Nativity Series Part 5 of 6
The nativity blog series is an invitation to “enter into” the manger scene and ponder where you are in relation to Jesus.
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It’s kind of funny that the only Mass my family isn’t late for is probably Christmas Mass, and it’s just because we know we won’t get a seat if we don’t get there early. Yikes! I swear we try to get there on time, but it just doesn’t happen. This goes for every event, not just Mass. People now expect us to come later. I guess that’s what happens when shoes suddenly go missing or time gets underestimated. My family will be such a mess before Mass even begins. If that doesn’t scream imperfection, I don’t know what does.
Raise your hand if you have a perfect family… I’ll wait.
No one should raise their hand, because it doesn’t exist. Period. Even the Holy Family was not perfect. Now is the part where you exhale with the relief that it’s not just you. It’s not just your family that gets crazy when it’s Christmas time.
I’ll tell you right now that my personal family is so chaotic, especially during Christmas. My sister will be yelling at me for stealing hair spray before we go to take a family picture for the Christmas card. My parents get stressed making sure every single inch of our house is cleaned before guests come over (even the rooms that won’t be seen). I get annoyed by my brother watching the same Christmas movie on repeat. It’s crunch time for school, jobs, and Christmas shopping, so there’s tension there and everyone snaps at each other. Honestly, it can even be a fight about who gets to put the ornament in a specific spot on the tree. These are just a few examples, but I think you can think of more within your own family. What about traffic during the holidays? What about the messy situations that come with divorce, and where and when you plan to spend your time? What about the inevitable sickness that breaches the household? There’s a lot of rushing around, getting annoyed at others, or stressing about getting everything done.
The craziest part is that Christmas is supposed to be about goodwill and love toward others.
This is the same for the nativity. It’s a beautiful scene, but if you think about what it took to get there, you’ll realize Christmas was no picnic for Mary and Joseph either. One thing is that Joseph intended to divorce Mary at first when he learned about her unexpected pregnancy. (Matthew 1:19) He thought that would be best for everyone. Imagine the struggles the couple must have gone through before the angel assured Joseph that he could take Mary into his home. Merry Christmas! You’re sleeping on the couch!
There also wasn’t a room available for them when Mary was about to deliver her baby. This young woman was tired and — though it’s believed she may have been free from physical labor pains as the immaculate Mother of God — must have been uncomfortable. Joseph was trying to make things comfortable for her when they were at their most uncomfortable. Now that is tough. Oh, and not long after that, there was an evil king who wanted to kill their baby. That might be just a tad stressful.
Even though Mary and Jesus were without sin, they were still human. There were still human emotions and situations that came up. Life was still hard. But, they didn’t let that affect how they reacted to things. They had a powerful tool in their back pockets, which was a trust in the Lord. Mary and Joseph knew that even if they did not understand it, God would be with them and would lead them through the chaos. They knew there was a reason for the struggle.
God allows the hard times sometimes so that He can bring even better times later on. It is when you feel the most out of control that it is so essential to remember that God is in control. The reality is that there are always going to be hard times, especially within our own families. There are financial situations, relationship messes, conflicting opinions or beliefs, addictions, lack of involvement, and so many more factors that contribute to the brokenness we feel in our families. However, we can’t let these hard times keep us from moving forward. We are blessed with the gift of having this family we can turn to in heaven when our earthly family is messy. Mary is our mother. Joseph is our father figure. The saints are our brothers and sisters in Christ. We have this family always available to us, who will pray for us and be with us when we don’t get this blessing on earth. Ask them to pray for you — only good can come from it. We also have a God who loves us so much that He remains with us in the times of inevitable struggle that come up. Something better will come from it; we just have to follow the example of the Holy Family and trust Him.
