« The Word became flesh, he lived among us, and we saw his glory. »
Saint Francis and God’s humility
« A baby with tiny finger-nails,
a man bleeding and thirsty,
nailed to rough wood,
a small white wafer
held high for veneration.
Little, powerless, silent.
Manger, cross, bread
Bethlehem, Calvary, Eucharist.
What paradox it is and too fantastic to be false.
that the Creator of heaven and earth, the Mighty Lord,
the Immortal and Invisible One, was born and died,
was seen and touched in this world.
So finely did he entwine himself
in the weft and warp of human existence,
submitting to the rule of time and
conforming to the limits of space,
that one confesses quite simply:
Emmanuel – God with us.
There is no better way to say it.,..
The exquisite tenderness of God’s love
is revealed in the helplessness of a baby,
the defencelessness of a crucified man,
the silence of the consecrated bread and wine on the altar.
God approaches us with such humility
and leaves Himself open to rejection.
With his whole heart Francis understood that it is
the manner of God’s coming to us in Jesus Christ
that tells us the extent of his love for us.»
[/(The Troubadour 28.1 Christmas1978) Eric Doyle OFM/]
Yes, Lord, we tend to expect that which we dream of. The image of him who is all powerful, who surpasses everything natural, couldn’t simply be a human being like us …. this is why the people of Nazareth were amazed, saying : « …Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joset and Jude and Simon? Are not his sisters here with us? »
It is faith, true faith, that allows us to recognize that this man is God!
Lord, give us grace so that we may recognize the wisdom and power of God hidden in this carpenter, Jesus of Nazareth. Give us the grace to believe that our salvation is in the humanity of Jesus.