Daily Gospel Reflection for December 28, 2018

Today's Gospel: Matthew 2:13-18 - Feast of the Holy Innocents How many times have you been jarred out of your slumber by a dream and thought to yourself, "Wow… that was a wild dream" as you quickly tried to recreate all that had taken place during your REM sleep? And how many mornings have you woken up remembering you had a crazy dream and although the memory of it seemed to be within your grasp, you couldn't remember a single detail? That scenario happens to me almost every night. Sometimes I'll write my dreams down, but truth be told, at 3:00 a.m. it is easier to convince myself that I'll remember every detail in the morning than it is to convince myself to wake up and grab a pen. How blessed are we that Joseph remembered, retained, and reacted to his dream! A powerful way for me to pray is to put myself into the story, to close my eyes and place myself in the scene. I do this daily in my Lectio Divina, a method of prayerfully reading Sacred Scripture, in which you slowly read, meditate, pray, contemplate and respond to a specific verse or verses in the Bible. Recently, I've added Visio Divina to my prayer time. Visio Divina, which is Latin for "divine seeing," is a method of praying with an image. As I meditate upon Matthew 2:13-18, my mind turns Federico Fiori Barocci's "Rest on the Flight to Egypt." Gazing upon this fresco, I enter into the commotion of a young family fleeing their home, yet experience the simplicity of the moment. Though their journey is arduous, Our Lady's face shows serenity and joy as she scoops a bowl of water. Though their future is unknown, Joseph's face reflects confidence as he extends a cherry branch to the child Jesus. In a time of trial and tribulation, trust in God's plan and courage to follow it radiate from this serene image.

Ponder:

Looking back, what unexpected "flights" or surprise changes have made you trust in God's plan for your life? How did your relationship with Him change?