My grandfather’s favorite expression was “God does all
things well”, and he would say that whether his life was in turmoil with
suffering and pain or when life was good. And he was a holy man. I remember one
Christmas Eve, when my wife and I, before we were married, visited my
grandparents. At the time my grandmother was suffering from Alzheimer’s but when
we visited we always managed to begin a game of pinochle before my grandmother
forgot what game we were playing.
On this one Christmas
Eve, the four of us were seated around a card table, and my grandmother, being
the thoughtful person she was, went into the kitchen to bring us some
snacks. Unfortunately, after three trips
and no snacks, she asked us what she was doing in the kitchen. We politely told
her and as she left again, I could see the deep love and concern my grandfather
had for her.
He said, let’s put a pinochle
hand together for your grandmother, a Christmas gift she’ll never forget. We did, a run, a hundred aces, eighty kings –
a hand you could only hope for in your dreams. She came back with sodas, which
we already had and sat down and slowly organized the cards in her hands – and
with each card, her smile grew wider and ohs and ahs were whispered, her eyes
lit up. She was so proud of herself, the happiest she had been in a long time. We knew she’d forget how to play the hand she
was dealt. And my grandfather smiling and holding back the tears he looked
tenderly at my grandmother and said, “I love Christmas. God does all things
well”.
And on this glorious night, we can say “Yes, God does all
things well” .On this night, we are with Mary and Joseph, we are there in a cold
and dreary stable, just waiting. This is a night of expectations, a night of
miracles. A night of excitement both for children and for parents. A child is to be born, the child, Jesus, that
is the reason for this very night.
It is a night of many hopes and joy from heaven and from earth.
In that scene in Bethlehem over two thousand years ago, Heaven and earth
rejoiced, because something new has happened; the age of God’s fulfillment has
arrived on this very morning we call Christmas.
No longer will people walk in darkness. Right there in a cold
and dreary stable makes me believe God
does all things well.
Heaven and earth rejoice. God the Father, who sent his only
Son to be born to a Virgin is eagerly waiting His gift to us, his miracle. The
Holy Spirit is waiting, who overshadowed the Virgin Mary and she conceived a
Child to be born under the Star of Bethlehem.
And, Mary, the expectant mother who said yes to be the
Mother of Jesus, the Son of God, is now resting, waiting in a cold stable, soon
to be holy ground. And the choirs of
angels singing for joy as they anticipate this heavenly and glorious miracle.
We know the obedience of Joseph and we know this humble man is
there with Mary. Joseph, husband of
Mary, anticipating the most wonderful miracle to ever take place on the face of
the earth, and this cold and damp stable becomes a waiting room for an
expectant father.
Yes it is a silent night, a Holy night. At that very moment
all was calm, all was bright for truly, God does all things well.
And, Joseph, the epitome of both husband and father was chosen
by God to be the spouse of Mary. God chose Joseph, and in Joseph the New
Covenant will be brought about by the working of the Holy Spirit. What a
miracle, Joseph becomes the foster father of Him Who is Himself the New
Covenant, a covenant which is immediately a fulfillment and a sweeping renewal
of everything that was, is and will come to be.
Why Joseph? And why is Joseph the image that every father
should hold close to his heart. The image of the person whose actions and love
for the Holy Family are to be imitated in every man’s own marriage.
And why is Joseph the spiritual, loving and caring person
that every wife and mother should hope for in a husband and father of her
children.
Because in Joseph we see the strong and silent man, a man
who shouldered the story of Mary, who dreamed and trusted in every word of God,
whose very faith and devotion pleased God. God came first in all things for
Joseph.
And God chose him. And Joseph said yes. And Like Mary,
Joseph chose freely to accept his role in Jesus’ salvation, placing all his
trust in his God.
And now they are alone, Joseph and Mary, alone in a place
certainly not suitable for a birth of any child. But they are not in darkness.
A man full of love and compassion, Joseph respects Mary’s
essential self-abandonment to the Father and he lives the same mystery as she
does – a mystery of total surrender of one’s entire life into the hands of the
Father.
Generously and with full humility, he weds himself to the
working of God’s Spirit within Mary and he lives her secret, a secret which
binds her so personally to the Father. It
is a true love of husband and wife, a God centered marriage, sharing the same
intention that forms the foundation of their love of friendship, a love which
is so divine, so strong and yet, so unique. And to this holy family, a child is
born this night in a little town of Bethlehem.
And tonight, we can see it, touch it, we can even taste it,
the mystery, the miracle of God’s favor that is upon us as we celebrate Jesus’s
birth. And Joseph was there, silent and courageous, a man with a tender heart.
And tonight the holy family is born, Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
The holiest of all families is born in a cold and dreary stable. Yes, Joseph
knew that Mary belonged to God alone and God has every claim on her. How can we not see the divine love that he
has for Mary, for he loves her for herself. He loves her in order that the will
of God be fulfilled in her. A marriage of pure unselfish and generous love.
The true and generous love of Joseph for Mary is the same
unselfish love we should have for each other in our own marriage, in all of our
relationships. Difficult yes, but God driven, for Joseph does not love Mary for
himself; his love gives him no claim, no entitlement to Mary, but only love and
respect.
A man and a woman, a
husband and a wife, a love for each other that has no bounds.
Yes, Joseph, chosen and tested by God to be the Father of
Jesus, a model for all fathers, and he lives for Mary, a man who places God
first in all things, a man who behaves like God himself. That is a man, that is
a husband, that is a father.
Yes, over two thousand years age, they are alone in a
stable, preparing the manger with a bed of straw, for a King to be born. Like any expectant father, Joseph is nervous,
it’s all new to him, a mystery and a heavy responsibility. He probably paced
the stable floor, and undoubtedly tenderly asking Mary how she was doing. And Mary, so young and frightened as well, but
yet felt so secure. She knew she was chosen to be the Mother of God, but she
also knew, Joseph was chosen to be her protector.
There’s the old saying “you play with the hand you are dealt
with”. But, besides my grandmother, who was ever dealt a perfect hand? Who has
the perfect marriage, the perfect children, the perfect spouse? Joseph and Mary
begin married life in a stable. But, what they did pleased God, because he was always
first in their lives.
And when we follow
the example of St. Joseph and live a God centered life, we can, with the help
of God, see a great light and win the hand. Pray for the faith of Joseph, the
trust of Joseph and the love and selflessness of Joseph.
No, it’s not in the
hand you’re dealt, it’s where you place God in that hand. And it’s in that very
hand, God does all things well. Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday Jesus!
