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JMJ
"Which of you, with a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the fields,'Come and have your meal immediately'? Would he not be more likely to say, 'Get my supper laid; make yourself tidy and wait on me while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink yourself afterwards'? Must he be grateful to the servant for doing what he was told? So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do say,'We are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty.'" (Luke 17:7-10)When Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem with the unborn Savior that first Christmas night, there were many hardships to be endured, but surely the most difficult to suffer was the callousness of others who were apathetic to their needs. Pointed cruelty was not aimed at this poor couple, but simple and silent disregard. The people they encountered could be not bothered with them, and either through indifference or indolence, they were quietly ignored. No complaint arose from Mary's lips, no cry of frustration from Joseph's tongue; instead, only pity for those who were unaware of the treasure they forewent in refusing to serve the Divine Gift come down from Heaven.
In meditating upon Our Lord's birth, one may imagine that he would be with the shepherds to adore Him "at midnight, in piercing cold." He imagines what small service he could render the Holy Babe; what comfort he could give His Blessed Mother and humble foster father. But like St. Catherine of Siena, who was forced to serve as a servant in her large household, one can serve the Holy Family by imagining those he encounters (especially his own family) as the Blessed Three of Bethlehem.
One who is a servant of a king, considers himself blessed to perform any service, no matter how laborious or unseemly. He is quick to respond to a request and does not languidly loiter. Fatigue and feelings are set aside as fidelity to duty readily dominates. He is humbled when he reflects that His sovereign has entrusted him with a responsibility to execute his tasks faithfully. He expects no other reward than the great privilege of being a member of the King's household. So, we too, as servants of the King may be mindful that the services we are asked to render Him, as evidenced through our daily duties, are the ways we can offer succor to him and Our Lady and St. Joseph. Through the guise of drudgery or inconvenience, we attend to Our Master and say,"we are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty."
