The Gospel tells us Jesus is born into a world made divisive, abusive, and deadly by rulers. The rulers are dominating the people, threatening Magi, and killing children. Jesus’ father, Joseph, understands the danger. He gathered his family together “and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt.”
Given the history of dictators, there is wisdom in people fleeing a violent ruler who is targeting them with division, abuse, and killing. The most dominating rulers of Jesus’ time were the Caesar’s of the Roman Empire. Caesars practiced paganism in which they honored various Gods. The prime purpose of rulers honoring the Gods, was to elicit the people honoring the rulers. The Caesars, like rulers before them, established a personal cult and an Imperial cult in which they and their state control were linked with God, a warmaking God. It was difficult to leave such extensive control. Joseph is only able to flee to a more remote area of the same Roman Empire, Egypt. The U.S.’ current dictator has many people rightfully concerned about their safety, for example, minorities and members of the LGBTQ community. Like Joseph, some are making the decision to take their family and flee. Most people living in the U.S. Empire, for various reasons, are continuing to stay. Some are staying and supporting. Some are staying and adapting. Some are staying and organizing. John Fugelsang is one of the people staying and organizing. Fugelsang understands the personal and Imperial cult operating in the U.S. MAGA is asserting state control and linking their control to God, a warmaker. Fugelsang is attempting to organize a holy family around the peacemaker Jesus. Fugelsang is the author of Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds. In the book, Fugelsang makes a vital distinction between self-titled ‘Christians’ and “Christ followers.” In particular, Fugelsang asserts self-titled Christians do not respect the holy family, not Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, nor the entire human family. Many examples are available to Fugelsang who has long been a critic of MAGA politicians. Fugelsang asserts they “would likely treat Mary and Joseph as undocumented immigrants at the border.” He notes how Texas MAGA Gov. Abbott “deployed the Texas National Guard and Department of Public Safety to the border, arresting asylum seekers… legally entitled to seek protection” and “ordered the installation of razor wire along sections of the Rio Grande River.” Fugelsang is accurate when asserting, self-titled, “right-wing Christians are fighting to turn away the most desperate foreign refugees, all while worshiping Jesus, who was once a foreign refugee.”
“In focusing on what cannot be proven, many Christians fall into the trap of a Christianity that’s more about defending the supernatural than embodying the moral teachings of Jesus. It’s not the miracles driving people away from religion, it’s the Christians who don’t live by Jesus’s words about how we’re supposed to treat each other.” (John Fugelsang)
Prayer: Beautiful Spirit, guide us in gathering a Holy Family here on earth.
Question: Who is challenging me to embody the moral teachings of Jesus?
December 28, 2025 Gospel Matthew 2:13-23 Feast of the Holy Family