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26 DECEMBER 2022 | DENVER CATHOLIC Our journey begins in Nazareth. Although tradition places Mary's childhood in Jerusa- lem, offered by her elderly parents, Joachim and Anne, for service in the Temple, we find her in the holy house of Nazareth during her betrothal to Joseph. God often leads us in ways we do not expect and Mary, who had vowed chastity to God, found herself betrothed. We can see her own expectation to remain celibate in her question, "How can this be, for I know not man" (Lk 1:34). A betrothed woman would not wonder about a forthcoming pregnancy. Her absolute trust and surrender to God's will enables the unthinkable to happen: continence becomes fruitful out of Mary's complete gift of herself to God, in a way surpassing marital rela- tions. Joseph, known as her "most chaste spouse," likewise was called to com- plete trust and surrender. We find him in the Gospel unable to comprehend the unfolding of God's plan, while expressing complete obedience to the words of the angel, spoken to him through a dream. Joseph does not speak any words in the Gospels, although he models an immediate and unquestioning readiness to obey God's plan. God's providence drew the Holy Family to David's city, Bethlehem, the home of Joseph's ancestors, destined to be the place of birth of the Messiah. The cave-stable of Jesus's birth teaches us about God's priorities. He comes not to overwhelm us with his power; rather, he invites and draws us to himself through humility. Although we ought to serve him, he comes to serve us, even giving himself as food, lying in the manger. The poverty of the Holy Family points us to the need for greater temperance, moderating our desires and putting spiritual goods before material ones. How can we live in luxury when God himself was born into poverty for us? Wrapped in swaddling clothes, he invites us to imitate his simplicity. Forty days after Jesus's birth, we see the Holy Family making a pilgrimage to nearby Jerusalem in order to offer Jesus in the Temple. This ritual of the Mosaic Law entailed redeeming the first- born son through a sacrificial offering, recogniz- ing how the firstborn children of the Israelites were spared during the Passover in Egypt. This presentation indicated the complete gift of his life to the Father, foreshadowing his mission of making his life itself an offering for sinners. Likewise, the Holy Family was marked by an From the crib to the Cross, the Holy Family's virtuous pilgrimage is fulfilled." THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD, FRANÇOIS BOUCHER, 1750.