This year has been an exciting one for me because my first grandchild, Maxine, was born in February. We have spent the last nine months watching her grow and develop, marveling at each stage as if she is the first child in the world to ever accomplish it. Clearly, Maxine is not the first to progress through normal human development, but over these first two weeks of Advent, she has led me to reflect on how God the creator of the universe has experienced it too.

We may have all become a bit immune to the image of the baby Jesus in his mother’s arms in the manger scene. We think of shepherds and cows and exotic kings, and we may be able to fantasize on what it would have been like to visit them that starry night. We may contemplate the stress of the Holy Family having to escape to Egypt and what their lives would have been like living as immigrants in a foreign land. But have you ever envisioned the normal development that Jesus would have progressed through as a developing child?

The Church teaches us that Jesus is fully human and fully God, so his human side would have had to grow and develop as all of us do. Maxine has mastered sitting up now, but before she did, she would topple over backwards, forwards, and sideways hitting her head and hurting her pride. I am sure that Jesus had to develop his balance too. Now that she is eating solid food, discovering which end of the spoon goes in her mouth and transforming her highchair, bib, and face into an abstract mélange of fruit and vegetables, I envision Jesus developing his fine motor skills and gag reflexes. All the different sounds she is making will eventually be formed into English words, but now suffice as precious baby chatter. Jesus, the Word, had to also develop his hearing and vocal muscles and began communicating with his parents in Aramaic baby chatter.

Think of the humility of God the Father, that He would allow his son to be born as fragile and vulnerable as we are.  And how Jesus, who has existed since the beginning, agreed to accept the compromising and humbling side effects of growing up human. How can we ever question how much God loves us or if He understands the challenges and obstacles we endure? The Nativity should eliminate all doubt.

Scripture: Read John 3:16. What stands out?

Call to Action: Spend the rest of the Advent and Christmas seasons watching the children around you and acknowledging Jesus’ great understanding and love for you.