Sunday 29 December 2013
- Bible Book:
- Matthew
Background
Today's passage jumps over the traditional calendar which hasthe visitation by the magi (wise men) on 6 January. However, thepassage clearly brings the reader down to earth after the warmthand light of the story of the Nativity and the visits by theshepherds and those wise men whoever they were. Each year when wecelebrate the Christmas season we are taken to a warm and friendlystable, whereas it was probably cold, somewhat dirty, and wouldsmell of animals. We see friendly visitors coming to see a childand in the case of the Magi to bring somewhat mysterious gifts.What we do not generally see or even hear amongst the carols, isthe story we read today, of two parents very soon after the birthof their child, being driven out as refugees from the place theywould have known as home. Nor do we hear of the countless childrenwho were slaughtered by Herod in his search for the child he saw asusurping his authority.
Yet, for many families across the world today, this story isreality. Not for them the warmth and light of a western Christmas,with rich food, bright lights and a home filled with cards andpresents, but instead a lost life, living perhaps in a refugee campin a foreign land, or even a life of wandering not knowing where togo. Nearer home there are those facing loneliness and emptiness,isolated from families and friends, longing for the season to beover and normality to return.
As we have celebrated the birth of Jesus the light of the world,let us not, in the midst of all the glitter and the joy, forgetthat he was born a vulnerable child, in the most unhealthymaternity ward, and was forced to flee, as many are today.
To Ponder
- Read the hymn "
- Make a point of doing something practical to show solidaritynot just with the Holy Family in their plight but with familiesforced to make hard choices in our own time.