Fontanini - Anthony the Male Angel

5” Anthony the Male Angel.
The summons came suddenly. Anthony understood what he had to do, the importance of his mission. Swiftly he hefted a two-edged sword, fastened a cloak about his shoulders. Holding the message he had been entrusted to deliver, he projected himself into the dreams of a slumbering carpenter in a small Judean village. His angelic powers shaped an image of himself, and the man stiffened in his sleep.

“Get up, Joseph!” Anthony commanded. “Take your family and leave now for Egypt! King Herod is searching for the child – he means to kill him. Even now the soldiers are receiving his orders. You will be safe in Egypt. Stay there until God sends his word. I will guard you on your journey. You will not see me, but I will be with you. Rise now – make haste!”

Joseph bolted upright on the straw mat. His wife turned sleepily to see what was the matter. After his urgent whisperings, she sat up, instinctively checking the baby in his cradle. Then she rose and began to bundle things together while her husband harnessed their donkey.

Anthony flew to Earth, his rippling wings and battle gear invisible to human eyes. He hovered above as the little family stole past a sleeping gatekeeper. Mary held Jesus protectively from her seat on the donkey. She saw the hesitation on Joseph’s face. The main road lay before them. Another trail curved to the left. At its bend Joseph saw the glint of something metallic. “This way,” he said, and he turned the donkey down the lesser path. When he reached the palce where he had seen the gleam, there was another, farther off.

They followed the gleam of Anthony’s sword the rest of the night. It directed them into a cave at morning’s light – the same light that struck the helmets of the soldiers entering Bethlehem.

Joseph squeezed Mary’s hand as he helped her off the donkey. “God’s angel is watching over us.” She nodded. “Does it not say, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways’?” (Psalm 91:11)