By Larry Peterson
If it
were two thousand years ago and you lived in Nazareth you might notice a young
man packing items on a donkey in preparation for a trip. Early the next morning
you see this fellow, with his pregnant teenage wife sitting on the back of the
burro, heading down the road. They are in compliance with the law of the day.
They are on their way to Bethlehem, the town of their ancestor’s birth, for the
census.
We know
so little about the lives of Joseph and Mary, yet they are THE integral part of
the Salvation story. Mary's acceptance of a pregnancy that might have
resulted in her being stoned to death as an adulteress was an act of monumental
humility. Joseph, a good man and a faithful Jew true to the law, accepted a
pregnant woman as his wife, another act of extreme humility. (Imagine how much
he must have loved this young woman)
To
complete this humble family was none other than God Himself. The Creator of all
that is
became like one of His creations. He could have come in a majestic way,
surrounded by armies and servants and glitter and pomp. He chose to come to us
in the womb of his mom, just like all of us. He allowed Himself to be born
among the animals in a cave. As He began His earthly life His body was wrapped
in cloth and then placed on straw. Why would He do it this way?
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| Holy Family & First Christmas from Pineterest |
He did it
to show us…show us Goodness, show us Love and show us how to give those things
from within ourselves. Foremost, He did
it to save us, save us from ourselves and Satan’s favorite tool, Pride, which
had brought down Adam and Eve. The Holy Family was, and still is, the complete
and perfect embodiment of Humility. It remains so to this very day. Of course,
the antidote to Pride is Humility.
Isn't God
amazing in the way He does things? This is the story of our Salvation and the
rebirth of Hope. This Salvation became available to all people for all time and
its success was entrusted to a couple of have-not young people whose humility
and love of God enabled them to conquer the seemingly impossible.
Guided by
the Holy Spirit they united in marriage. Then, absorbed by each other’s love
they took on the world. They traveled to Bethlehem while Mary was full term, a
three to five day journey on the back of a donkey. Joseph walked guiding the
donkey. Mary gave birth in a cave surrounded by smelly animals and filth and they
watched and marveled as poor shepherds and rich kings worshipped their child
side by side.
They
managed to escape the soldiers of King Herod, who were trying to kill their
newborn Son. Imagine the fear in Joseph
as he wondered how he could protect his little family from the forces of evil. And,
lest we forget, he also got them safely to Egypt, about three hundred miles
away. He must have been something. We know the rest of the story.
If you
take a moment to ponder all that happened and how it happened and why it
happened, it will leave you breathless. And then we remember it was all done
for all of us. There was nothing done for themselves, not one thing. We need to
get back to what "Family" is and the Holy Family is the model to
build on.
We must
never forget that within that family it was the husband and father who
protected his wife and Son from the evils of the world. The Son humbled Himself
and gave his life for us all. And the Mom, our Mom too, the most humble
of all women ever, stands ever vigilant and ready to crush the head of the evil serpent
who might harm any of her children. In so doing she is protecting all of us for
all eternity. She is our protection against all wickedness. When we ask for her
protection we cover ourselves with an impenetrable shield.
Fittingly,
the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Family on the Sunday
following Christmas. There are millions of folks who never pay an iota of attention
to this family. Maybe it is time that they should for this is the family that
"set the bar" for all families for all time.
The
Salvation story comprises the greatest acts of human Love, Goodness and Humility
ever. Mary, Joseph and their boy, Jesus, encompassed by an unconditional love
for God and each other, offers that love to all of us. God’s earthly Trinity has shown us the way.
How can
anyone NOT Love Christmas?
©Copyright Larry Peterson 2016 All Rights Reserved
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