journey with great calmness, with a perfect abandonment to the will of God, and traverses the hundred leagues which separate him from Heliopolis, the place of his refuge. Neither solitude nor inhabited districts disconcert him nor do privations of all kinds discourage him; Jesus is with him, He is his treasure, his providence, his consolation, his all in all. Having arrived at Heliopolis, he there pitches his tent, and by dint of labor he provides for the needs of the little family. All three are living there in content; they are where God wills them to be; they are what God wills. What more do they want? How many lessons are contained in this mystery! We learn from it: 1st, to detach ourselves from our country, from our relations, from our friends; to leave promptly all that is dearest to us when God orders us to do so; 2d, to know how to find God everywhere, and, consequently, to be content wherever we may be; 3d, to yield to the times, even to the extent of suffering violence and injustice, when force usurps right; 4th, to yield to our neighbor, by reserve, modesty, condescension, loving better to lose all than to lose charity, meekness, and peace; 5th, to confide in God in the midst of even the greatest reverses, to see in all things His providence, which knows better than we do what is good for us, which knows how to draw good out of evil, which knows all, which can do all, and which loves us. Let us gather together these precious lessons and place them in the bottom of our heart.
Second Point
The Flight into Egypt Teaches us to desire Nothing here below but the most holy and most amiable Will of God.
The Holy Family sets out by night, as we have seen; it does not desire to wait for the day. It leaves in a state of absolute destitution; it does not desire to have leisure to make preparations for the journey. It goes into Egypt, a country where it knows no one; it does not desire to go to the country of the Magi where it would be so well received. It traverses frightful solitudes; it does not desire either a better road or better caravansaries. Arrived at the place where it is to sojourn, it remains there until an order from heaven recalls it. It may suffer, be wearied, find its exile hard and long. No matter; it remains eight long years, always submissive, always content, believing that to God alone who has placed it there belongs the right to displace it. It does not say: We are here, enjoying neither honor nor glory, but are forgotten and despised, whilst others who are not worth as much as we have a great reputation and live in splendor. It says: I am where God wills me to be; where could I be better? What a lesson for men who imagine that they will always be better off in any place than the one in which they are, who are never content with their position, and are constantly dreaming about another, as if they could have roses without thorns and a position without trials. How much better advised are they who know how to feel themselves to be well off where God places them, who live in dependence upon His providence, until they pass away into the arms of His mercy! After these eight years of exile, the angel comes back and says to Joseph: Return to the land of Israel. But where establish themselves? The angel leaves the choice to them, and the holy patriarch chooses, not a great town, but the little village of Nazareth, where the Holy Family will lead a life more humble, more tranquil, more in conformity to the simplicity of its tastes. It is thus that when we do not clearly perceive the will of Providence we ought to approach to it as closely as we can, asking ourselves: “Where shall I better work out my salvation? Where shall I be less exposed to lose myself? What decision will most console me at the hour of death?” Are these the rules of our conduct?
Resolutions and spiritual nosegay as above.