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February 9th: The Hidden Life at Nazareth
When we contrast the life of our Lord at
Nazareth with the life that we should naturally
have expected Him to live, it seems as though He
were throwing away opportunities of good. If He
had preached in Rome and Athens, if He had
visited the chief cities of the world, would not His
Divine eloquence have converted tens of thousands?
Why then did He remain living a life of inaction
at Nazareth? It seems strange to us, but we must
recognize that God's ways are not like ours. We often wonder why it is that God allows those who have great abilities or power of doing good to remain hidden and out of sight. Sometimes He deprives them of the health and strength necessary for active work; sometimes He cuts short their career just when they are beginning to make their influence felt; sometimes He leaves them where their life seems absolutely thrown away. We are inclined to regret it, and perhaps to think that we would have ordered it otherwise. But in view of the Hidden Life at Nazareth, all such regrets must of necessity disappear. Would greater glory have been given to God if the Son of God had exercised His Divine power and converted all mankind while on earth, as He might easily have done? No, for that which pleases God best is that we should remain where He has placed us, even though our lives are apparently useless. Never was a life so apparently useless as the life of Jesus at Nazareth. Yet every moment of it brought a glory to God compared with which the glory He derives from the service of all the Saints and Angels is as nothing.
Music: The Shepherds' Farewell
from L' Enfance du Christ Op. 25 by Hector Berlioz
1. Thou must leave Thy lowly dwelling,
The humble crib, the stable bare. Babe, all mortal babes excelling, Content our earthly lot to share. Loving father, Loving mother, Shelter Thee with tender care! 2. Blessed Jesus, we implore Thee With humble love and holy fear. In the land that lies before Thee, Forget not us who linger here! May the shepherd's lowly calling, Ever to Thy heart be dear! 3. Blest are ye beyond all measure, Thou happy father, mother mild! Guard ye well your heav'nly treasure, The Prince of Peace, The Holy Child! God go with you, God protect you, Guide you safely through the wild! |