Dear Friends,
There are plenty of Christmas pictures that depict Mary and the baby. There are not so many that feature all three members of the new family. In those scenes, Joseph usually stands in the background or to the side. He looks watchful and reliable. We can imagine him as a protector and provider. He can handle visitors and the curious animals. He looks like a respectable older man. He does not look like an excited new father.
The picture above is a still from the film The Nativity Story (2005). I love this scene. I sense deep warmth and energy among the three figures. Look at Jesus’ little hand in the air, lightly held by Mary. Look at the gaze of Mary and Joseph, two new parents overcome with love for their baby and each other. They’ve negotiated the difficult early days of pregnancy and marriage. Late in Mary’s pregnancy, they have left home and traveled rocky roads to Bethlehem. Their happiness is visible and tangible. Their loving touch links them and the child into a joyful trinity.
This year’s Christmas joy is threatened by the same forces that threatened the holy family. Wars and rumors of wars. Poverty. Frightening natural disasters. Violence born out of despair and hatred. Shifts in world leadership. Quarrels among former allies. Challenges to organized religion.
When we enter the circle of the nativity scene we are welcomed to a place where love exists and love matters. Mother, father, and child reach out to us and we pray with them for a mending of this broken world.
Peace for you this Christmas.
Susan Schantz SSJ
