9781644135945

The Christmas Cycle
Sunday within the Octave of Christmas (2)
“Take the child and His mother and go into the land of Israel, for they are dead that sought
the life of the child” (Mt 2:20). Joseph listens attentively to the words of the angel, and taking
the child and His mother, he returns to the land of Israel. The Church uses these words in the
Communion prayer of today’s Mass and applies them to the Eucharist.
“Take the child.” The time of the exile in Egypt is passed. It was a time of trial and hardship.
Joseph and Mary and the child live in a foreign land, among a people whose religion, customs,
and tastes differed from their own. They were undoubtedly subjected to many discomforts and
humiliations. Before they fled into Egypt, Joseph had been instructed to “be there until I shall
tell thee” (Mt 2:13). Joseph and Mary do not attempt to shorten the time of their exile; they wait
in patience and longing for the call which will bring them back to the land of Israel. They have
resigned their wills completely to the will of God. Now the angel appears and says, “Arise and
take the child and His mother and go into the land of Israel, for they are dead that sought the life
of the child” (Mt 2:20). Joseph responds immediately to the command. Both he and Mary carry
out with childlike simplicity and complete confidence whatever God commands them to do.
“Go into the land of Israel.” Christ’s reason for coming into the world was to free us from our
exile and to lead us back to the promised land of eternity. “Take the child and His mother,” the
liturgy urges us in the Communion prayer. United with Christ and supported by His strength,
we shall find our way back to the blessed land of eternity, for “except you eat the flesh of the Son
of Man and drink His blood, you shall not have life in you. He that eateth My flesh and drinketh
My blood, hath everlasting life” ( Jn 6:54 f.).
The Eucharist is the sacrament of life and grace. The other sacraments also produce life in
us, but only because of their connection with this sacrament, the most sublime of the lifegiving
channels of grace. “Except you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you shall
not have life in you” ( Jn 6:54). Only if we have the strength provided by this marvelous food
shall we be able to survive the hardships of the long and arduous journey to eternity. We must
remember that we are commanded by the Church to “take the child,” to receive Him frequently
in the Eucharist.
“This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that if any man eat of it, he may not
die” ( Jn 6:50). This is the bread which gives us the strength to withstand all temptations, to
overcome all the enemies of grace and virtue. It is at the same time the antidote which preserves
us from mortal sin (Council of Trent). This bread nourishes the soul and strengthens it against
its own evil inclinations. It cannot be otherwise, for when we receive the body of Christ, we
become one with Him. When we receive Him into our heart in Holy Communion, He is like
a holy fire that burns in our heart. He desires to draw us to Him and transform us. By receiving
this bread, all the obstacles that hinder our return to the land of Israel — our pride, our self-will,
our evil passions — are subdued and cleared away.
“Take the child and His mother and go into the land of Israel.” If we wish to return to the blessed
land of our Fathers, there is no other way except in company with the child. And we must take
not only the child, but also His mother. Mary, the mother of Christ according to the flesh, is
our mother according to the spirit. It was she who brought forth the body and the blood which
we receive in Holy Communion.
81