16th December
A CHRISTMAS NOVENA
I. The Cave of Bethlehem
1. Why, asked Bossuet, should the Eternal Word of God, infinitely and everlastingly happy, have deigned to assume in time the fallen state of humanity? Why should He have chosen as the scene of His miraculous life of love this insignificant world, a planet almost imperceptible among the myriads of gigantic heavenly bodies ? It was for the very same reason, Bossuet replied, that prompted Him, once He had become man, to choose as His birthplace the tiny and unknown village of Nazareth in Galilee rather than Rome, the centre of power, or Athens, the centre of learning, or Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Israel. Our world is the Nazareth of creation, one of the smallest planets in the firmament.
God did not even choose, moreover, to be born in the poor but comparatively comfortable house at Nazareth. He preferred to be born in the strange town of Bethlehem. It was the cradle of His ancestral line, but it gave Him no welcome and compelled Him to be born in a cold and squalid barn on the straw of a manger. God had no heed of human grandeur. His power and majesty shone more brightly through the insignificance of the objects and means which He employed in order to fulfil His purpose. It would be ridiculous to imagine even for a moment that He had any need of human aid in order to accomplish His designs. God chooses the weak things of the world in order to confound the strong. (Missale Romanum, Miss. Virg. et Mart)
2. Jesus had another reason for electing to be born in the wretched cave at Bethlehem. He desired to begin His earthly life with a striking lesson in humility. Since this virtue is the basis of the spiritual life, it was the first which He wished to teach us. He taught it in deed from the very beginning, long before He taught it in word when He said: “Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.” (Mt. 11:29) Not only did He, the omnipotent and infinite God, become a little child, but He was born in such poverty that He had not even a house in which to shelter nor a cradle in which to lie. This should be an eloquent lesson for us who are always thinking of our own comfort and of worldly appearances. Let us go in spirit to the stable in Bethlehem and bow before this mystery of love. Let us promise Jesus to return His love as ardently and as sincerely as we are able.
3. The main resolution which we should make at the foot of the manger is one of humility. We should be humble in mind because we should remember that we are nothing without God and that everything which we have comes from Him. In fact, we are less than nothing, for our physical and spiritual gifts have been given to us by God, whereas our sins belong entirely to ourselves. We should also be humble of heart. We should be innocent and simple like children, as the Gospel commands, trusting and loving so that we may be worthy of God's favours and consolations. Unless we acquire the innocence and humility of spiritual childhood, we cannot be pleasing to God.
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