"Remember
how Our Lord comes into the world, just like every other human being.
He spends his childhood and adolescence in a village in Palestine, where
he is no different from his fellow villagers. Time and again in his
public life we hear echoes of his everyday existence in Nazareth. He
speaks about work. He is concerned to see that his disciples rest. He
makes a point of meeting people of every sort and never refuses to talk
with anyone. To his followers he expressly indicates that they should
not hinder children from coming to him. Recalling perhaps memories of
his own childhood he uses the example of the children playing in the
marketplace.
Surely
all this is quite normal, natural and straightforward? Surely it can be
lived in ordinary life? What happens is that people tend to get used to
what is plain and ordinary and, without realising it, they begin to
look for what is showy and artificial. You will have come across
examples of this, as I have, as when for instance you remark on the
beauty of some freshly cut roses, with delicately fragrant petals, and
someone comments 'They look so perfect, they must be artificial!'"
