Brief synopsis of the readings: Our first reading comes from the Old Testament book of Sirach. It states that God sets a father over his children and those children will find forgiveness and preservation if they honor their father. “Whoever honors his father is gladdened by children, and, when he prays, is heard.” Sirach then instructs children to care for their fathers in their old age, even if the father’s mind fails because “kindness to a father will not be forgotten.” Matthew’s Gospel recounts how, shortly after Jesus’ birth, he (along with his parents) are forced to flee to Egypt lest Herod kill Jesus. They stayed in Egypt until Herod died and went to Nazareth to avoid Herod’s son Archelaus.

Today’s Gospel requires a fair amount of explanation to put it in context. In Matthew’s Gospel, the newborn Jesus is visited by astrologers from the East (that we now call the Three Wise Men). On their way they visited Herod (the Jewish ruler) and told them about their vision. Herod correctly viewed this child as the possible Messiah. But Herod recognized that this may mean the end of his rule and set out to kill this child. The astrologers paid homage to Jesus and eluded Herod on their return. Enraged at the deception Herod demanded the murder of all boys aged two years or younger in or around Bethlehem, hoping this newborn would be among them. But Joseph and Mary were tipped off and fled to Egypt where they stayed until Herod’s death and it was safe to return.

We don’t know how many boys were murdered by Herod but they are referred to, even today, as the “Holy Innocents.” The number estimates vary dramatically and it’s a sign of Herod’s desperation that he would murder all boys two years old and younger to get rid of one. Herod was a Jew who was so hungry for power that he eagerly murdered his own people to gain the approval of Rome, even innocent children.

Ironically, Herod failed in killing the one child he sought. While this was going on, Joseph, Mary and Jesus were safe in Egypt. That’s the good news. The bad news is that their life in Egypt was far from easy and those details are easy for us to overlook. Simply put, they were strangers in a strange land, in a place that didn’t want or welcome them, a place of exile. And they had to travel about 750 kilometers (450 miles) to get there. Our image of Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem often includes a donkey but there is no mention of that. It’s a fair bet that they walked the entire journey to Egypt.

Simply put, they were refugees. We don’t know how long they were there but some think it was about 3 years or so. Egypt was nobody’s idea of a safe place; the last time the Jews were there they were fleeing Pharaoh and slavery and barely got out alive. Nothing about that exodus was easy, safe or comfortable. For the Holy Family Egypt was the least bad place. Only Herod’s death gave them anything close to a sense of relief in that it gave them the opportunity to return home.

You probably guessed where I am going with this, but we can pick up a newspaper today and see that the plight of refugees is still with us. What does it take for a person, a family or a village, to flee and leave everything behind? Nobody becomes a refugee in search of additional wealth or a better view out their bedroom window. Like Jesus, people seek refuge when their lives are in danger and there is no other option.

And they have sought refuge ever since. From Jews fleeing pogroms to farmers in Oklahoma leaving the Dust Bowl in the 1930s we’ve seen this countless times. If that weren’t enough, refugees are often met with overt hostility when they arrive at what they hope is a safe place. Sometimes the same prejudice follows them and sometimes they are seen as competitors for food and land. Refugee camps, seen as temporary shelters, sometimes go on for years and decades. The last refugee camp for those displaced by the Nazis didn’t close until 1957.

But I fear much of what we are seeing these days are even worse. Oftentimes refugees are seen as dangerous, as existential threats who hide a terrorist agenda when it’s clear that is not the case. This is the part where I wish I could say that as followers of Jesus we all see modern refugees through the light of these readings. Alas…

There was a recent newspaper story of a Baptist pastor in Louisiana who told the reporter that he would not “knowingly extend Communion to an illegal immigrant who is visiting our church.” He went to explain that “Christians should obey the law of the land.” This pastor is unlikely to ask for my opinion but I would remind him that the soldiers who murdered the Holy Innocents were obeying the law of the land and by defying Herod Joseph and Mary were breaking the law.

The article also spoke about a group of Roman Catholic priests in the same area who brought Communion to the homes of immigrants who felt unsafe leaving their homes to go to church. These priests aren’t breaking the law in the strictest sense of the word but I imagine they will get some heat for this. We should all be proud of them.

Throughout our history we’ve oftentimes felt pulled in different directions and Jesus did say we should give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what it God’s. But if anything is clear, it’s that we are called to reach out to those in need. If we don’t side with the refugees we need to understand that we are on the side of Herod.

Finally, as an aside can we speak briefly about how foolish this makes Herod look? He was so deluded with his own power that he honestly felt he could subvert God’s will and kill the Messiah and he would live happily after. When we see people who are displaced, let us never forget who is in charge.