Little children have an interesting way of understanding difficult mysteries. Take for example, Christmas. A newspaper reporter asked a child, “What gifts did the three wise men bring?” A five-year old girl replied, “The three wise men brought Jesus gold, frankincense and myrrh - no real presents. I feel sorry for him." Another difficult example: Jesus in the crib and Jesus on the cross. Last Christmas, a child in the pew noticed that I was bringing in the baby Jesus at the beginning of the mass and holding him up in the air at the altar. The child asked his parent, “I see the baby Jesus, but who is that in the back?” The parent explained, “That’s what Jesus was born to do; to die on the cross for us.” The child did not understand that at all. Final difficult example is what happens at the consecration. At one of our masses as the bells rang for the elevation of the host, a 3-yr. old asked her mama, “What’s that?” Her mama replied, “Oh, that means Jesus is coming.” The little girl said looked all around and said, “Where is He? I don’t see Him.” Her mama told her, “Most people don’t see Him but they feel Him in their hearts.” The little girl put her hand on her chest and said, “But I don’t feel anything.” When her mama told her that Jesus was in the bread and wine, that was just too much for the 3 yr. old’s literal mind. It is a hard concept; even for us adults!
How do we understand the mystery of what happened on that Christmas night? Far into the night, at the coldest time of the year, in a chilly grotto, more suitable for a flock of beasts than for humans, the promised Messiah – Jesus – the savior of mankind, comes into the world in the fullness of time. There are none who clamor around him: only an ox and a donkey lending their warmth to the newborn infant; with a humble woman, and a poor and tired man, in adoration beside him. Nothing can be heard except the sobs and whimpers of the infant God. And by means of his crying and weeping he offers to God the first ransom for our redemption.
There is so much for us to learn from the grotto of Bethlehem. Glittering were the palaces and fancy homes of important people of that time. Yet, the light of the world did not appear in any one of them. Perhaps because they were so preoccupied with worldly grandeur, gold, and in delights, they expected someone who would dazzle them with worldly fame and power.
But God, always ready to baffle the wisdom of the world, shatters their plans. Contrary to the expectations of those lacking in Divine wisdom, he appears among us in the greatest poverty, denying himself even a modest lodging among relatives and friends in a city where Joseph was born. Refused lodging among men, he seeks refuge and comfort among mere animals, choosing their dwelling as the place of his birth, allowing their breath to give warmth to his tender body. He permits simple and rustic shepherds to be the first to pay their respects to him. Has the Nativity story become so familiar to us that when we see the manger scene in our yard or in malls, it has become a nice decoration rather than a reality that affects our lives.
The other day, someone emailed me a video of what happened at a busy mall during the Christmas season. The video showed shoppers hurrying from store to store until someone began singing a Christmas song, “O Holy Night.” Quickly, several more joined in the singing in chorus. It was a flash mob of a choir who assembled suddenly in this busy mall. The dramatic scene was when they sang the line, “Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices! O night divine, O night when Christ was born.” Then emerged from the crowd, Mary and Joseph carrying a live baby. A group of choir members knelt before them. Then in the video shoppers followed suit and knelt. In this surreal scene where people who were preoccupied with the shopping spirit, all came to their senses as to why we call this a Holy Night.
Are our hearts on fire with love for the one who with such tenderness was made flesh for our sakes! Do we burn with desire to lead the whole world to this lowly cave, refuge of the King of kings, greater than any worldly palace, because it is the throne and dwelling place of God! Let us ask this Divine child to clothe us with humility, because only by means of this virtue can we taste the fullness of this mystery of Divine tenderness. This child is satisfied with humble and poor adorers, to encourage us to love poverty, and to prefer the company of the little and simple rather than the great ones of the world. Let us prostrate ourselves before the manger, enflamed with the love of the infant Jesus, and offer him all our hearts without reserve.
