An important focal point of our Christmas decorations, in church and in most Christian homes, is the crèche or the manger scene. We all have seen many various renditions over the years; and we know a favorite one when we see it. Usually the more realistic the features of the people and even the animals, is what we are drawn towards. And of course that’s because the Holy Family whose feast we celebrate today were a lot more than plaster or paper; they were real flesh and blood. They weren’t that different from ourselves. They were Holy yes; but they were also ultimately human.
The story of the Holy Family is a story of life not always happening the way you would expect. It’s the story of a teenage mother conceiving a child before she was married; it’s the story of an anxious father, confronting scandal, planning on divorce; it’s the story of a young family forced to become refugees, living in Egypt for a while, the place where their ancestors were slaves. As we heard in today’s gospel, it’s the story of a missing child and days of fearful searching by his parents.
These and many other examples that demonstrate how God chose to accomplish his gift of salvation through the very human lives of his people. And He does that by making us dwell among us – the whole meaning of the Incarnation.
God continues to accomplish salvation through the lives of very human people in family lives – through you and through me. It is humbling and awesome at the same time.
As we continue along during this Christmas Season, we are reminded again and again of the great gift God has given to us in His newborn son – a Son who was not only very human but very divine as well. And through that mystery we come to experience the depth of God’s love for each of us every day of our lives.