Another Reflection on Jesus as Refugee

I’m so very grateful that my niece shared a Facebook post by Fr. James Martin.  Here is another one of his thoughtful pieces.    You can find Fr. Martin’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/FrJamesMartin/

 

December 28, 2016 at 8:27am · 

Today's Gospel: Jesus was a refugee

Never forget that Jesus, Mary and Joseph were once refugees. Do you feel that the use of that term is somehow inaccurate? Well, remember that in the Flight into Egypt, which is described in today's Gospel, the Holy Family was escaping a violent regime, that of King Herod, just as refugees do today, and sought safety for themselves, just as refugees do today. 

In fact, the official UN definition of a refugee is a good description of what the Holy Family was facing: "A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence."

The Gospels tell us that the Holy Family stayed in Egypt until the crisis had passed; only then did they return. Sometimes refugees are able to return, as Jesus, Mary and Joseph did, but often they cannot, out of a well-founded fear of violence or war. 

When we think of the Holy Family's "Flight into Egypt," we tend to imagine a calm migration, something as in the painting here, by Eugene Girardet. But it may not have been. Remember that, according to the Gospels, Mary and Joseph were two people who had probably never journeyed very far from their hometown of Nazareth, who were probably terrified for their son's safety (and perhaps their own) and who were were most likely without many financial resources. Think of their fear. Think of their desperate desire to care for their precious son.

Now think of the fear of modern-day refugees. There are something like 60 million refugees and migrants, many of them children, as Jesus was. Many of them parents, as Mary and Joseph were.

Let the words "Jesus was a refugee" sink into your heart today. And let them inform your response to the refugee crisis today and in the future. Your savior was a refugee.