When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
–Luke 2:21–
Years ago, January 1st used to be known as the Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord. That makes, not only Jesus’ Jewishness, but also his humanity, very concrete… doesn’t it? Perhaps you are familiar with the Christmas Novena, part of which is as follows:
Eternal Father, we offer to Your honor and glory and for our own eternal salvation the pain which the Holy Child Jesus felt in His tender body when He submitted to circumcision. We offer You that Precious Blood which then, for the first time, was shed for the salvation of the whole human race.
In a very real sense, with the first shedding of His Blood, Our Lord’s work of salvation begins today. It continues with even the smallest sufferings He endures throughout His life down to the moment of His death on the Cross.
What does that mean for us? It means that Jesus is with us, not only in moments of great suffering, but also in all the times we have to endure minor trials and nuisances. We stub a toe. We’re stuck in traffic. We get a splinter. We break or lose a cherished possession. We forget that all-important item or occasion. We become distracted. We inadvertently let down someone whom we love.
This is the most wonderful part: Every time we suffer that minor trial, nuisance, or inconvenience, we can offer it back to Jesus for the salvation of souls. We can unite our sufferings to His Passion for the salvation of the world. We stub a toe. We’re stuck in traffic. We get a splinter. We break or lose a cherished possession. We forget that all-important item or occasion. We become distracted. We inadvertently let down someone whom we love. All these aspects of broken and wounded humanity can be offered to Jesus for the redemption of humanity. All this springs from the fact that Jesus shares our humanity—that He has a real human nature, a real human body, a real human soul. That’s what the Church means when she proclaims Mary to be the Mother of God!