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January 6, 2022We can feel the presence of God at intense, important moments that we record and remember: our baptism, first holy communion, first profession of vows, ordination. Each liturgical year is also marked with intense moments when we experience the love of God: the Sacred Triduum, Pentecost, and of course, Christmas. We can zoom in even more to each week: Sunday, the day of the Lord, is marked by the Holy Eucharist that commemorates Jesus’ Resurrection. Like mountains, these are high points: visible, memorable moments around which we can orient our lives.
By a simple phrase, today’s Gospel reminds us that God is also encountered in the mundane, ordinary moments: “He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up…” The eternal Son of the Father, the logos by which everything in existence was fashioned, grew up in a small town. “Growing up,” as parents know so well, consists not only of Sunday Mass but also hectic (or sleepy) Tuesday afternoons: seemingly unremarkable, forgettable moments. Our Lord dwells with us in these moments. We may forget them, but as we move toward the end of the Christmas season, we are reminded that He is at work with us not only in powerful, memorable moments but also in the quiet, forgotten moments of our lives.