Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Tomorrow we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus and the Liturgical year continues to follow the Life of Christ begun during the seasons of Advent and Christmastide. We do not hear St. Joseph mentioned in the Gospels during Ordinary time, as often as in Christmas Readings and so we surmise that he died before Jesus' Baptism by John. Mary, his widow, is with her Son as He begins His public life. Having finished my re-reading of The Infancy Narratives (Vol. 3) of Pope Benedict's trilogy on Jesus of Nazareth, during the Christmas season, I began last night to re-read Vol. 1 which treats of the Public Life of Christ from His Baptism to the Transfiguration.
I want to post just once more from the Infancy Narratives because it helps me to "see" how Mary saw and listened and pondered, lived and followed Jesus:
Quote:
...From the moment of His Birth, He belongs outside the realm of what is important and powerful in worldly terms...So one aspect of becoming a Christian is having to leave behind what everyone else thinks and wants, the prevailing standards, in order to enter the light of the truth of our being and aided by that light to find the right path...( from p. 50 in Nook version)
...The closer one comes to Jesus, the more one is drawn into the mystery of His Passion...(from p. 85)
Lent comes next month on Feb. 13, just a month from tomorrow. May we continue our journey of Faith, with Mary, keeping our eyes on Jesus, and listening to Him as she did, that we may learn as she did to live His Life on this earth.