Humility of Jesus

           The stable scene was the source of my meditation through the Christmas holidays.  At one point I was overwhelmed by the humility of Jesus.  Jesus is God.  A God who is all in all. Jesus is the baby lying in the straw, completely dependent upon the two human beings watching over him.  How could God do this?  How could One so powerful accept such limitations?  It had to be Love, complete, unconditional love for us His limited creatures. 

          Shepherds and seers come bringing gifts.  Jesus came to the Jews but, he came for all of us.  In the encounter with the wise men, Jesus’ love overcame the hatred and jealousy of a self-centered king.  Jesus’ life continues in semi-obscurity not in royal splendor.

          John the Baptizer recognized Jesus’ divinity and questioned baptizing “the one whose sandal straps he was not worthy to loosen.”  Jesus allowed John to dunk him then, rose from the water to the Father’s proclamation:  “You are my Son in whom I am well pleased.”  Jesus is the one for whom John prepared the way.  “Listen to him.” Words addressed to John’s followers.  Words addressed to us.

          “Listen to him,” Mary said to the wine stewards at the wedding feast at Cana.  Jesus “listened” to his Mother when she asked him to do something to save the young wedding couple from embarrassment.  Humility is not an easy virtue.  Jesus tells his Mother that his “time has not yet come.”  Yet, He changed water into wine. He accepted the humble position of “son of Mary.”  How many guests at the wedding went home better, not because of the wine but, because they witnessed Jesus’ first miracle?  The humble water became festive wine.

           Megan McKenna in her book Advent, Christmas and Epiphany seems to sum up humility, God’s and ours, with these words, “Divinity has made itself small enough for us to hold it in our arms and bend our heads tenderly over it.” 

       Sr. Kathleen Ryan, OSB