...What did Joseph and Mary hope for on that first Christmas? Remember that they were on a journey; they were away from home They faced an uncertain future. They lived in darkness. The story of Bethlehem inevitably suggests a comparison between that moment and our own.
Our moment is a time of darkness, to be sure. We face an uncertain future from weapons of mass destruction and shadowy networks of international terrorists. Has the world ever known a more dangerous time than now? The holy family had less to fear from the wicked King Herod than we do from today's radical extremists. The holy family trusted that God's word to them would be fulfilled, that Mary would bear a son to be named Jesus.
...The story of the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, taken in a particular place and in a particular moment of time, reminds us each year that our personal lives and the communal lives of nations are also journeys, moving always into an uncertain future, remembering the past and renewing its wisdom, but never simply repeating the past, a journey made in faith and trust, confident that the final word of the story will be one of light shining in darkness and life triumphant over death.
Shhh..I'm just about to scare the crap out of this nice little girl