تَرَاءَى مَلاكُ الرَّبِّ في الحُلْمِ لِيُوسُف، وقَالَ لَهُ: قُمْ، خُذِ ٱلصَّبِيَّ وأُمَّهُ وَٱهْرُبْ إِلى مِصْر وٱبْقَ هُنَاكَ إِلى أَنْ أَقُولَ لَكَ لأَنَّ هِيرُودُسَ مُزْمِعٌ أَنْ يَبْحَثَ عَنِ الصَّبِيِّ لِيُهْلِكَهُ/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
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 Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 02/13-18/:”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.’Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I have called my son.’ When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”
تذكار أطفال بيت لحم الشهداء/29 كانون الأول كان الله قد أوحى إلى ملوك المجوس بميلاد يسوع في بيت لحم، فجاؤوا من الشّرق مُسرعين والنجم رائدهم حتّى وصلوا إلى أورشليم وسألوا هيرودس عن الموضع الذي وُلد فيه يسوع الملك فاضطرب لهذا النبأ وعزم على قتل الصبيّ، خوفًا من أن ينزع منه المُّلك. ولمّا عاد المجوس إلى بلادهم دون أن يُعلِموا هيرودس بمكان الطفل الإلهيّ، غضب جدًا وأرسل فقتل جميع صبيان بيت لحم وجميع تخومها مِن ابن سنتين فما دون، على حسب الزمن الذي تحقـّقه من المجوس، فتمَّ المقول بإرميا النبّي: “صوتٌ سُمع بالرّامة، بكاءٌ مرٌّ، راحيل تبكي على بنيها وقد أبت أن تتعزّى عن فقدهم!” (ارميا 31: 15). وشاء الله أن ينقلهم من عالم الشّقاء إلى حياة السّعادة والبقاء. وتعتبرهم الكنيسة شُهداء، وتعيِّد لهم شرقـًا وغربًا لأنّهم قُتلوا وسُفكت دماؤهم من أجل المسيح. قال القدّيس أغوسطينوس: “هنيئاً لهؤلاء الأطفال الأبرياء الذين أهِّلوا لأن يسفكوا دماءهم من أجل المسيح من قبل أن ينطقوا باسمه القدّوس. وما أسعد ميلادهم، أنهم لم يدخلوا هذه الحياة الشقيّة الزائلة، بل بدأوا حياة سعيدة خالدة ومن أيدي أمّهاتهم انتقلوا إلى أيديّ الملائكة!”. أمّا هيرودس السّفاح فقد مات شرَّ الميتات كما يقول المؤرِّخ اليهوديّ يوسيفوس. صلوات أطفال بيت لحم تكون معنا. آمين.
By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned Letter to the Hebrews 11/23-31/:”By faith Moses was hidden by his parents for three months after his birth, because they saw that the child was beautiful; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called a son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered abuse suffered for the Christ to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, unafraid of the king’s anger; for he persevered as though he saw him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace.
