Scripture
Matthew 2: 13-15, 19-23
Now after the magi had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”
When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.” Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazorean.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Ignatian Reflection
Extent of Their Love
Sent into flight by a dream and brought back by a dream, we know precious little more about Matthew’s Holy Family for years and years. As I board a bus in Jerusalem on this wet December night, I imagine Mary, Joseph and the newborn Jesus fleeing into an early-falling, cold and rainy darkness, quite a flip from the gold, frankincense and myrrh of the magi three verses earlier. “Clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together,” Paul writes to the Colossians in today’s second reading (Colossians 3: 12-21); indeed, already on the move from Nazareth to Bethlehem and now sent by night into Egypt (according to tradition, via Gaza’s Rafah Crossing), they couldn’t have had much more to put on for this refugee journey. Lest we so easily overspiritualize their call, let’s imagine a few sleepless nights with them, touching the brutal extents of their resilience, fidelity and love despite all.
—Fr. Garrett Gundlach, SJ, is a Jesuit priest based at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Jerusalem and serving diverse local communities.
Ignatian Prayer
Dec 28, 2025
Prayer
God of all families,
You chose to grow up where we do –
in imperfect circumstances, changing plans, and endless trials.
We will never know the full extent of Mary, Joseph and Jesus’ early challenges;
We will never know the full extent of their early love;
just like no one can know all the challenges
just like no one can know all the tendernesses
of the family we are doing our best to build here in our home.
Lord, bless us as we do our best to put on the love you so desire to gift us.
—Fr. Garrett Gundlach, SJ
The Daily Examen is a prayer technique developed by St. Ignatius to help us reflect on the events of the day to discern God's presence and direction. When Ignatius founded the Society of Jesus, he required the Jesuits to practice the Examen twice daily—at noon and at the end of the day. It's a habit that Jesuits, and many other Christians, practice to this day.
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Daily Examen
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God, I believe that at this moment I am in your presence and you are loving me.
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God, you know my needs better than I know them. Give me your light and your help to see how you have been with me, both yesterday and today.
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God, help me to be grateful for the moments when people have affirmed me and challenged me. Help me to see how I have responded, and whether I have been kind to others and open to growth.
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God, forgive me for when I have not done my best or have failed to treat others well. Encourage me, guide me, and continue to bless me.
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As I look to the remainder of this day, make me aware that you are with me. Show me how to be the person you want me to be.
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