Throughout this year of unexpected challenges and necessary adaptations, one thing most can agree upon is the simultaneous blessing and curse of video calls. “You’re on mute,” is the quote of the year, and most of us no longer look forward to the Zoom calls that were new and intriguing back in March. Yet, how much would we have missed if we didn’t have this option? For me, this week brought a fuller than usual schedule of video calls. My college friends had our annual “Friendsmas,” via Zoom, and my nephew and Mom celebrated birthdays, so we did the (dreaded) Happy Birthday singing via FaceTime. If you want to add a “unique” component to the already complicated dynamics of video calls, throw in a few toddlers! On the back-to-back family birthday calls, two-year-old Ben got a hold of the phone and made a run for it, giving us all a dizzying tour of his house, while the three-year-olds loudly discussed trucks and their cake. At my friends’ gathering, all 20 of us paused as two-year-old Rosie worked up the nerve to say “goodnight” to all the little boxes on the screen, while her infant brother was quietly passed between his tired parents. 

The appearances by little ones added excitement to the calls, for sure, but they also gave meaning to this week’s Gospel. In this fourth week of Advent, we hear the story of the Annunciation, the familiar telling of the Angel Gabriel coming to Mary, “Behold you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.” Mary’s response began with expected hesitation and fear, “She was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be,” but continued with a faithful and resounding affirmation of God’s plan. “May it be done to me according to your word.”  

I’ve heard this story countless times, but takes on new meaning as I am increasingly surrounded by new parents and their precious children. Now, when I hear Mary’s “yes,” I hear her agreeing to nine months of excitement, joy and fear of what is to come with the birth of a child. I hear her agreeing to midnight feedings and exhausted days, to watching first steps, and chasing and non-stop worrying. Observing and accompanying my siblings and friends through parenthood has made the experience of Mary and Joseph come to life. I now imagine the Holy Family doing very ordinary, very human tasks. I imagine Jesus, vividly, as an infant - small and fragile, making those silly noises and faces that can command any audience’s attention for hours. 

Mary and Joseph welcomed Jesus into the world as a tiny, fragile baby in need of nurturing, love and safety. They did not have all of the answers. Undoubtedly, they fumbled as new parents and became frustrated with circumstances they could not control, but with faith and commitment to God’s plan, they cared for Jesus as he grew. This is how Jesus comes into our lives; God awaits our faithful and committed affirmation and nurturing of his presence. The entry of Jesus is not always going to be announced - we are unlikely to have a visit by an angel in the night. Jesus comes in that one more video call you really don’t want to take. God appears in the plans that change again, and then again. The Holy Spirit shines a light when we think there is only darkness. How do we respond?

Can we give Jesus the same attentive care that we are conditioned to give a newborn? Can we continue to have the patience to attend to Jesus as a boisterous and unpredictable toddler, who is not exactly following the plan that we made? In this fourth week of Advent, I invite you to pray with the Nativity, to see your loved ones as the perfectly imperfect members of the Holy Family. What new awareness does this bring? How are you prepared to welcome Jesus?