Mt 2.13-15, 19-23 Family December 28-25

In today’s Gospel we hear of another dream that Joesph had.  If you are joining us for the first time, I urge you to listen to last weeks podcast edition where I speak about the dreams that Joseph had.  I also recommend that you listen to the December 17th edition published in 2023 where I speak about Joseph’s mission.  Today   I want to speak about the dream that Joseph has.  In the dream Joseph is warned to flee to Egypt as the king was plotting to kill the child.  I want to draw your attention to fact that the angel directed Joseph to take the child to Egypt.  We never learn where in Egypt or how long they would live in Egypt.  I cannot help but wonder why Egypt?  There were many other countries or places Joesph could have been directed to go.  Don’t forget that the Jews had experienced slavery in Egypt.  The book of Exodus, one of the books in the Torah is devoted to the Jews gaining their freedom and embarking on reclaiming the promised land. Passover is one of the most widely observed and venerated Jewish holidays, embodying themes of freedom, faith, and community remembrance that are central to Jewish life and spirituality.  Yet, Egypt is the country chosen to protect the Messiah.  

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Transcript

Hello, and thank you for joining me on “A Psychologist Looks at Scripture.” I am Peter Doherty—a Catholic priest and psychologist—and I am pleased you can join me.

In this podcast, I draw from my background in psychology and scripture studies to provide fresh insights into the Gospels. Even though the Gospels were written 2000 years ago I apply the Gospel teachings to contemporary realties we are living. The Gospels consistently invite us to deepen our faith, find new wisdom, and grow spiritually. There is always something more to discover.

Each episode runs about 7 to 10 minutes.  I know you are busy, so I keep my podcasts short.  If you have time and are interested, please check out the earlier episodes listed on the podcast website and on YouTube.  Thank you so much for being part of this journey!  Your support encourages me to keep podcasting.  Please let me know if you have questions and/or comments, they truly matter—as they help this podcast remain relevant to my listeners.

Today’s Gospel will be read in churches on December 28, 2025, only three days after Christmas.

In today’s Gospel we hear of another dream that Joesph had.  If you are joining us for the first time, I urge you to listen to last weeks podcast edition where I speak about the dreams that Joseph had.  I also recommend that you listen to the December 17th edition published in 2023 where I speak about Joseph’s mission.  Today   I want to speak about the dream that Joseph has.  In the dream Joseph is warned to flee to Egypt as the king was plotting to kill the child.  I want to draw your attention to fact that the angel directed Joseph to take the child to Egypt.  We never learn where in Egypt or how long they would live in Egypt.  I cannot help but wonder why Egypt?  There were many other countries or places Joesph could have been directed to go.  Don’t forget that the Jews had experienced slavery in Egypt.  The book of Exodus, one of the books in the Torah is devoted to the Jews gaining their freedom and embarking on reclaiming the promised land. Passover is one of the most widely observed and venerated Jewish holidays, embodying themes of freedom, faith, and community remembrance that are central to Jewish life and spirituality.  Yet, Egypt is the country chosen to protect the Messiah.  Even today there are tensions in the Middle East.  Some of my older listeners may remember the 6-day war, the war between Israel, Egypt and several Arab states that occurred in 1967.  Although the war occurred almost 49 years ago it suggests to me that the conflict runs deep.

There has been much talk in research journals about “generational trauma”.  For example, Rachel Yehuda stands out for her pioneering studies on biological inherited changes in Holocaust survivors and their children, demonstrating biological transmission of trauma effects. Yael Danieli developed the Danieli Inventory to assess multigenerational legacies of trauma, drawing from decades of work with Holocaust survivors' families. As you see, psychologists have been studying the effects of trauma on the next generation.  Evidence is emerging suggesting that subsequent generations often feel the effects of the trauma experienced by the previous generations.  Trauma often leads to family breakdown and unresolved memories have effects that may be passed on to their children and their children’s children.   Possible effects include increased anxiety, depression, PTSD symptoms such as hypervigilance and emotional numbness, low self-worth, as well as substance abuse disorders. These can manifest as irritability, nightmares, suicidal thoughts, dissociation, and impaired emotional regulation.​ Intergenerational trauma links to chronic physical health issues like heart disease, diabetes, obesity, insomnia, and stress-related conditions. It can perpetuate poverty, reduced life skills (e.g., decision-making), and social isolation through limited opportunities and heightened family burdens. I recognize that generational trauma is a theory and more research is needed but its worth exploring.

So, as a psychologist I wondered how the early Christians many from a Jewish background would understand this prophecy that the Messiah would find refuge among the nation that had enslaved their ancestors?  Full disclosure, I did not find evidence that this issue caused problems or controversy for the early Christians.  Early Jewish Christians, including sects like the Ebionites and Nazarenes, accepted the Gospel of Matthew's account of Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus fleeing to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-23) as part of Jesus' life story, viewing it as fulfilment of prophecy from Hosea 11:1 ("Out of Egypt I called my son").​ They likely embraced the flight narrative without issue, as it portrayed the family as   escaping Herod's threat in a manner echoing Israel's exodus history, aligning with their emphasis on Jesus as the new Israel. No direct sources record Ebionite rejection of this event; their critiques focused more on Christ's divinity than infancy details.

I wonder from a spiritual perspective if there might be several other layers of teaching here that have yet to be fully unpacked.  I suspect there will be several more reflections on this scripture passage. I would love to hear your thoughts on the issue.

So I am wondering if the teaching here is that even the people in our lives who have hurt us can nevertheless play an important role in our spiritual journey.  They may be seen as obstacles to our spiritual development but in reality, it is how we deal with these obstacles that might actually be a help in our development.  Despite the feelings you may have towards someone who has betrayed you, can you think of any valuable lessons you learned ?  I urge you to reevaluate those experiences and relationships that you describe as failures, or hurtful or mistakes.  Ask yourself where was the Spirit in those experiences?  Did these difficult experiences lead to personal growth and/or increased wisdom?  I don’t wish painful experiences on anybody but I’ve learned that even negative experiences can with the Spirit’s intervention be a source of wisdom and growth.

Thank you for joining me today.

Next Sunday, January 4, 2026 I’ll be sharing a new podcast episode on Matthew 2: 1-12, where we will revisit the plot to kill Jesus by King Herod.

If you’re new here, I invite you to check out previous episodes on major podcast platforms or YouTube. And for my regular YouTube listeners, please consider subscribing and sharing the podcast with friends who love Scripture.  Also, I invite YouTube listeners to post  in the comment section where you are from.  I appreciate knowing where my listeners are from.

New episodes come out every Sunday, focusing on the week’s Gospel. Your feedback and questions are always valued and helps our community grow.

A big thank you to Heather Patel Doherty and Richard Coulombe for their wonderful help in preparing each episode.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at peter.dohertyomi@gmail.com.

May God richly bless you!