Go Into the Desert

I've found it very interesting that in the Roman Rite, we do not celebrate a memorial of the Holy Family's flight into Egypt when King Herod tried to kill the infant Jesus--especially during these times when refugees are in the news frequently.

In the Coptic Orthodox Church, which is centrally in Egypt, this feast is of particular importance. Imagine that Jesus, Mary, and Joe visited and stayed in your country for several years. I would find that to be of particular importance too!

The Coptic Church celebrates the Holy Family's entrance into Egypt every year on June 1st, which they call the 24th of Pashons and is coming up this Saturday. The icon on the above is a Coptic icon. Check out this other blog post explaining the significance of Egyptian images in it.

Here are two other icons of the flight into Egypt:

 

Notice the difference in how Joe is depicted. In the first icon, Joe is depicted as an elderly man and there is a young man following; the young man is St. James, who is Joe's biological son by previous marriage according to the usual tradition that Joe was elderly. Also, notice that even though Joe is elderly in this icon, he's still carrying Jesus on his shoulders--giving witness to the tradition that even if Joe was elderly, he remained physically strong.

This past Monday, I started a 9-week spirituality "program," although, it feels more like a quasi-academic retreat. It has been a major part of the Catholic Tradition to consider times of retreat like going into the desert to pray. So, I ask for your prayers as I join the Holy Family in going into the desert for these next 8 1/2-weeks.