Swaddling clothes humanizes us

The gospel of the Midnight Mass of the Nativity of our Lord tells us that Mary “ wrapped him [Jesus] in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them at the inn ” . Swaddling clothes convey the idea of warmth and tenderness.

This is very telling in the light of the background against which the birth of Jesus takes place. Everything about that background speaks of “coldness” – people caught in the rush of returning to their respective residences on account of Quirinius' census, the night was dark and wintry, the inn was full, and all that was found to lay Jesus in was an animal trough made not of wood, as is often portrayed in crèche scenes, but concrete.

Amidst this “cold” background St Luke presents us with an image of warmth and tenderness: a young, inexperienced but caring teenaged mother, a vigilant and doting father, curious shepherds and “ swaddling clothes ”, what we in the country called “bedding” – scraps of used clothing, perhaps not always the cleanest, but warm and comfy.

The manger scene therefore is a metaphor of the world and a sign of redemption. The world because of sin is often seen as a cold and alienating place. This is captured in the Hail Holy Queen : we are “ poor banished children of Eve ” who await our return to our true homeland after “ our exile ” on earth.

Yet it was into this harsh world God came, to offer us a way of humanising it. The means of humanising the world is the life Jesus lived. But Jesus could not do so unless he himself was helped by his parents, first of all by the love and care he experienced at their hands.

The humaniser therefore needed to be humanised first; he had to be “ wrapped in swaddling clothes ” – physically, psychologically, emotionally. Only after being wrapped in swaddling clothes could Jesus face the harsh realities of what often seems like a cruel world.

This is very important when we consider our spiralling levels of crime. High crime rates do not drop from the skies; they are the result of a complex interplay of factors. One of these factors affecting particularly the young Trinidadian male is the lack of affection in his childhood years.

Unfortunately, with many fathers absent and mothers abroad eking out a living in the US , children are left to fend for themselves and construct a value system suited to their battered ego. Some years ago, there was protracted violence in Gunhill, Cap-de-ville, about two miles just outside Point Fortin.

After observing the violence in the area for some time Fr Jimmy Peters, then parish priest of Point Fortin decided to pay the area a visit. He met with some of the so-called criminals and concluded that they were really young, abandoned men crying out for affection.

This is the story of so many young Trinidadian men. Amidst the “coldness” of poverty, unemployment and fragmented family life, there is no one to wrap them in swaddling clothes. Instead, they are wrapped in the illusory comforts of Nike, Tommy and Jordan in barrels coming from New York.

As we celebrate Christmas, let us remember that the wintry nights will always be with us, but let us brave the chill with the warmth of Jesus' life.

Let us turn away from the cold commercialisation of Christmas and remember to wrap our children in love, compassion, generosity, respect for others and a sense of justice.

Lord, we thank you for Jesus and Mary who in their poverty did not fail to give Jesus all that was needed for him to develop into a well-balanced and compassionate human being.
We thank you that he in turn wrapped people in swaddling clothes and laid them in a manger even when the inn rejected them.

We ask you to forgive us for being sucked into the commercialisation of Christmas, for spending too much time wrapping gifts for people who already have plenty, and forgetting our obligations to the poor and needy for whom the wintry night of indifference is a daily experience.

Help us to spend quality time with our children, wrapping them in swaddling clothes, so that when the chills of life hit them they will not be frozen to death but rather, like on that first Christmas night, let the Christ in them shine for all the world to see.
We pray that families may not use poverty as an excuse for not having swaddling clothes; help us to know that “bedding” is always available, and with these we can make children feel loved, accepted and affirmed. Amen.

Gospel meditations for the month of December are by Fr Martin Sirju, parish priest of Princes Town.