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*Sacred Scripture* Dream of Saint Joseph – Solimena
April 2
An angel appears to St. Joseph in a dream after the Birth of Jesus in Bethlehem and tells him to flee with the Holy Family to Egypt to escape the sword of Herod. Artwork by F. Solimena.
Second dream: In Matthew 2:13, Joseph is warned to leave Bethlehem and flee to Egypt
Francesco Solimena (1657 – 1747) was an Italian painter based in Naples. He was one of the most accomplished painters of his era and served as the head of the Neopalitan school of painting in the early 1700s. In St. Joseph’s Dream, the angel appears to St. Joseph in a dream after the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem and tells him to flee with the Holy Family to Egypt to escape the sword of Herod. This painting is housed in the Louvre in Paris.
Meditation: Matthew 2:13 Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”
Mt 2:13-15
The Flight to Egypt.
13* When they 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.”
14Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt.
15* He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophetd might be fulfilled, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Saint Joseph’s Four Dreams
In his 26 January, 2022, general audience, Pope Francis.
And the second revealing dream of Joseph comes when the life of the child Jesus is in danger. The message is clear: “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him” (Mt 2:13). Joseph obeyed without hesitation: “He rose and took the child and his mother by night,” the Gospel says, “and departed to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod” (vv. 14-15). In life we all experience dangers that threaten our existence or the existence of those we love. In these situations, praying means listening to the voice that can give us the same courage as Joseph, to face difficulties without succumbing.
https://opusdei.org/en-us/article/saint-joseph-a-man-who-dreams-2/
Saying the holy name of Jesus is the simplest way of praying always.
1-A prayer from Raphael the Archangel:
*While you are on this earth, you must praise the Lord God and give him thanks.
2-A prayer from Tobit and Tobias:
*They began to sing hymns of praise, giving thanks for all the mighty deeds God had done while his angel Raphael had been with them.
3-A simple Jesus prayer:
*Lord, Lord, Jesus Christ…Son of God…have mercy on me…Be kind to others…Work Hard…Be joyful.
4-Another prayer:
*When all that God asks of us is to be quiet and keep ourselves at peace-attentive to the secret work He is beginning in our souls-Be Empty and See That I Am God.
Need for Watchfulness.
32“But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
33n Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.
34It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.o
35Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning.
36May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.
37What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’”
Mk 13:33–37