Star of Bethlehem
Grotto of the Nativity of Jesus
“Because there was no room for them in the inn.”
That passage from Luke explains why Christ was born in the humblest, simplest setting, now enshrined in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
That passage from Luke was the Gospel for Christmas Mass, and Pope Benedict began his homily referring to it.
These words touch our hearts every time we hear them.
This was the moment that the angel had foretold at Nazareth…This was the moment that Israel had been awaiting for centuries, through many dark hours – the moment that all mankind was somehow awaiting…
He wove it into these times.
In some way, mankind is awaiting God, waiting for him to draw near. But when the moment comes, there is no room for him. Man is so preoccupied with himself, he has such urgent need of all the space and all the time for his own things, that nothing remains for others – for his neighbour, for the poor, for God. And the richer men become, the more they fill up all the space by themselves. And the less room there is for others.
He continued…
These words refer ultimately to us, to each individual and to society as a whole. Do we have time for our neighbour who is in need of a word from us, from me, or in need of my affection? For the sufferer who is in need of help? For the fugitive or the refugee who is seeking asylum? Do we have time and space for God? Can he enter into our lives? Does he find room in us, or have we occupied all the available space in our thoughts, our actions, our lives for ourselves?
Pope Benedict even probed consciences on how we’re doing with nature, the environment. He referred back to Gregory of Nyssa in an intriguing message tying together the different dwellings of life.
Thus, according to Gregory’s vision, the stable in the Christmas message represents the ill-treated world. What Christ rebuilds is no ordinary palace. He came to restore beauty and dignity to creation, to the universe: this is what began at Christmas and makes the angels rejoice. The Earth is restored to good order by virtue of the fact that it is opened up to God, it obtains its true light anew, and in the harmony between human will and divine will, in the unification of height and depth, it regains its beauty and dignity. Thus Christmas is a feast of restored creation.
What a beautiful message.
In the stable at Bethlehem, Heaven and Earth meet. Heaven has come down to Earth. For this reason, a light shines from the stable for all times; for this reason joy is enkindled there; for this reason song is born there.
Heaven does not belong to the geography of space, but to the geography of the heart. And the heart of God, during the Holy Night, stooped down to the stable: the humility of God is Heaven. And if we approach this humility, then we touch Heaven. Then the Earth too is made new.
Christmas blessings to all.
