The Holy Family Flees to Egypt

When the wise men had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream: "Rise, take the child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you — for Herod is going to search for the child to kill Him." Joseph woke up, gathered Mary and the baby Jesus, and they left in the middle of the night.

They made the long journey to Egypt, where they stayed until Herod died. This fulfilled the ancient prophecy of Hosea: "Out of Egypt I called my Son." The Son of God had come to Egypt, and the land of the Copts had the extraordinary honor of sheltering the Holy Family — Mary, Joseph, and the Lord Jesus Himself.

This is a source of immense pride and joy for the Coptic Church. The Holy Family traveled across Egypt — to Heliopolis (now Cairo), to the Nile Delta, to Middle Egypt, to Upper Egypt — blessing every place they visited. Many churches today mark the sites of their journey. When Herod died, the angel appeared to Joseph again: "Go back to the land of Israel — those who were trying to take the child's life are dead." The Holy Family returned, and the Savior grew up in Nazareth. Egypt will forever be honored as the land that protected the Son of God.