The Working Catholic: Advent Surprises by Bill Droel

 

A couple years ago we spent some days after Thanksgiving in Milwaukee. One purpose of the trip was Christmas shopping. Thus we found ourselves in a large shopping mall. I sat on a bench with my coffee while my wife heated-up our credit card. A young Pakistani-American woman and her baby sat down next to me. An older, well-dressed woman approached and presumably mistaking me for the grandfather said: “You are lucky. This child is a great hope to us today.” How did she know that about this baby?

Irony can mean something that is more than expected. This sense of irony is not cynical; it is a surprise. The premise of several TV shows is the lumpy protagonist who ironically turns out to be smarter than the Los Angeles socialites or the high-ranking police officials or the well-paid laboratory researchers. Or there might be a show in which the bachelor gives the rose to a woman who seems to be a duckling. Or there is a show on which the least polished-looking guest wins the contest and goes on to sign a big performance contract.

Over 2000 years ago there was a baby conceived out of wedlock to underemployed political refugees. The baby’s life was in danger and the couple had to spend months away from their home. Yet this child was a great hope to people of that time and even to us today. Many cultures and institutions celebrate his birthday, even in the bleakest circumstance.  

Jesus’ accomplishments were minimal. He did not conquer the Romans nor write outstanding philosophy. He was not even a regional celebrity. When he died, only a handful of admirers were around. If Jesus is a hero, it is in an ironic sense.

So, it wasn’t grand things that Jesus did. It was ordinary things, though they were unexpected. His kindness was unexpected given his cultural environment. His sustained focus was unexpected given the bitterness and arrogance of other holy people of his day.

When the shepherds looked in the stable and the magi visited the home, they had a sense of irony. This baby in this working-class family is a sign of great hope, they said. His circumstances will not limit him from being a savior. His birth is a hint that the rumor of immortality might be true.

This Advent, this Advent in particular, be disposed to the unexpected in people. Look below the surface and believe the great hope that resides in every person. 

Droel edits INITIATIVES (PO Box 291102, Chicago, IL 60629), a print newsletter on faith and work.