by Bishop James Conley
There is something very wonderful about the Midnight Mass at Christmas. At that hour of the night, when the world has drawn still and darkness shrouds creation, and silence has fallen over the earth, Christians make their way to the parish church to celebrate the birth of the savior. The warmth and light of the church shines out through the stained glass and penetrates this darkness like a beacon in the night, hearkening people to within.
Then, the singing begins. We join our voices to the angels and proclaim the Gloria in Excelsis Deo with the heavenly hosts, proclaiming that our God has come down from his heavenly throne to become one with us, taking on human flesh and becoming a child. Light has shown through the darkness, hope has dawned, and joy has entered the world.
It is during this Mass that we hear from the words of the prophet Isaiah, 600 years before the birth of this child, foretelling a future Messiah who will be named: “Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.” When we hear these titles, one might imagine a powerful figure appearing in a cloud of Divine Glory, as we read in the Book of Revelation.
Yet, that is not how the Messiah appeared 2,000 years ago. He came as an “infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” Our Lord did not deem his divinity and power as something he needed to cling to, but he humbled himself and became a little child (Philippians 2:6-8).
This is a stark contrast from the presumption that the Messiah would be a mighty warrior, sent by God to liberate his people from their enemies. To be sure, the Messiah did come to destroy the Evil One and to vanquish sin, but he didn’t come in the way that anyone expected: as a simple child.
In doing so, God is teaching us a valuable lesson. The littleness of a child is not beneath him. No stage of human life is too insignificant for him. He was not afraid to be vulnerable. God was not constrained by the weakness of his frail humanity in those first moments of his life on earth but was able to touch the lives of so many despite his powerlessness in the eyes of the world.
God asks us to become like little children. He asks us to let go of our ungodly self-reliance, forsaking our egos and pride, and to have confidence in our identity as his sons and daughters, letting go of those things that keep us from becoming like the child of Bethlehem: little in the eyes of the world, but filled with mighty strength under the gaze of our heavenly Father.
There is a magnificent basilica in Bethlehem built over the very spot where Jesus was born. To enter the Church of the Nativity, one must stoop to pass through the main entrance which is a small door about 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide. This entrance was originally built by the Crusaders in ancient times to prevent people from driving their carts and riding their horses into the church.
Today’s caretakers of the Church of the Nativity don’t really have to worry about people trying to drive carts or ride horses into the church. However, those tiny doors do remind us to keep something else from entering the spot where Jesus was born: our own pride and egos.
Today, the main entrance to the church is called “The Door of Humility” because when you pass through it, you must bow to enter.
As we enter our parish churches for Christmas Mass this year, let us think of the door of humility. May the Christ-child fill your hearts with peace, hope and joy this Christmas season. May he banish any fears of insecurity in your hearts. And may you, too, become like a little child under the gaze of the Father, giving him permission to protect and nurture you as his own, and bring you to the promise of eternal life to come.
To an open house in the evening
Home shall men come,
To an older place than Eden
And a taller town than Rome.
To the end of the way of the wondering star,
To the things that cannot be and that are,
And all men are at home.
The House of Christmas
G.K. Chesterton
