Scripture Scribbles: December 28, 2025

the Gospel

Mt 2:13-15, 19-23

When the magi had departed, behold,

the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,

“Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt,

and stay there until I tell you.

Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.”

Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night

and departed for Egypt.

He stayed there until the death of Herod,

that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled,

Out of Egypt I called my son.

When Herod had died, behold,

the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream

to Joseph in Egypt and said,

“Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel,

for those who sought the child’s life are dead.”

He rose, took the child and his mother,

and went to the land of Israel.

But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea

in place of his father Herod,

he was afraid to go back there.

And because he had been warned in a dream,

he departed for the region of Galilee.

He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth,

so that what had been spoken through the prophets

might be fulfilled,

He shall be called a Nazorean.

the scribble

In obedience to the angel’s command, “Joseph rose and took the child and his

mother by night and departed for Egypt.”

A dear friend recently introduced me to a new Marian devotion—the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows.

I was so moved by her testimony that I ordered the special wooden rosary on Amazon and began praying the following Friday.

In the reflection booklet, Immaculée describes the second sorrow—the Flight into

Egypt—with beautiful depth. Mary’s motherly heart was shattered when Joseph

revealed the angel’s warning that Herod sought to kill Jesus. They left in haste,

and her heart ached at the sight of her infant Son’s discomfort, for He trembled

with cold. Tired, hungry, and fearful, Mary suffered constantly, thinking only of

protecting Jesus. Even amid the darkness of uncertainty, she pressed forward in

trust.

I told Fr. Roo, “I want to be a disciple of Jesus—just without the suffering.” He

smiled gently and reminded me that true discipleship means picking up our cross

and following Him. We do not become holy in comfort. It is the cross that teaches

us how to love as Jesus loves. When suffering is united to Christ, it becomes

redemptive.

Beloved, sorrowful Mother Mary, give us your courageous heart. Teach us to

accept with love the sufferings God allows, including those inflicted by others and

those created by our own weakness. Purify our sorrows and transform them into

grace, that our suffering may glorify God and draw us closer to Jesus.

Today’s devotion was written by Karen Molvar