 During Advent we considered the humility of Mary and Joseph, not to mention the unfathomable humility of God who bent low in order to become one of us. We reflected upon how Mary and Joseph each knew who they were before God, and loving Him, they said yes. At the Annunciation, Mary had completely given herself to God, and similarly Joseph had put aside his expectations, obeying the angel who came to him via a dream, taking Mary as his wife despite her pregnancy in which he had no part. As the Christmas season begins it is good to ponder more deeply the dimension of humility which enabled them to set aside their egos and follow what was asked of them. Neither of them would have been able to assent to taking on their difficult ministry, (and ministry it was), if they had not given all completely to the Lord. Therefore, in this Christmas season we are invited to reflect upon the actions of Mary and Joseph in everything that followed the birth of Jesus in the same way. We continue to observe in them what it means to follow the Lord as completely as we can: we must lay aside our ego, take on the mantle of humility, and live as if at the stable, lowly and simple.  The Feast of the Holy Family is celebrated only a few days after the Nativity this year. This presents a difficult Gospel to hear so soon after the joy of Christmas day: the angel tells Joseph to take his family and flee because Herod wants to kill Jesus. In the Gospel of this feast day, we see the contrast between the Holy Family and that of the inflated ego of Herod, the king who feared a baby so much so that he decreed all baby boys under two be put to death. Herod knew the prophecies, but rather than to consider the possibility of their fulfillment, his hubris would not allow him to accept that this king was indeed greater than he, not as a threat, but as his savior. It drove him to the worst evil through the horrific acts of murder he ordered; and it was this ego that ultimately led to his ruin. Joseph and Mary were not ‘ruled’ by ego, and therefore heeded the warning of God, uprooting themselves from their kinsfolk and everything they knew as home.  The Gospel proclaimed at Mass the following day is that of the Presentation of the Lord in which Mary and Joseph take Jesus to the Temple for naming and circumcision.* They only had the offering of the poor: two turtledoves or two young pigeons. However, they found no shame in this, because what was more important to them was following the Law with their precious Child; they were unconcerned with how things looked to others. And it was in the Temple that they met Simeon and Anna, both of whom (individually) identified Jesus as the Messiah. Because of their holiness Simeon and Anna were blessed with long life as they longed to see the Awaited One. They trusted the Lord and His promises so greatly that the Holy Spirit gifted them with seeing who He really was when Jesus was before them. Their lack of ego enabled them to see, and therefore, to rejoice in the Messiah’s arrival. Simeon, however, left Mary with a somber message: “Behold this child is destined … to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce)….” (Luke 2:34-35) Mary, however, did not recoil or snatch the Baby out of his hands, nor did she respond as if he had spoiled their joy. Rather, she pondered what he said in her heart, again accepting whatever the Lord would bring. This was because it was always about God, and not about willfulness or superiority (something she had about nothing and no one).  During these few weeks of the Christmas season there is a tremendous amount to reflect upon. That God has humbled Himself and come as a man is something we can never stop considering prayerfully. That this is so makes the soon-to-come season of Lent as deeply shocking as it is and what makes the Easter mysteries to follow so astounding and rich. Without what we ponder at Christmas, the rest of the mysteries would be bereft of their intricacies and nuances, and the stunning reality of who Jesus is, why He came, and what He chose to do for us, would be diminished: we see with vivid clarity that in His own humility God did not choose Himself over us! If we do not consider, and therefore try to imitate, the humility of Mary and Joseph, we may fail to grasp that which snares our own ego, nor might we recognize the depth of our sinfulness and unworthiness. And without that we would not experience the depth of the love and mercy of God, who despite these things, sees us as infinitely worthy. In short, we would miss the unfathomable gift of love and mercy God offered us by sending His Son into the world.  It is at the stable with the Christ Child that we are given the foundation for our faith: God loves us beyond measure, and the only fitting response we can give is that of casting aside our ego and agenda in a gesture of humility, trust, and love. This Christmas season let us arrive at the stable to become more ‘lowly and simple,’ that we might give the Lord Jesus our hearts as fully as we can. May we enjoy the blessings of the Christmas season which has just begun! May we pray for the grace of setting aside our ego to say ‘yes’ to the Lord in love! And may we embrace the call to be lowly and simple as we follow where the newborn Lord leads! Let us meet in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary! Peace! ©Michele L. Catanese  * Indeed, the sequence is backwards if one looks at it chronologically rather than how we celebrate these days liturgically. Chronologically, first came the Presentation of Jesus on the 8th day of His life, according to Jewish custom and Law. At some point after the Presentation, the Magi arrived staying there for only a short time since they received a message in a dream to leave by another route; almost simultaneously, Joseph experienced his own dream telling him to take his family away as protection from Herod, thus the Gospel heard at the Mass on the Feast Holy Family. Quick primer: the Gospel on the Feast of the Holy Family came from Matthew’s Gospel and the Gospel describing the Presentation was from the Gospel of Luke. Also, it is important to know that the Sunday Masses and the Gospel passages proclaimed follow the major feasts of the Christmas season, but the calendar may influence their order in the liturgical year: Christmas, Holy Family, Epiphany, the Baptism of Jesus. The cycle of the daily Masses, (during which the Presentation is celebrated) is completely different, though of course, very much revealing mysteries consistent with the season of Christmas. During the 8 days (the Octave) of Christmas we always have the feasts of St. Stephen, St. John the Evangelist, and the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God which ends the Octave (January 1). It can be confusing, so perhaps the following will help:
From Philip Koslowski at Aleteia, posted Dec. 27: “… in the Roman Catholic Church, the liturgical season of Christmas does not start until December 25 (including the vigil celebrated on December 24) and lasts through January. This is where it can get a little more confusing as the Baptism of the Lord is a moveable feast, depending on the day when Epiphany falls in the Roman calendar…. For those dioceses that celebrate Epiphany on January 6, the Baptism of the Lord falls on the Sunday after it. In other places where Epiphany is celebrated on the first Sunday that falls from January 2 through January 8, then the Baptism of the Lord could occur either on the following Sunday, or on a Monday (this happens if Epiphany is celebrated on January 7 or 8). The latest that the Baptism of the Lord can occur is January 13. Ordinary Time starts on the day after this feast.” Images: 1. Image; The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, by Fr. William Hart McNichols. You can find this at https://fineartamerica.com/featured/the-nativity-of-our-lord-jesus-christ-034-william-hart-mcnichols.html 2. My photo; The Holy Family fleeing to Egypt, bas relief sculpture on the wall of the Milk Grotto in Bethlehem, Palestine. 3. Oil painting; The Sheepfold, Moonlight, by Jean-Francois Millet, (1856-1860) 4. My photo; tree at Fort Davis, Fort Davis, Texas. 5. My photo; Angels adoring the newborn Jesus at the manger, found in the Basilica of the Transfiguration, Mt. Tabor, Israel. 6. Fresco painting; The Cortona Altarpiece: Adoration of the Magi, (left) and The Presentation of Christ in the Temple (right), by Blessed Fra Angelico (1400-1455) Note: In compliance with GDPR rules, I wish to make it clear that I do not gather any information on any of my readers at any time. Comments are closed.
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