The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1960-12-23
The Exclusive Audience

Child to Egypt-this comes through as all the more remark
able for his youth.
Finally, St. Joseph as patron of the working man takes
on sharper outlines, comes into clearer focus if we think of
him as still young and virile.
TOGETHER WITH THE shepherds. st. Joseph forms a
symbol of the poverty of the divine birth. Mary is the liv-
Ing symbol of the purity of that birth. st. Luke said in his
Gospel: There was no room for them in the inn" Is there
any particular reason why st. Luke should have said for
them?
They consisted of an unroofed walled enclosure, in which.
the camels and donkeys were bedded down, and one large
room which was a sort of lean-to built against the outside
wall OF the animals enclosure.
This was the place where travellers ordinarily slept.
They simply threw their blankets on the ground wherever
they could find space. A few unfinished private stalls
were available for those who could afford that relative
luxury.
THE BLESSED VIRGIN knew it was almost time for
Jesus to be born. Because of her Incompatible purity and
modeSty, she wanted privacy for the birth of her Child. 1t
is true that most people were not SO fastidious about birth
at that time and more than one baby had first seen the light
of day in just such a public inn as Bethlehem's and nobody
thought of it as extraordinary.
That was not good enough for Mary, however, and al
though she was fatigued with the four days journey from
Nazareth, she preferred to push on to the hills outside
Bethlehem and take her chances on finding an abandoned
cave. 1t was common knowledge that there were many such
caves in the area used by shepherds in foul weather.
THE BIRTH OF JESUS caused Mary no pain. We know
this to be true because Mary was the immaculate Concep-
ton. She was not cursed with original sin and therefore
did not suffer the ~punishments of original sin, one of which
ID tHC pdHSS IL
Besides, st. Luke tells us that she herself took care of
the Christ Child, wrapping Him in ~swaddling clothes and
laying Him in a manger.
THE SAVIOUR OF MANKIN could have been born of
wealthy parents; He chose to be born into a poor family to
provide us with an example and to emphasize His love for
the poor. He could have been born in the summertime; He
chose to come in the winter SO He could start suffering inn
mediately.
He could have raised His infant hand and struck Herod
dead; He chose to run away to a foreign country and there
by add to His inconvenience and suffering. He could have
come in the strength of manhood; He chose the humiliation
of ordinary CESSATION and birth. Perhaps He chose this way
because He knew the universal appeal of a new baby.
PHYSICALLY, JOSEPH and Mary were pretty miser-
able on that first Christmas night. The cave was cold and
dark, the livestock in it smelled. But Joseph and Mary hard
ly noticed all that, SO thrilled were they that the Redeemer
had arrived and so amazed in their humility that they had
been chosen to play the principal roles in the Christmas epic.
Let us initiate Joseph and Mary and try to be amazed.
We should be SO struck by the mystery Of the Incarnation
that our establishment and wonder will last from one Christ
mas to the next.
1t is terribly amazing if you think about it, that God,
Creator and Lord of all the universe, should so dignity and
elevate human nature as to become one of us. Even the
angels in heaven cannot make that boast.
LET US TRY TO BE a little amazed at Christmas time,
amazed that God should love us enough to become one of
us, like to us in all things except sin. Let us try to love God
enough to become like Him in all things through grace.