👉🏾👉🏾👉🏾(#Qusquam Mariam ) "The Holy Virgin #completed her #exile and #returned in joy.”( #Hidar 6)
Dear followers of the Orthodox faith , we greet you with the peace of God. On this blessed day, we present to you the following teaching for your reflection and spiritual benefit.
✍🏾The Exile of the Holy Family
The Lady of all creation, the Queen of Heaven, the Blessed Virgin Mary, gave birth to her Son, our Lord and God Jesus Christ, and later descended into the land of Egypt with Him.
As written in the Holy Gospel, when our Lord was two years old, wise men came from the East to Bethlehem and worshipped Him, offering gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:1–18).
When Herod heard that a King had been born, he ordered the slaughter of one hundred forty-four thousand innocent children. At the command of Saint Gabriel, the Holy Virgin Mary took her only Son, together with Joseph the Righteous and Saint Salome, and fled into exile with only a donkey and a few provisions.
She left Galilee and entered the land of Egypt, traveling under great hardship. She suffered hunger, thirst, sorrow, cold, heat, and fatigue. Her tears fell, her feet bled, and her strength was exhausted. Though she carried the Bread of Life, she herself became hungry. Though she carried the Water of Life, she herself became thirsty. All of this she endured for our salvation.
It is said that only Satan fails to honor the Virgin Mary. Even animals, plants, and stones honor the Mother of God. Saint Joseph the Righteous and Saint Salome also deserve honor, for they accepted the suffering of exile with the Virgin and her holy Son.
✍🏾Why the Savior Was Exiled to Egypt and Ethiopia
The exile of our Lord Jesus Christ to Egypt and Ethiopia was not without purpose:
1. To fulfill prophecy:
“Behold, the Lord rides on a swift cloud and will come to Egypt” (Isaiah 19:1; Hebrews 3:7).
2. To follow the pattern of His forefathers:
Abraham, Jacob, and the prophet Jeremiah all dwelt in Egypt
3. To destroy idolatry in Egypt:
As prophesied in Isaiah 19:1.
4. To sanctify the monasteries of Egypt and Ethiopia.
5. To reveal the truth of His humanity:If He were not truly man, He would not have experienced exile. Even if Herod had found Him, He could not have harmed Him without His divine permission, especially concerning His saving Passion on Friday.
6. To bless future exiles and martyrs.
7. To atone for Adam’s persecution through His own suffering.
Continues 👇🏾