The Lesson

• When our Lord and savior Jesus Christ was born, angels sang, saying “Glory to God in the highest, and Peace to his people on earth.”
• But, from the beginning, there were many people who were not prepared to accept this glory of God, and the peace He would give us. King Herod of Judea was one of such people, who thought that the new born King, was a Child born to take his throne.
• He told the three kings that came to him asking of the new born Child, to come back to him when they found Him. But when Herod learned that the kings didn’t come back to him, he ordered his soldiers to kill every child under the age of 2.
• Taking the orders of the angel, Joseph and the Virgin Mary, carrying her Child, went into exile to Egypt. They had no time to prepare for the exile, no one to help them on the road, and no place to take shelter.
• The Virgin Mary suffered a great deal walking in the desert, through bushes and thorns. She cried through her journey fearing that Herod’s soldiers would catch up to them and kill her Son. But an angel of the Lord protected them all through their journey, and reached to a place called Qusquam, in Egypt.
• She stayed with her Son, and Joseph in exile for three and half years, and also visited Ethiopia during Her exile.

Why was our Lord Jesus Christ – creator of heaven and hearth – exiled?
1.    To fulfill the prophecy written by Hosea: “I called My Son out of Egypt.” /Hosea 11:1/
2.    Adam was exiled from Paradise to Hades. Our Lord and savior Jesus Christ was exiled with His mother and Joseph, to pay for the sins of Adam and his exile, but being exiled from Jerusalem – a symbol of the heavenly kingdom.
3.    As Christians, we are going to be subject to different kinds of trials and tribulations in our life due to our faith. Our Lord Jesus Christ was exiled himself to teach us to persevere through thick and thin. He is the creator, and giver of all things. But even He was not spared hardship when He came down to us for our own salvation. His mother, the blessed Virgin Mary was also subject to a great deal of hardship. She carried in her womb the Lord, whose throne the angels can’t carry in heaven. Yet, in this world, she had no comfort, even though she is the mother of God. She stayed in exile with her Son for three and half years.

Conclusion: As Christians, we may be subject to different form of exile. Even the Virgin Mary was not privileged with the comfort of motherhood, even though she is chosen to be the mother of God. Therefore we take comfort in our exile, for it is sharing a blessing from the exile of the Virgin with her beloved Son, Jesus Christ. We also celebrate and remember hers and the Lord Jesus Christ’s exile, for in His exile, He gave us the promise of the Kingdom from where there will be no exile. In her exile, the virgin Mary was subject to a great deal of pain and suffering. Through a remembrance of her pain and suffering, we received a covenant of mercy.