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From humble beginnings, salvation comesThe stable that Joseph found for Mary and he to welcome Jesus into the world was probably not a pleasant place. It likely smelled of animals and other unpleasantness. It was, after all, the last place left in Bethlehem. All the places for travelers to stay were taken. Certainly, the Son of God could have arranged better accommodations. The Holy Spirit could have made certain Joseph had priority reservations at one of the more comfortable inns in town. Instead, this child, already conceived in unusual circumstances, would be born in unusual circumstances as well. From such humble beginnings would come the world’s salvation. The Lord chose this venue for his birth so that he could be accessible to all, so that the shepherds in Luke’s infancy narrative would find him after hearing the angel’s good news and so the wise men in Matthew’s Gospel would seek him, too. Jesus’ birth, his becoming fully human while remaining fully divine, prepared him for his eventual public life, preaching and healing ministry. He grew up as a young man, in a family that loved him, in a town that guided his growth. He attended school, he learned, he played, he worked in the carpenter’s shop with Joseph. Scripture tells us that his mother “kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus advanced (in) wisdom and age and favor before God and man” (Lk 2:51-52). Jesus chose his humble start, and it makes sense. We need the rough-hewn manger, from which cows and goats ate. Manger is a French verb that means “to eat.” The manger itself foretells the table of the Last Supper, which becomes the altar on which we celebrate the Eucharist. At his birth, Jesus is placed in a place usually reserved for food for beasts of burden; through his constitution of the Eucharist, he becomes the food of everlasting life that lifts our burdens. Furthermore, the wood sticks holding the straw of the manger foreshadow the wood of the cross. Wrapped in simple cloth, and placed on a simple wood frame at his birth, Jesus will hang for his death on a simple wooden cross, wrapped in simple cloth and wearing a crown of thorns. From his humble beginning to his humiliating end, he will show us how the God who is the Alpha and the Omega – the beginning and the end – will lift us from our sinfulness. The stable of Jesus’ birth was not the idyllic place of Christmas carols. It was a messy place, made beautiful by the people who came to stay for a while. It became a home-away-from-home for the Holy Family. One of my favorite Nativity sculptures does not portray Mary and Joseph kneeling or bowing before the manger as is typical; instead, Mary and Jesus are lying on the ground, snuggled together under a blanket while Joseph kneels next to them protectively, looking toward the heavens in awe. This seems to be a realistic portrayal of how the family might have spent the night. Mary, weary from traveling and from delivering her child, rests and holds her son close. Joseph, confused about how he is to guide and protect so great a gift, prays to the almighty for wisdom, and shields his wife and Jesus as best he can. Our lives are sometimes messy places, too. With family quarrels and financial troubles, life is not as idyllic as “The Christmas Song” and we don’t often get a “White Christmas” here in Florida. But we can make our lives beautiful, just as the Holy Family made the stable a beautiful place just by being there. May you and your loved ones have a blessed Christmas.
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