“Let us think of Jesus in the arms of Joseph and Mary fleeing and let us see in Him each of today’s migrants,” the pope said in his weekly general audience.
The reality of migration today It is “a social scandal of Humanity” to which “we cannot close our eyes”Pope Francis said today, who considered the migrants victims of “the arrogance and violence of the powerful,” as “happened to Jesus” when he remembered the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt.
Today “a prayer is needed for all migrants, all persecuted and all those who are victims of adverse circumstances, be they political, historical, personal. Let us think of so many victims of the war who want to flee their homeland but cannot”Francisco said in the general audience.
“Let us think of the migrants who start this path to be free and many end up on the road or at sea. Let us think of Jesus in the arms of Joseph and Mary fleeing and let us see in Him each of today’s migrants. This is a reality of today’s migration to which we cannot close our eyes. It is a social scandal of Humanity”He added.
The pope considered Saint Joseph as “a persecuted and brave migrant”, said that his family suffered “humiliation (…), precariousness, fear and pain” and that “still today many of our brothers and sisters are forced to live the same injustice and suffering. The cause is almost always the arrogance and violence of the powerful ”.
The pontiff referred to Herod, who, “upset” by the news of the birth of the “King of the Jews” felt “his power threatened” and “conceived an evil plan: to kill all the children of Bethlehem less than two years old” .
“The flight of the Holy Family to Egypt saves Jesus, but unfortunately it does not prevent Herod from carrying out his massacre,” Francis continued, that he sees in that king “the symbol of many tyrants of yesterday and today; he is the man who becomes a ‘wolf’ for other men “.
“History is full of personalities who, living at the mercy of their fears, try to overcome them by exercising power in a despotic way and carrying out acts of inhuman violence. But (…) we can all fall into this attitude, every time we try to dispel our fears with arrogance, even if it is only verbal or made on the basis of small abuses carried out to mortify those around us, “he explained.
José, for his part, “is the complete opposite of Herod”, a “brave” man: “One can imagine the vicissitudes he had to face during the long and dangerous journey and the difficulties that his permanence in a foreign country entailed.”
Act Boldly: Joseph’s Lesson
“Herod and Joseph are two opposite characters, reflecting the two faces of humanity as always. It is a common mistake to consider bravery as the exclusive virtue of the hero. In reality, the daily life of each person requires courage to face the difficulties of every day, “he added.
“In all times and cultures we find brave men and women who, by being consistent with their beliefs, have overcome all kinds of difficulties, endured injustices, convictions and even death,” he said.
Francisco stressed that “the lesson” that José leaves is that “Life always brings us adversities, and before them we can also feel threatened, with fear, but bringing out the worst in us, (as Herod does), is not the way to overcome certain moments, but by acting like Joseph, who reacts to fear with the courage to trust in the Providence of God ”.
“Let us pray for all migrants, for all persecuted and for all those who are victims of adverse circumstances and who feel discouraged and abandoned because of this,” he said, before asking Saint Joseph to protect “To all those who flee because of war, hatred, hunger”.
“Support them in their difficulties, strengthen them in hope and make them find welcome and solidarity,” he concluded. (I)
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