Questions for reflection

Questions for Reflection
As you slowly read this Gospel passage, allow its words to soak into your mind. You may want to light a candle to help you ponder the passage, reflect on the image above or on the words of Pope Francis below. You might want to recall a significant dream that you have had that changed the course of your life.

1. What is this passage saying to you?

2. What word(s), sentence or phrase in this Gospel passage most caught your attention; most touched your heart; most challenged you; most comforted you? Is there anything in this passage that you found uncomfortable or startling?

3. ‘Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream’. In what ways do you experience the presence of God in your life? Are you responsive to that call? Can you think of the angels in your own life who have guided you through a difficult situation?

4. ‘And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt’. When have you had to make a life changing decision in your life? How did you feel? How do you treat those who have had to leave their home, their country because of a life changing situation?

5. ‘So that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled.’ What promises has God kept for you? Have you ever been in a difficult situation that has turned into something good? Did this make you more attentive to the will of God?

Pope Francis tells us:

And today the Gospel presents the Holy Family to us on the sorrowful road of exile, seeking refuge in Egypt. Joseph, Mary and Jesus experienced the tragic fate of refugees, which is marked by fear, uncertainty and unease . Unfortunately, in our own time, millions of families can identify with this sad reality. Almost every day the television and papers carry news of refugees fleeing from hunger, war and other grave dangers, in search of security and a dignified life for themselves and for their families.

In distant lands, even when they find work, refugees and immigrants do not always find a true welcome, respect and appreciation for the values they bring. Their legitimate expectations collide with complex and difficult situations which at times seem insurmountable. Therefore, as we fix our gaze on the Holy Family of Nazareth as they were forced to become refugees, let us think of the tragedy of those migrants and refugees who are victims of rejection and exploitation, who are victims of human trafficking and of slave labour. But let us also think of the other “exiles”: I would call them “hidden exiles”, those exiles who can be found within their own families: the elderly for example who are sometimes treated as a burdensome presence. I often think that a good indicator for knowing how a family is doing is seeing how their children and elderly are treated.