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We don’t know anything about the relationship between Joseph and Mary,
but we can surmise that this newly married couple may have struggled to
come to terms with the miraculous circumstances of Jesus’ birth. We have
2000 years of tradition to turn to…but imagine what it must have been like
for Joseph and Mary trying to understand what God was asking of them!
Imagine too how stressful it must have been to travel to Bethlehem for the
census with Mary heavily pregnant. Add to that the further worry of having
to find shelter for Mary to have her baby. And then, imagine the terror of
the flight to Egypt to save the life of their infant son from the tyrant Herod.
What traumatic and tragic times Jesus was born into!!!
Whatever Christmas Day holds for us, Jesus is there in our midst, loving,
consoling, comforting. Joy and hope are born anew because he comes to us
wherever we are: in homes that are full or empty, in hearts that are lonely or
surrounded by love, in happiness or sadness. Wherever we are and in what-
ever state we find ourselves, we can rejoice because Jesus is with us.
Prayer
O Loving God, as we celebrate the coming of your Son, Jesus, rekindle in us
the joy and hope that his birth brought to the world. Help us to turn our
lives over to you, knowing that we are loved beyond measure and that our
loneliness and pain will be transformed by your eternal love. We ask this in
the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
_______
Cambria Smith
Parish Life Director