Dear friends,
As Christmas approaches, I have been reflecting on how much the birth of Jesus was dependent on ordinary people responding in faithful ways to the challenges of their lives. While we read the story of the Nativity, we often forget that Mary and Joseph were just regular people faced with life-changing decisions. Mary, a young woman who would have been exposed to ridicule or even death by having a child during the period of betrothal. Joseph, a man whose life was potentially upended when learning about Mary’s pregnancy. Both trusted God in ways that relinquished control over their lives, thereby making possible the coming of Jesus.
Such is the basis of our own vocation as followers of Christ. The mystery of Christmas teaches us that Jesus Christ comes into the world through the response of ordinary people like us turning our lives over to God’s grace. May this Christmas be a time of blessing and renewed trust in God who continues to be present to the world through the “yes” of ordinary people.
Merry Christmas!
Mark Francis, CSV, Provincial