Day 74: The Christmas Mystery

The coming of God's Son to earth is an event of such immensity that God willed to prepare for it over centuries. He makes everything converge on Christ: all the rituals and sacrifices, figures and symbols of the "First Covenant". He announces him through the mouths of the prophets who succeeded one another in Israel. Moreover, he awakens in the hearts of the pagans a dim expectation of this coming. CCC 522

In today's reading, the Catechism delves into the mystery of Christmas: the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As can be seen in the quote above, God prepared for this momentous event over a period of time. Through "the mouths of prophets" and stirrings "in the hearts of the pagans" the coming of His Son slowly was building up until that glorious day. The story of the visit of the Magi should really come as no surprise in light of this (Matt 2:1-12). In the Church, we prepare for the Christmas season with Advent. As the Catechism Companion, Vol I notes:

During the season of Advent, we celebrate Jesus' original coming at the first Christmas, prepare for his second coming at the end of time, and live out his moment-to-moment coming into our lives now - in prayer and the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. (p. 152)

In immediate preparation for the first time was the ministry of St. John the Baptist, that "voice of one crying out in the desert" (Matt 3). As the Catechism notes, he "bears witness to Christ in his preaching, by his Baptism of conversion, and through his martyrdom" (CCC 523). We too can prepare for the coming of Christ, at least the second coming, by echoing him in saying "He must increase; I must decrease.” (Jn 3:30).

We ask the Lord to reign and be glorified in our lives. "Only when Christ is formed in us will the mystery of Christmas be fulfilled in us" (CCC 526). When Jesus is formed in us, we become more deeply and fully conformed to the mystery of his divinity within us. Becoming a child in relation to God is the condition for entering the kingdom. (p. 152)

As far as the Christmas story itself from Scripture, the Catechism only briefly mentions that He "was born in a humble stable, into a poor family" and that shepherds were the first witnesses to this. I do like the line that "In this poverty heaven's glory was made manifest" (CCC 525). A good book I just finished reading called Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes has some good insights on this I recommend reading (see pp. 25-37). Basically, there is good reason to believe that the manger he was born in was actually a guest room in a poor house. Jimmy Akin has something similar but slightly different on this.

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