September 29, 2010 – Catechism 525-530

The Christmas mystery.  God becomes an infant in the poorest of settings not only to show us how to be humble, but also to show us that we must be like children.  The innocence of a child is something that cannot be explained in words and I never really appreciated until spending hours with a child.  Watching Paul interact with new things, seeing him learn new things, his innocence is obvious.  Even the things he does that we tell him not to, you must not judge him.  His motivation is not malice.  He is completely innocent of anything wrong.  He is also completely dependent on us.  God became a child to show us that being a child is not something that is inferior to adulthood.  Christ said let the children come to me.  Children are not a lesser type of being, but the greatest and most innocent of beings.  God wants us to seek to get back to that. 

You don’t really think about it, but Jesus, from the very beginning had many more issues with His own people, the Jews, than with others.  During these moments after His birth we see the Magi adore Him and Him leaving into Egypt, both Gentile groups.  That is because Herod, a Jew, was trying to kill Him.  I don’t have anything profound reflection on that point, I just never made that connection before.