The Nativity of Our Lord

Gospel Reading: Luke 2:1-20

1 Now at this time Caesar Augustus issued a decree for a census of the whole world to be taken.
2 This census - the first - took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria,
3 and everyone went to his own town to be registered.
4 So Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee and travelled up to Judaea, to the town of David called Bethlehem, since he was of David's House and line,
5 in order to be registered to­gether with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
6 While they were there the time came for her to have her child,
7 and she gave birth to a son, her first-born. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them at the inn.
8 ln the countryside close by there were shepherds who lived in the fields and took it in turns to watch their flocks during the night.
9 The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone round them. They were terrified,
10 but the angel said, 'Do not be afraid. Listen, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people.
11 Today in the town of David a saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
12 And here is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger
13 And suddenly with the angel there was a great throng of the heavenly host, praising God and singing:
14 Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace to men who enjoy his favour.'
15 Now when the angels had gone from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us
 16 So they hurried away and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger.
17 When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him,
18 and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds had to say.
19 As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen; it was exactly as they had been told.

Meditation

This well-known story is very rich so we will focus on some aspects only, staying with Mary's perspective, especially in verses 6 to 7, and 16 to 20.

In verses 6 and 7 Luke tells us that Mary gave birth 'when the time came for her to have her child. Contrary to the popular interpretation, he indicates no regret that there was no room in the inn. All happened as was foretold.

To understand the significance of verse 19, it is important to note that the Greek word which we translate as ‘things’ is rhema, which means both ‘word’ and ‘event’. Mary, through her interior attitude of respectful listening, turns the event into a sacred word.

‘Nothing happens before its time.’  Trinidadian saying

Lord, we pray for those who are involved in lofty projects and becoming impatient:

• parish youth leaders who are not getting co-operation;
• a new party that has won no seats in the elections;
• parents who are trying in vain to dialogue with their teenagers.

Help them to remember Mary and how, when the time came for her to have her child, she gave birth to a son.
She was at peace, felt no great concern
That there was no room for them in the inn, merely  wrapped her child in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger.
Lord, these days we are all very busy. 
At work or in school
We have to expend much effort to achieve success.
At home we are bombarded with information from television and radio.
We have time only for the sensational and we allow the ordinary events of life to come and go:

• the signs of maturity in our children;
• the life crises of those close to us;
• new stirrings of resentment or of hope among ordinary peo­ple in our country.

Even in our relationship with you we concentrate on the miraculous and the extraordinary, glorify and praise you because things turn out exactly as we were told they would.

Mary teaches us, on the contrary, to see in every event a call to grow, a sacred word you speak to us, to be welcomed as a treasure and pondered in our hearts, reflected on and integrated into our consciousness.

Lord, help us to be more like Mary. ‘My cell will not be one of stone or wood, but of self-knowledge’
St Catherine of Siena

Lord, we thank you for all the contemplatives in the world, those in enclosed convents, and those called, like Mary, to live in their families and in secular surroundings.