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Staying With

Today marks the formal end of the Church’s Christmas season. Jesus' birth into earthly life has now been sufficiently celebrated. His public life comes next and his baptism begins it, even though the vestment color is still white.

I know, I know, Christmas has been over for ages and we are making ready for Easter eggs or whatever else. But the Church has sense and gives us a Christmas season of weeks instead of just ripping down decorations and going on to the next thing.

Good for the Church.

Help all you can, but definitely do not stop the growing.

But what about Jesus’ public life, beginning with Baptism? In the Gospel we hear the voice of God the Father speaking to him. This only happens twice in the Gospels, though on the other hand, Jesus talks and prays to his Abba often. Here it is the same message from God both times.

  “You are my beloved Son; in you I am well pleased” (Gospel).

Who would not want to hear these words over and over? I would. The beloved of God! It is like having candy and circuses and ice cream and all your favorite things. God has settled upon you as his special one. Everything will be fine.

Except that “being fine” is not the true meaning of “beloved.”

I was visiting a Jesuit friend of mine in Washington DC, Pete, who is a prankster. He was in the kitchen cooking up homemade spaghetti. Icky sticky mess.

I asked him what time something or other was going to happen and he said “I don’t know, but we can ask Joe.” Joe was another Jesuit who on that Saturday was working at his job in the Jesuit Conference building. My friend put the kitchen phone on its speaker and floured in the phone number.

Joe answered and Pete said, “hi, how are you doing, Joseph?”

Joe said, “just great.”

Pete said, “how wonderful, since you are spending your weekend working.”

Joe said, “No it is ok. God told me everything was going to be fine.”

Without skipping a beat Pete said, “Yeah that’s what he told his Son.”

I was on the floor laughing at such a funny, quick, piercing reply, delivered seemingly with no forethought at all.

But notice what is behind that joke. God does in fact tolerate pain and suffering, now in his beloved son, on the cross. This is the other side of being the beloved of God.

Suffering, temptation.

Jesus heard the voice from the cloud and went to the desert to ponder. Maybe by now he saw the implications. The devil was going to give him huge, slick temptations to help win him over. Build up your earthly power and honor, use your now public status as “Beloved.” Be big.

Directly and deeply contrary to Jesus’ mission, of course, but God let the temptation happen.

Why? Well, God is like a parent watching a teenager’s growing pains. Help all you can, but definitely do not stop the growing.

Temptation and suffering create an urgent need in a person to open up, to broaden the scope, to better understand what love is, to see that love does not mean God taking charge and making everything alright but rather God staying with the beloved, continuing to love and admire him or her, since love at its root means sharing another’s life, not taking it over.

To paraphrase the Father’s words at the Jordan: receive my love that never runs away, never let go, even in the desert, even on the cross.

John Foley, SJ