My reflection today is from Elizabeth and Zechariah:
Our home
Hill country of Judea
December 28, 0001
Dear Christmas Friend:
Things are very hectic here. Indeed, all over the Judean countryside. Family squabbles, arguments, flareups of anger! All is so different from the good feeling of a few days ago.
Without any warning, Joseph and Mary packed up, in the middle of the night, and left for Egypt. Then Herod’s soldiers came to Bethlehem and butchered all the baby boys-all twelve of them! Our own kinsfolk, all dead! Everyone is grieving. We went down to grieve with them. The families are inconsolable.
They hate Mary and Joseph, too. We tried to tell them it was not their fault. King Herod was the murderer, not they. They turned on us in hatred, too. They kept repeating and repeating, ‘If it were not for Mary’s son, our child would not have died!’
We can’t do a thing. We feel bad for Mary and Joseph. We miss them. It’s so sad when family closeness breaks down. You know what we mean. You have been in the middle of family squabbles, sometimes. There are people who have cut you off from their love. This always hurts, but especially during the days after Christmas.
All we can say is that we are going through it also; and we will be with you as you go through it. We’re not trying to give you any quick solutions or easy answers, like tell you to ‘cheer up’ or ‘don’t feel bad’ or things like that.

We just want to write you how we are managing… even as we grieve and miss our friends. We know that we still have each other. We still have some friends who haven’t turned against us. And we know God loves us-our child and Mary’s child are proofs of this.
It is the same with you. You have the very same grounds for confidence we have. Let these thoughts support you when loneliness or hatred makes you sad.
Please include us in the company of those friends who stick by you. And remember:
All our Love,
 Elizabeth and Zechariah”