After Christmas thoughts
Some points to ponder
Our Christmas celebrations might be getting over. I hope all of us had a nice one, within the family or with friends. Just a few thoughts to ponder as we sleep today (or whenever you are reading this). I keep that context that you have already celebrated Christmas.
Arrival of a baby radically brings changes to a home. May be in a home of so many children where the arrival of fifth or sixth children brings not much changes. But in most of the families, it does. Take the case of any of our young couple friends; that first child or the second one brings a lot of changes. It creates a huge upheaval (a positive one). The child dictates many things at home. Parents, grandparents and the others are transformed. There is the same revolutionary potential of Christmas too, to bring an upheaval in our lives. It is not always with pomp and glory, but a transformation. Transformation can be slow; it takes time; but allow that child (it is very important to stress that it is a child or babe, or not God in its omnipotence etc) to bring transformations in our life.
The ‘mad’ Yes of Mary & Joseph, to the irruption of God into their intimacy, is the cradle of Jesus. (translated from a personal message sent by a Jesuit)
If you have understood these lines, you can skip this session. I have never heard something like this before. We all know about the yes of Mary and Joseph. It can considered as a ‘mad’ Yes. But what is the newness here?
- Their ‘Yes’ formed the ‘Yes’ of Jesus in the future. Or the ‘Yes’ of Jesus constantly to God’s will was not fallen directly from heaven; it has been profoundly influenced and formed by the constant Yes of Mary and Joseph.
- Probably the second point is more powerful for me. I have heard that God speaks to us in our interiority, and we following God’s will can be considered as saying Yes to God in our deepest interiority. But this message goes one step further. Joseph and Mary said ‘Yes’ to God to enter into their (not one person) intimacy. It is not only an individual Yes, but a collective Yes. Allowing God to enter into their intimacy, that yes — it is the cradle of Jesus. Joseph and Mary could have easily said that this is our intimate space; allow us to decide. But they went beyond that. And that radically transformed the world.
Allowing God to enter into the intimacy of couple, relationships, friendships, parent-child relationships, relationships of associations etc — it has a potential which can’t be achieved by an individual. None of us can be predict what will be the fruit, but that is for us to discover. Synodality is also an attempt to tap into the same dimension. Can we learn from the Yes of Mary and Joseph? (Never forget it is individual and collective at the same time).
Some of us might not had a beautiful celebration; some of us might feel celebrations were good, but they didn’t give us a real kick for our life. There is nothing to be worried about. Christmas is not about pomp and glory; and it takes time for Christmas and Christ to sink into us. Be patient with ourselves and allow that child to continually enter into us.
Merry Christmas
