Joseph Protects The Holy Family from Government Sponsored Terrorism.  First Assassination Attempt on Jesus The Messiah and King of Kings is Defeated.

      My spirit sees the following scene.   It is night.  Joseph is sleeping in his little bed in his very small room:  the peaceful sleep of a man after a hard day's honest and diligent work.

     I can see him in the dark room, because a thin ray of moonlight filters in through the window shutters left ajar, either because Joseph is too warm in the little room or because he wants to be woken by the early rays of light at daybreak and get up at once.  He is lying on one side and is miling at some vision he sees in his dream.

     But his smile turns into an expression of anxiety.  He is now sighing deeply as if he had a nightmare and he awakes with a start.  He sits up on his bed, rubs his eyes and looks around.  He looks at the little window where the feeble light comes in.  It is the dead of night but he grasps his robe which is lying at the bottom of the bed, and still sitting on the bed he pulls it on over the wirte short-sleeved tunic which he is wearing next to his skin.  He pulls the blanket away, puts his feet on the floor and looks for his sandals.  He puts them on and ties them.  He stands up and goes towards the door facing his bed, not the one at the side of his bed leading into the big room where the Magi were received.

     He knocks very gently, a very soft knocking with the tips of his fingers.  He must have heard a voice asking him to enter because he opens the door carefully and sets it ajar without making any noise.  Before going to the door he has lit a small one-flamed oil lamp, lights his way with it.  He goes in.  The room is a lattle larger than his own, and there is a low bed in it, near a cradle, with a night lamp in a corner, the flickering flame of which seems a little star with a soft golden light that allows one to see without disturbing any sleeper.

     But Mary is not sleeping.  She is kneeling near the cradle in Her light dress and is praying, watching Jesus Who is sleeping peacefully.  Jesus is the same ages as I saw Him in the vision of the Magi:  a Child about one year old, beautiful, rosy and fair haired.  He is sleeping with His curly head sunk in the pillow and a clench-fist under His chin.

     "Are You not sleeping?" Joseph asks Her in a low surprised voice.  "Why not? Is Jesus not well?"

     "Oh, no!  He is all right.  I am praying.  Later I will sleep.  Why have you come, Joseph?" Mary speaks, kneeling on the same spot.

     Joseph speaks in a very low voice lest he should awaken the Child, but it is an excited voice.  "We must go away from here at once.  It must be at once.  Prepare the coffer and a sack with everything You can put in them.  I'll prepare the rest, I'll take as much as I can...We will flee at dawn.  I would go even sooner but I must speak to the landlady..."

     "But why this flight?"

      "I will tell you later.  It's because of Jesus.  An angel said to me: 'Take the Child and His Mother and escape to Egypt.'  Don't waste any time.  I'm going to preapare what I can."

      There is no need to tell Mary not to waste time.  As soon as She heard Joseph mention an angel, Jesus and flight, She understood that Her Creature was in danger and She jumped to Her feet, Her face whiter than wax, holding one hand against Her heart, completely distressed.  And She began to move about, quick and agile, laying the clothes in the coffer and in a large sack which She places on Her bed still untouched.  Although She is disheartened, She does not lose Her head:  She acts quckly but orderly.  Now and again, when passing near the cradle, She looks at the Child Who is sleeping calmly.

     "Do you need help?" Joseph asks now and again, peeping into the room through the door ajar.

     "No, thank you" replies Mary every time.

      Only when Her sack is full, and it is obviously very heavy, She calls Joseph to help Her to close it and take if off the bed.  But Joseph does not want and help, he prefers to do it by himself, and he takes the long sack into his little room.

     "Shall I take also the woollen blankets?" asks Mary.

     "Take as much as you can.  We will lose the rest.  Do take as much as You can.  Things will be useful because...because we will have to stay away for a long time, Mary!...."  Joseph is very sad in saying so.  And one can easily imagine how Mary feels.  She folds Her blankets and Joseph's, sighing deeply.  Joseph ties the blankets with a rope and while doing so, he says:  "We will leave the quilts and the mats.  Even if I take three donkeys I cannot overload them.  We will have a long and uncomfortable journey, partly in the mountains and in the desert.  Cover Jesus well.  The nights will be cold both up in the mountains and in the desert.  I have take the gifts of the Magi because they will be very useful down there.  I am going to spend all the money I have to buy two donkeys.  We cannot send them back, so I will have to buy them.  I will go now, without awaiting dawn.  I know where to find them.  You finish preparing everything."  And he goes out.