The Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas
Since Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus, it is a great time to think about Jesus during His infancy and childhood. This reflection about Jesus as a small baby is particularly meaningful to me because I have recently been blessed with the opportunity of spending time with my new infant grandson. From our time together I have learned many things. He has reminded me of the importance of just being present in the moment. Babies don’t do very much. Much of the time they just rest in your arms- yet in that resting there is great sharing of being. I have also seen how my grandson experiences the world with complete awe and wonder- the tastes, textures, colors, lights and sounds fill him with delight. These experiences with my grandson have given me insights about my faith. I realize that Jesus is leading me to follow His path by the way He lived- even as an infant. Jesus accepts being born into His human family with all the pain, struggles, and challenges that involves. Although He is the Son of God, He humbly trusts His Father’s will. He says “yes” to the Father, and He calls us to do the same.
In today’s gospel reading, Mary and Joseph take Jesus to Jerusalem for the ritual purification required by the Jewish law. Simeon “came in the Spirit” and professed that Jesus was the “salvation which you prepared in the sight of very people.” (Luke 2: 27) Even as an infant, Jesus is our Lord and Savior, and therefore is showing us the way. As I reflect on Jesus during his infancy, there are several things that strike me about how He leads by example.
Jesus accepts coming as a human- as a baby- into this world. Although He is the LORD, the King of King, He chooses a very humble way to make His entrance into this world. I think that Jesus is leading us to recognize that we should not clamor for honor and glory. Humility should be a foundation for our lives, where we seek to find the dignity of all people, since we are all part of the same human family. Our attitudes should not be based on feeling superior, but should flow from our desire to be with and live for others.
Secondly, Jesus accepts His birth and life as part of the Father’s will for Him. He trusts completely that His Father loves Him so much that no matter what happens He will remain one with Him. Jesus shows us that we need to trust God even in the times when we don’t understand why things are happening or how things will turn out. This takes a great deal of faith, but like Jesus we need to base our trust on the limitless love of God.
Finally, Jesus as an infant must depend on others (Mary and Joseph) to help Him do His Father’s will. Jesus needs His parents to feed Him, clothe Him, protect Him, and guide Him as He grows. Although He is the Son of God, He requires the love and care of His family to help Him continue on the path set out by His Father. Jesus reminds us through his example that we also need the love and support of other people to help us walk on our journey that God has planned for us. Again, Jesus could have chosen to enter into His role as Savior in a much different manner, but He shows us that living in community and supporting one another is how we are best able to bring about the kingdom of God.
Through my experiences with my grandson, I believe that Jesus also speaks to us through the babies in our midst. Just as my grandson calls me just to “be” with him- to just hold him and rest with Him, Jesus calls us to “be” with Him as well. I know that I oftentimes get caught up in doing things (even sometimes doing things for God), but Jesus wants us just to spend time resting-being- with Him. This is when we get the opportunity to truly be in the presence of God.
Seeing the world as a baby is another lesson that I believe Jesus calls us to follow. If we could truly experience the world anew- all of the sounds, sights, tastes, touches and experiences- maybe we would be reminded of the amazing creation that God has shared with us. Hopefully, we would experience the wonder and awe of a child and gratefully acknowledge God our creator who loves us so much and who gives this to us for our delight.
The infant Jesus is small, defenseless, and cannot speak, but His life of humble trust and acceptance of God’s plan speak powerful words calling us to follow His lead. May we follow the Child who will bring us salvation and peace.
"Heavenly Father, Your Son Jesus, came into this world to bring us back to You. Through the grace of Your Spirit, help us to humbly trust You, so we can do your will and bring your glory. We pray this through Christ our LORD. Amen"
Marylynn Herchline