“After they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother and escape with them to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him’.”
(Matthew 2:13)

There are people who have an instinct that warns them of danger. There are people who know how to read treachery in the eyes of an opponent, danger in a gesture, threat in the air. There are people who at once sense insecurity in a voice, a look, a presence. Such an instinct stands them in good stead to survive in life where work is competition, success brings jealousy, and personal freedom breads suspicion.

Joseph, good and honest carpenter that he was, lacked that political instinct and trusted people, clients, government with the candid innocence of his innate goodness. That’s why he needed an angel to warn him of dangers to the Child. Herod was looking for him to kill him. Flight to Egypt at the dead of night.

I lack that protective instinct too. I’m ignorant of danger and innocent of contradiction. I harbour no suspicion and believe no malice. I trust everyone and let myself be convinced by everyone. I do not hear any rumours from Herod’s court, and I sleep peacefully on the eve of blood. More than once have I suffered because I had not foreseen envy, had not guessed a refusal, had not sensed hidden opposition. I lack a personal intelligence service. I live an open life.

That’s why I’m now asking the Angel of the Night for protection to warn me in my sleep and to point out dangers. Not that I’m going to doubt everything or mistrust everybody, but precisely that I want to know how to detect those minute dangers by myself so that I can enjoy the rest of the time with carefree joy. I want to be warned when I should not trust somebody so that I can entrust myself to all others without doubt. I want my sleep to be disturbed from time to time so that I can sleep undisturbed the rest of the nights. Wary as serpents and innocent as doves. That was Jesus’s advice. And angels do know about serpents in Paradise and doves after the deluge. Let them also warn me in my sleep.

As soon as the danger is over, the angel notifies Joseph again. And here we see the good man’s character. Joseph has learned by experience. On his way back from Egypt he was thinking to settle down in Judea, but he learns that Herod’s son Archelaus is king after his father, and fears for the Child. He is more cautious now. The angel comes again in his sleep and tells him to go to Galilee. Thus it came to pass that the Holy Family settled in Nazareth. I hope to go on learning like Joseph.