I was listening to a homily recently when I suddenly became aware of the Holy Spirit amplifying, so to speak, the words of the priest in my soul. He was speaking about our human cooperation with God, which we see exemplified in the heroes we read about in the scriptures as we prepare for Christmas.
Specifically, he referred to the genealogy of Jesus according to Matthew which we read on December 17th. If we spend some time reflecting on the genealogy of Jesus, we see names we recognize from the Old Testament stories of God interacting with His people.
When I think of God in the Old Testament, I can tend to focus on God’s power and awesome deeds like the plagues of Egypt, the column of smoke and fire. I remember Mount Sinai wrapped in smoke with thunder and lightning, and think THAT is the God of the Old Testament. I tend to forget that there were other ways He revealed Himself to His people. He spoke to them, offered them covenants, instructed them, led and guided them. And in each and every case, God relied on the free and voluntary response of individuals to move His plan of salvation forward.
What if Abraham or Moses or David had said no? Could it be that there was another man we’ve never heard of to whom God reached out but who did not respond as Abraham did? At this time of year, we reflect a lot on the cooperation of Elizabeth and Zechariah, Mary and Joseph and others. Would God’s plan still have unfolded with different names in the stories if these had not been willing to be used by God?
Particularly in our Franciscan tradition, we are familiar with the language of the humility of God in Jesus Christ. After all, St. Francis of Assisi (and all Franciscans with him) never tired of contemplating the self-emptying love of Jesus in His Incarnation, in His Cross, and in His Presence in the Eucharist. But that day as I listened to the homily, I was profoundly struck in a new way by the humility of God. He isn’t only humble in Jesus Christ. He is humble throughout the ages and forever! He was humble enough to depend on human cooperation from the very beginning and to make the entire plan of salvation subject to the voluntary response of a series of individuals over many centuries.
It sounds so simple, but it is entirely mind-blowing if we allow this truth to penetrate our minds and hearts. So it is with me and you. God continues to humbly ask us to be a part of the ongoing story of salvation as it unfolds in our lives and in our times. To be clear, He doesn’t need us—He never has, and He never will. But He is so humble and loves us so much that He is willing to submit His plans to our freedom. By His grace, may we respond as did our heroes in the faith who have gone before us.
A blessed Christmas to you and your loved ones.
- Sr. Mary Catherine Kasuboski, T.O.R.
