Reflections on the Nativity

Nativity painted by DH's maternal grandmother.

This Advent has been quite fruitful and rather well, revealing. The night prayer and daily examination has been really good for my soul as is the monthly confession. The revealing part is that I could probably go to confession weekly. Do I need the grace! I have been working hard on preparing my heart for the Christ child but it just feels so sinful and unworthy. But the Feast of the Nativity isn't about me, it's about Him.

While at my adoration hour, I read the Nativity reflection in the book, Rosary: Mysteries, Meditations, and the Telling of the Beads by Kevin Orlin Johnson, PhD. The reflection is an historical, sociological, cultural and spiritual review. Many things I didn't know, like Christmas wasn't celebrated until after 650 AD and even then it wasn't a major holiday. There were many reasons for this such as paganism being more popular than Christianity and the Christians had to wait to place Christmas at the proper time in the calendar year so it wouldn't get lost among the other pagan holidays. So, we have much to be thankful for in terms of being about the celebrate Christian feasts in the world today.

The major point by the author is that the Nativity shows us how marvelous God is and how much He loves us, to send us His only Son. God followed the natural order of the Earth, bringing His Son to us via the womb of a real human woman. He did breathe life into that womb, but He was brought into the world by natural means, "and he arrived as what is the most beautiful and fragile in human life, a baby, so that we would not be dazzled by His splendor but move to love Him." Yes, moved to love Him. There is something so beautiful, vulnerable, and lovable about a baby. How truly amazing that God came to us as something so easy to love. God's natural order is full of splendor and awe. And that I try not to question and just respect. So, like Mary I strive to love Christ and be completely open to His will for my life.

May God spread great blessings on you and your families this Christmas.