On the Nativity

Christmas 2002

“Unto us a child is born”—and at this time we think of a child lying newborn in a manger full of straw. The birth of every child is a thing of infinite importance, but this birth is of a different order, because this real human child is also the eternal Son of God, true God from true God, by Whom everything that exists was made.

We see Him at His birth a tiny child, who nine months past was but a single cell, a speck of flesh that was the Creator of all worlds. If an elephant could crawl into a mousehole, or a whale make its home in an anthill, or you or I become one of the tiny mites living in a pore of our own skin, it would be a small thing by comparison. He did not come as a phantom, like some pagan god appearing in a myth, or in a spectacular vision as to Ezekiel, full of blazing lights and thundering wheels, but took our nature, body and soul, with all its finitude. He Whom the universe could not contain has been contained within the Virgin’s womb. He Who alone is necessary has entered into our contingency. He Who is changeless has submitted Himself to change; He Who is without limit has subjected Himself to limitation. He Who created our human nature has taken that nature on Himself.

And why has He done this? He Who is Life immortal has taken our mortal life, that He might borrow our death to free us from death. His birth is the first chapter in a great drama of sacrifice. The Victim has entered the temple. In thirty years He will be slain upon the altar of the Cross, accepted as the perfect satisfaction for our sins, and given to us as the sacrificial banquet. In His birth He takes our flesh and blood, our whole humanity, and makes them his own, that His flesh may be scourged and His blood shed, and then raised, still united with His Divinity. He returns to us the flesh and blood he borrowed with our humanity, now His flesh and blood united with His Divinity.

Now in the Eucharist we receive from the heavenly altar the body and blood, soul and Divinity of Him who took our body and blood, soul and humanity from His Virgin Mother that he might offer it to God the eternal Father. He took on His humanity in Nazareth, and was born a human child at Bethlehem, and for all eternity He remains a human being. It is our shame that we abased the Son of God by our sins, and our glory that He loved us so much to abase Himself. Our poor wounded race is the one sheep among one hundred that called the Shepherd into the wilderness to give everything for its rescue. Our poor soul is the pearl whose price was the very life of Him who gave everything for us. To gain the treasure He bought the whole field; like a gambler He lays all his chips on the table and waits while we turn up our card. Those who are incorporated into Him Who became incorporated into us will share in His winnings, will enjoy His wealth, will share eternity with Him Who shared time with us.

As we stand before the manger and contemplate Almighty God as a helpless child, we see the total commitment that He has made to us. On Calvary we see Him keep that commitment to the point of death. In the Eucharist He shares the fruit of that commitment with us. If He has so staked His life on us, can we do less than stake our lives on Him?

Fra Angelico, The Nativity; scan by Mark Harden

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