Session 6: Called Away

Step 1: Short Stillness


Begin by letting the seconds lengthen and the minutes pass slower and slower until you can feel the beating of your heart and the rhythm of your breathing… Let yourself be immersed in the silence…Let your spirit seek out the safe embrace of the God of all things…

Step 2: Scripture

A reading from the Gospel of Matthew…

Matthew 2:13-15

Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’ Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I have called my son.’

First: As we begin, bring to mind the three persons of the Trinity, looking on our world with love, seeing its beauty and brokenness. We remember that out of love for us, the Second person becomes human to save us.

Second: Imagine waking, not knowing if a dream is a dream, a fear, or a prophetic voice … take the breath that steadies the mind to understanding …that readies the body for movement… that prepares the voice before the words are spoken…

Third: As you contemplate the journey ahead, into exile… into safety… notice your own response to the angel’s warning… as the future of the little family is threatened and made uncertain, what desires arise within you… do your share their insecurity… is your desire to protect?

What do you want from God right now? Just ask God for it…

As you look on, do you see the echo in the world today… families no sooner roused from sleep than running for their lives….Can you place the troubled face of Joseph in the faces of exiles that fill the media today… disturbing our comfortable lives… at this time of the year when we feel we should be protected from such fears…Do you see Joseph… how does your heart respond?

See the little child, the Incarnate One, as confused and wary as any child… trusting his parents now that Home is no longer safe…reassured by the love of these two human beings that are his World… contemplate this power… this love.

The journey continues without witness… where, how, who… no answers…just faith…

Human life is so fragile… yet this is the life the Father has chosen for his Son.

Fourth: In your prayer, consider your response to this piece of scripture and the feelings that have arisen. Spend some time with the person of the Trinity, Father, Son or Holy Spirit, that you feel drawn to… how have you be moved by the plight, and courage, of this holy family….share your thoughts, feelings and desires.

Mairie Gelling