TAKE THE CHILD AND HIS MOTHER, AND FLEE TO EGYPT.

Today, we celebrate the anniversary of the independence of Nigeria, and the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) in her wisdom have dedicated this day in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen and Patroness of Nigeria, relying so much on her powerful intercession, especially when hope seems to be lost. This day equally marks the beginning of the October devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

We have so much confidence in the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, especially for a nation like ours where so many are languishing and lamenting about the state of the nation. A country where we are the problem to ourselves as expressed with the various political saga we have seen, the insecurity, the economic crisis, the disunity and violence among the thousand and one problems associated with the country. A celebration that ought to bring joy and happiness to us, but ends up bringing sighs and sadness to many of her citizens. A country that has disappointed, humiliated and killed her citizens. A country where her citizens have lost hope and seek every possible means to ‘japa.’ On a day like this, we remind ourselves that all hope is not lost because we have a great intercessor who interceded at the wedding feast at Canaan in Galilee and will certainly intercede for our dear country. If not for any other thing, let the gospel of today brighten up our day.

In the gospel, behold an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him” (Mt 2:13). Joseph rose, took the child and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This trip echoes the story of Moses as an infant. It also echoes the story of Joseph son of Jacob (Gen 37-50), whose going into Egypt laid the foundation for the birth of the Israelites nation and the Exodus. The first Joseph was a dreamer and an interpreter of dreams. God also appeared to this new Joseph in dreams. He obeys immediately, not waiting for daylight. He begins his journey in the dead of night.

Importantly, we will recall Egypt was a troubled nation the Israelites in the Old Testament had to flee from through the leadership of Moses. The flight to Egypt in the New Testament includes a number of parallels between Jesus and Moses, giving us a sense of Jesus as another Moses. Jesus flight to Egypt to escape Herod parallels Moses being hidden in the bulrushes to escape Pharoah, who schemed to murder infant Jewish boys to lessen Jewish power and the danger of Jewish takeover (Ex 1-2:10). It also parallels Moses’ flight to Median to escape persecution for murder (Ex 2:11-22). The murder of baby boys by Herod (Mt 2:16-18) parallels the murder of baby boys by Pharoah (Ex 1:15-22). Both Moses and Jesus escaped the murderous plans of their respective rulers. Jesus’ return to Israel parallels Moses’ elevation to Pharoah’s palace as infant (Ex 2:1-10) and his return from exile after the death of the king of Egypt (Ex 3-4). After the death of Herod, an angel appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead” (Mt 2:20), which is in parallel to “Go back to Egypt; for all those who are seeking your life are dead” (Ex 4:19).

However, there is a significant twist in the New Testament account. When Pharoah refused to let the Israelites go, God killed the firstborn sons of the Egyptians. Moses then led the Israelites through the Red Sea, killing Egyptians soldiers. God led by might. The story in Matthew is quite different. God does not kill Herod or his soldiers as in the case of Pharoah’s soldiers. Instead, Herod killed the infants and other men will in a few years kill Jesus. Invariably, in the Old Testament, God leads by power and might. In the New Testament, God lead by vulnerability or like the lamb that was slain. These historical facts are not different from what we are experiencing today. When we experience pains, let us recall what Jesus, Mary and Joseph passed through. God knows how best  to turn our sorrow into joy.

Egypt that was a land of lamentation, hunger, pains, sorrows and sufferings has now become a land of succor and safety for the holy family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. If the Israelites were told during their slavery that Egypt will turn out to be the safest place for the holy family, they would have doubted it. It is in view of this gospel that we have hope that one day, many of our citizens running away from our country will return home. We have hope that one day the constant violence and division in the country will turn out to be the peace and unity we pledge. In as much as it is dark now, does not mean light will not shine. Nigeria will be great again. We may be tempted to ask how and when practically, since we are not seeing any sign towards greatness. Joseph in today’s gospel depended on God and we are called to depend on God in order to experience the true meaning of independence. Joseph remains a model for obedience and total dependence on God. He obeyed without complaint. He said no word. He knew nothing except the next step of the journey, but he took that step. we can always take the step of faith in our dark moments, believing that in every event, God will not fail to bless our faithfulness.

In view of the above, Isaiah in the first reading speaks of the shoot that shall come forth from the stump of Jesse, who shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist and faithfulness the belt of his loins. This shoot that comes out of the root of Jesse will not be dependent on his own strength and wisdom, because the spirit of the Lord will rest on him. The spirit of wisdom and understanding will enable the shoot of Jesse to deal more effectively with the practical issues of ruling, to solve the knotty problems that comes with power.

As we celebrate our independence, let us not lose hope nor get tired of praying, but take Nigeria and Nigerians to God in prayers through the intercession of Our Lady Queen and Patroness of this Country. May God’s wisdom  guide us all to total dependence on Him and lead us to true independence from our colonial masters and our political class through Christ our Lord. Amen!

Happy Independence Day

Fr. Ken Dogbo, OSJ