Question

Thanks Father Angelo!

I also wanted to ask you for an explanation for last Sunday’s Gospel (January 27, 2019 – Ambrosian rite).

Why does the angel warn St. Joseph twice?

Knowing that Herod’s son was there, why didn’t he immediately send the Holy Family to Nazareth?

Thank you, please pray for me.

 Matteo

Answer

Dear Matteo,

1. First of all, I congratulate you on the attention you put in listening to the word of the Lord.

It seems to me that I can almost say that you are a new Samuel about whom we read in the sacred text: “Samuel grew up, and the Lord was with him, not permitting any word of his to be without effect” (1 Sam 3:19).

2. Let us reread together the verses of the Gospel that you heard: “Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said to him: “When Herod had died, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” He rose, 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 back there. And because he had been warned in a dream, he departed for the region of Galilee. He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth” (Mt 2, 19-23).

3. “And because he had been warned in a dream”.

It is clear that he was warned in a dream by an Angel, just like by an Angel in a dream he had received other warnings.

So what you have observed is true. The Angel warned Joseph twice.

You ask: couldn’t he have said it all at once?

4. Yes, but the sacred text wants to tell us several things.

First of all, he wants to underline the reason why Joseph did not go to Bethlehem, in Judea: because he had heard people say that Archelaus was crueler than his father Herod.

It was not the Angel who told him, but he heard it from people.

Prudence is exercised by considering also what you hear.

Saint Joseph lived in this world.

Communion with Heaven did not exempt him from exercising prudence. In this too, St. Joseph is exemplary.

We know from history that Archelaus was later deposed and exiled by the Emperor Augustus due to his bad administration.

5. The text also wants us to observe the faith of St. Joseph, who obeyed the voice of the Angel and returned to Israel.

As soon as he returned to his homeland, his faith was put to the test again.

As always, he trusted God.

And God gave him the answer.

Through an Angel in a dream, He told him not to stop in Judea, where Bethlehem was, but to return to Galilee.

6. The Medieval Commentary, commonly called Glossa, notes that the Angel did not determine to which place in the land of Israel he should return.

Therefore, remaining in doubt, it was necessary that Joseph be made surer by a repeated visit from the Angel.

Textually, the Glossa says: “In order for him to be made surer with a more frequent visit from the Angel”.

7. The Lord does the same thing with us too.

When he wants us to know with certainty his will, he is not satisfied with giving us a single sign, but he repeatedly gives us several.

Surely you too have experienced it several times.

8. Thank you for drawing attention to a detail that many probably missed.

Every word of the Lord speaks. Each has a message of eternal life. None are extra or useless.

I remind you to the Lord as you asked me and I bless you.

Father Angelo

Translated by Chiara P.

Questo articolo è disponibile anche in: Italian