"...go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead." Matt. 2:20.

Like displaced persons in any age or in any clime, the Holy Family had to move fairly often. There are numerous places in Egypt along the Nile River that claim their temporary presence and relate some legend concerning them. Their final stop was in Upper Egypt at Dair al-Muharraq. It was there that the angel of the Lord again appeared to Joseph in a dream telling him to take the child and his mother and return to the land of Israel because those who were seeking the Lord's life were dead.

The monks of Dair al-Muharraq believe that the Church of the Blessed Virgin located here was built immediately after St. Mark's arrival in Egypt, that is, some time around 60 AD. Jesus had now spent three and a half years of his childhood among pyramids and sphynx and, humanly speaking, this cultural exposure must have had some effect on him. Like Moses, who was raised as an Egyptian, Jesus returned to his homeland an Egyptian Jew. This has implications I have yet to see explored by Scripture scholars and commentators.

The trip back home was initially the same as the trip into Egypt but in reverse --down the Nile and through the delta to the Via Maris which they followed to Ashkelon. Here, instead of  going east to Hebron, they continued on the Via Maris north through the Meggido pass to the city of Sepphoris, the capital of Galilee, located just four miles northwest of Nazareth.

"...being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee." Matt 2:22

Sepphoris was a Greco-Roman city, sometimes called "the ornament of Galilee." It was a large urban area located astride two major ancient roads, the Via Maris running north and south and the Acra-Tiberias road running east and west. It was an hour's walk from Nazareth.

In 4 B.C. the death of Herod the Great resulted in a series of riots in the city. As a consequence, the Romans completely destroyed Sepphoris. But when Herod's son, Herod Antipas, was designated ruler of Galilee, he chose the city for his capital and began an extensive rebuilding program. The markets of Sepphoris supplied many items needed in Nazareth but unavailable there; and it provided Nazareans with the opportunity to sell their agricultural products and other saleable goods. The rebuilding program meant the formation of labor pools of men from nearby villages. This meant the opportunity for Jesus' father and relatives to earn extra income. Being "builders" (the  probable meaning of "carpenter" at that time), they could market in Sepphoris the artifacts they made in Nazareth and they could hire out their skills so necessary in an expanding urban area. All this necessitated frequent trips back and forth to Sepphoris for Jesus and his father and provided many learning opportunities for Jesus. His experiences there became the background for his "urban parables" and gave him knowledge of the Empire's lingua franca: Greek and Latin. There is a tradition that Joachim was a citizen of Sepphoris. If so, that meant frequent visits by Jesus to his grandparents and occasions to attend its Synagogue noted for its preservation of Hebrew language and culture.

"...he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them;.." Luke 2:51

Now back from Egypt, it is only natural to think that Jesus was raised in the house of his adopted father. Here again we have the Judeo-Christians, many of them Jesus' relatives, to thank for identifying the traditional site of Joseph's home. Like the house of Mary, it was a cave-house type structure and was situated a short distance east of Mary's home. St. Joseph's Church stands there now. Archeological excavations have demonstrated that it stands on the site of an older Crusader church, and this, in turn, was built upon Byzantine ruins.

Ancient cisterns have been discovered in the bedrock, along with a small pool paved with mosaics. This site has been venerated as the place of Joseph's home and work-shop for centuries.

The majestic Basilica of the Annunciation stresses the grandeur of the mystery of the Incarnation. St. Joseph's church, on the contrary, by the modesty of its dimensions and architecture as well as by its semidarkness which makes it favorable to meditation, evokes better the hidden life of Jesus of Nazareth. That life was hidden but it certainly was not peaceful. Procurators abused their position of power and mercilessly oppressed the people, constantly demanding unfairly high taxes. With good reason, Galilee was a hotbed of rebellion and Roman military units marched back and forth through the villages chasing would be rebels. Tension was the prevailing mood in Nazareth.

 Nazareth in Jesus' day had a population of about 200 souls and was known as an agricultural village. That meant that Joseph, even though he was an artisan, also had to be a part-time farmer. The village was nestled on the side of steep hills, so the farming had to be limited to vineyards, orchards and especially terrace gardening. This was part of Jesus' life too.

 Located amid bustling crowds of merchants and shoppers in the market district just north of St. Joseph's Church is a simple little building--the Synagogue Church. There is general agreement that this building stands on the site occupied by Nazareth's synagogue when Jesus lived there. This would be the place he attended synagogue activities, learning scripture and Hebrew, learning to read and write.

"...on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased." Luke 2:14.

Rome is our final station. Here we have a choice: we could visit the Church of St. Mary Major. There just below the main altar is a small altar. Under it is the wooden crib Jesus occupied in Bethlehem. It is plated over with silver. St. Jerome and the early pilgrims to Bethlehem speak of it. It was brought to Rome in the 12th century. One of the Masses I celebrated during the week after my ordination was celebrated at this altar.

Or better, we could go to the church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli which sits on the summit of the Capitoline Hill, the very center of ancient Rome. This church was built in 1348 to thank the Virgin Mary for her help in averting the threat of the plague. According to tradition, the church stands on the site where the Emperor Augustus saw the apparition of a woman with a child, who said, pointing to the altar where she was sitting: Ecce ara primogeniti Dei (Behold the altar of the Firstborn of God)--a prophecy of the coming of our Lord. In the sacristy, the venerated wooden statue of the Infant Jesus known as the Bambino dell' Aracoeli is housed. In December the statue is brought into the main body of the church as part of a creche and a small pulpit of sorts is placed before it. At almost any hour of the day you will find a group of children lined up there waiting their turn to step up into the little pulpit to recite an appropriate poem, sing a Christmas song, give a little homily, deliver a Thank-you message, etc. On the counter in the sacristy where the Bambino is kept during the year are piles of letters written to the Bambino.

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