Gospel: 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.
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Reflection:
Do you believe in
angels?
What if Joseph did not
listen to the command of the angel of the Lord? The child Jesus would have been
killed by Herod and his minions. But Joseph is a good and obedient man of the
Lord. So he listened and in the process
he helped save the life of the baby Jesus.
Angels who act as
messengers of God abound in this world and they are not the winged ones
anymore. They are humans like you who would always advise you to avoid doing
what is not good and sinful. Or they would advise to do good always even if
others are not doing good. Therefore, you have to listen because if you will
not listen you would eventually be in a problematic situation.
There is a story of a
married man. Who for three long years was always advising his wife to cease her
affair with her adulterous, wicked and evil married officemate. The wife did
not listen to her husband’s countless counsels, she instead continuously
manipulated and lied to him.
Eventually the husband
laid a trap for his wife and her wicked, evil and shameless paramour. So they
were caught in flagrante delicto or in the very act of sexual misconduct. Cases
were filed by the husband against his wife and the wicked, evil and devious
lover. Soon after the long-suffering husband took the high and difficult but
honorable road by forgiving both of them. Thus, he withdrew the cases filed
against them.
One afternoon, the
husband visited his wife he embraced her tightly, kissed her on the
forehead. And immediately the wife said
to her husband: "Would you be willing to forgive me?" whimpering he
said: “I have forgiven your offense already, I have forgotten it and I have
thrown it into the deepest ocean so that it will not anymore haunt me for the
rest of my life.” Afterwards he slowly walked away into the sunset never to be seen by her for the rest of her life.
As Saint Joseph
listened to the command of the angel of the Lord. We too have to listen to the
wisdom filled advice/s being given to us by people who have nothing but concern
and love for us. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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