by Bishop James Conley
“Silent night, holy night,
All is calm, all is bright
‘Round yon virgin
Mother and Child.
Holy infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.”
Silent Night is perhaps the most well-known and beloved of Christmas carols. It so warmly places us at the manger scene in Bethlehem on Christmas night, where the focus is on a child, an infant who is the Savior of the World. The carol expresses the simplicity and mystery of God working in the most natural of ways. It points to the mystery of the incarnation, where God becomes one like us so that we can be like God.
Silent Night prompts us to recognize the tender beauty of the infant Jesus and the dignity of human nature itself. It moves us to welcome Jesus into our lives as we contemplate God himself as a little child. How blessed and privileged we are indeed that God himself would take on human flesh.
Our Lord did receive a warm, tender welcome from some as he arrived on this earth. The Blessed Virgin Mary consented to be the Mother of God in spite of her fears, trusting in the plan of God, offering her womb as the first tabernacle of Jesus. St. Joseph, chose to love and protect Mary, who was carrying a child who was not his own, and, in turn, providing both Jesus and Mary a welcoming home.
Simple shepherds were given the unique privilege as the first to know of the Lord’s nativity, and they welcomed him with due homage. As St. John Henry Newman said of the shepherds in his Christmas Sermon of 1843, “The shepherds, then, were chosen on account of their lowliness, to be the first to hear of the nativity, a secret which none of the princes of the world knew.” The Wise Men, following a star, saw the baby Jesus and worshipped him, offering him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Nevertheless, not all welcomed Jesus with the same tenderness as he entered our midst. We are all very aware that the tired, road-weary Holy Family was greeted at the inn in Bethlehem with the cold hard fact that there was “no room at the inn.” Shortly after the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt to protect Jesus from the murderous, envious wrath of King Herod, who, hearing of this newborn King of the Jews, sought to put him to death out of fear of losing his own power.
Looking at the life of Jesus, as a whole, he is often not welcomed, and, at times, scorned and rebuffed. Even in the prologue of St. John’s Gospel, we hear, “He came to his own home, and his own people received him not” (John 1:11). He was rejected in the synagogue of his hometown of Nazareth (Mt 13). He was essentially homeless at times: “Foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Mt 8:2). Throughout his public ministry he is often rejected by the leading men of his culture as they saw him as a threat to their authority or livelihood. And, of course, we note the ultimate rejection of Jesus, which led him to the cross.
As we look back on the treatment shown our Lord, it rightfully shocks, scandalizes us, and even angers us. In prayer, our conversation with God, we can make greater room for the Lord in our hearts, which is welcoming him in a real way. Through Eucharistic Adoration, as we look upon our Lord, we allow him to be first and foremost in our lives.
The fruit of prayer is love. As we deepen our love of Jesus, welcoming him more and more in our lives, it extends to a love of neighbor.
Just as Jesus was rejected in his time, there are many in our midst who are cast aside and forgotten. There are refugees, far from home, lost in a world they do not know. Many in nursing homes and private homes who have no friends or family experience loneliness which is often especially painful at Christmastime. There are many who are hurting, rejected or neglected and yet all people possess the inherent dignity of being a child of God, and they deserve our welcome.
As we recall the infant Jesus rejected by many around him, we note in our time the little ones who are most often cast aside and rejected among us and, thus, need our protection—the unborn.
The United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments Dec. 1 in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which concerns a Mississippi law banning abortion after 15 weeks. Legal pundits believe that there is a real possibility that the case Roe v. Wade will be overturned.
We should pray fervently for a ruling in this case which respects the dignity of unborn children. We have the duty in Christian charity to help mothers, fathers and children who are in need throughout their lives. We are blessed in the city of Lincoln with work of the Women’s Care Center, which provides free, confidential counseling, support and education for pregnant women. St. Gianna Women’s Homes assists women and their families fleeing domestic violence or who are being coerced into having an abortion.
During this Christmas season, I invite you to do something simple but profound: take some time to allow the infant Jesus to move your heart this Christmas.
This could take many forms. You could meditate on the infancy narratives of the Gospel, perhaps through a Lectio Divina. You could pick up reflections on Christmas by the saints or theologians, perhaps in Magnificat or other publications. Or, take some time and just observe a nativity scene at your local church or at home. Maybe due to all the busyness of the Christmas season, we fail to reflect on the deep mystery of it all.
On a purely natural level, the innocence, purity, and spontaneity of a little baby brings about peace and joy to those around them. If the Lord works naturally to bring about peace in our lives through little babies, it is fitting that God would become a little baby to usher in heavenly peace.
