Readings:

Is. 9:1-6; Ps. 96; Ti. 2:11-14; Lk. 2:1-14

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light….” “And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’” Tonight, we celebrate the Nativity of the Lord, the one event that left the world forever changed. As the prophet says, “For the yoke that burdened them, the pole on their shoulder, and the rod of their taskmaster you have smashed….” My friends, the Nativity of the Lord is the foundational event that ushered in a new age, the anchor of reality.

During the holidays, we see the image of the Nativity constantly. Sometimes it can take a back seat in our mind, but tonight, this image is brought to the foreground. Our simple nativity focuses on Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. But, we know from our gospel that the angel tells the shepherds they will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Since they were in a stable, which in those days would have been a cave, there would have been animals present. Some of the oldest images of the Nativity feature a donkey and an ox. And later on, the Magi from the East come to pay Jesus homage. But, how might it be that the image of the Nativity is the anchor of reality?

One of the most striking contrasts of the image of the Nativity is its location. As I said earlier, most stables in those days would have been carved out of the side of cliffs. The place where Jesus was born, therefore, also resembled a tomb. The tomb represents the Fall of Man, a place that is below or underneath, a place that is ruled by death. Yet, Jesus is born in a cave. He comes to the people who walked in darkness, so they may see a great light. This is not just any light, but the light; the light of the world. He who was in the highest heaven descended down to the depths of this fallen world.

After the Fall, God made Adam and Eve clothing out of animal skins. I had mentioned the early images of the Nativity featuring the donkey and the ox. Jesus was placed in a manger, which was the feeding place of the animals. Not only was he overshadowed by the darkness of death, he was also yoked with the sign of the cross. There is an interesting bit of trivia regarding the animals. In those days, the people were allowed to eat only certain foods. Today the Jews call this Kosher. The ox was a pure food, while the donkey was an impure food. The image of the donkey, therefore, represents the Gentile people, while the ox represents the people of Israel. But, Christ, who is the true giver of the Law, brings both the donkey and the ox together, just as he brings the Israelites and the Gentiles together, and the Church will be born out of that union.

We also have the shepherds, who come to adore Jesus. The angel tells them they will find him wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in a manger. This would have been a very unlikely place to find a baby, in a cave, among the animals, but this is exactly the conditions Jesus chose to enter into our world. God Almighty who is Creator, condescended to become one with his creation. Once again, we have this contrast between God being the Most High to being so lowly as to be born among the animals. He does this not for his own sake, but for ours. He becomes man so that he can redeem all mankind. But, he must first humble himself and take upon himself that which will be redeemed.

The shepherds represent the remnant of Israel, the poor and lowly, the ones who never lost faith, and kept the Law until the time of fulfillment. And the angel announces to them their wait was over. Once again, the prophet says, “For the yoke that burdened them, the pole on their shoulder, and the rod of their taskmaster you have smashed….” Their taskmaster was death, and Jesus has come to defeat death and open up the gates of eternity to all who believe in him. How is that for an anchor of reality? Because that is exactly what we celebrate tonight.

And so, as we continue to reflect on the awesome reality that is the Nativity of our Lord, let us also be mindful of the other awesome reality that Christ is always with us, even though we may sometimes not be with him. He is often hidden to us, as he was in the cave in Bethlehem, but all we need to do to find him is to seek him like the shepherds did. Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Mt. 7:7). What are we asking for this Christmas? What are we seeking for? Are we knocking on heaven’s door? Our presence here is a sign of our pursuit of God. May this pursuit continue, because the more we ask and the more we seek, the more we will find Christ. Let us not go to Christ only when it is convenient, rather, let us resolve to seek him at all times, for when heaven reversed itself in the Incarnation and peered through human eyes upon the face of Mary, he was also looking at each of us.

Have a most blessed and a very Merry Christmas.