WORKING WITH JESUS
In the Gospel for the 4th Sunday of Advent (Lk. 1.26-38)we hear how Mary willingly accepted the huge
responsibility God wished to entrust to her – to be the mother of one who would “ be great and be called Son of the Most High!”
In St. Matthew’s Gospel (1.18-25) we
read how Joseph was told people would call this child “Emmanuel, a name which means
‘God-is-with-us.’ ’’ Also, He
must be named ‘Jesus,’ because He is the one who is to save His people from
their sins.” What a destiny! “To save his people from their sins.”
Certainly Jesus would have received normal
training within the home and, like other boys, He would have been given
religious instruction in the local synagogue. It is said that it takes a
village to train a child. As for forgiving people their sins! God alone would
know how Jesus was to be prepared for such an undertaking.
We can be grateful to St. John Paul 11 for bringing
to our attention how the vocations of these three members of the Holy Family
would be inter-woven: Jesus - Redeemer of Mankind, Mary - Mother of the
Redeemer, Joseph - the Guardian of the Redeemer. God had given to each of them a role way
beyond their being home-makers in Nazareth.
The mission assigned to Jesus was to be global
– affecting the whole of mankind. It was to be radical. To save, redeem,
reconcile God and mankind. Jesus, being truly God, was
uniquely able to redeem mankind. Mary as the Mother of the Redeemer and Joseph
as the Guardian of the Redeemer would protect
and provide for the family. They helped each other to rise to the challenge of
their family’s interwoven vocations. In different ways and to different
degrees they collaborated in the
redemption of mankind, with Jesus being
the spearhead, the achiever of such a mission.
At Christmas we celebrate a husband and a wife
listening attentively as the Angel Gabriel explained to Mary and Joseph how God
was seeking, was needing, their co-operation. Mary gave an unconditional “Yes!”
to what God was asking of her, her readily putting herself at God’s disposal as
His handmaid. Joseph trustingly accepted
what the angel explained to him about his wife Mary with a child that was not
his own. He agreed to take to his home Mary as his wife.
They gazed lovingly at
their Jesus lying in the manger. With the
eyes of Faith they adored Him as
being truly God. What a blessing, what a privilege, had been bestowed upon
them. God had given them a heavy responsibility. They were to be collaborators with God in all that would be accomplished through His sending His Son
into the world. They were to be collaborators with their Son, Jesus, in whatever
His Father had sent Him to achieve.
And now I come closer to
home. When an infant is being baptized and thereby becoming a child of God the
parents are asked a question by God through the priest. This amounts to, “You
two! Will you look after my child, your child for me, our child, for me !”
As an adult Jesus
invited various people to follow Him. Later He asked some to
work along-side Him. Before His ascension into Heaven He founded a Church of
people such as ourselves through whom He would continue what He had started
during His short stay on earth. St. Paul tells us, “We are God's
fellow workers,” (1Cor.3.9).
When I visit the Crib on Christmas Day I shall ask, “What do you want
of me, Little Fella, how can I work for you, live for you? The embrace of your
programme is as wide as the world.”
And dear readers, to what extent would you offer to commit yourselves to
collaborate with the Babe in the manger who saved, redeemed the world
and continues to do so ?
Through you?
Through you?
A blessed Christmas to you and yours. Amen
Peter Clarke, O.P.
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