The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
and the calf and the lion and the fatling
together,
and a little child
shall lead them. (Isaiah 11:6)
One Sunday morning, as I stood at the entrance to the church,
waiting for Mass to end, I stood near a mom bouncing her small child. The little fellow had already finished his
worship of the Lord in the Holy Eucharist, obviously, because he was making
inarticulate shouts of curiosity or desire in various directions.
So, being a typical grown-up, I started making faces to get his
attention. He was transfixed. The combination of the silly faces and the
silly hat with the pompom took everything else off his mind, if only for a
while. It was great fun, and very
reassuring, to know that this little child found me worthy of his attention. That scenario replays itself over and over as
otherwise dignified adults make goofy fools of themselves, in public or
private, when confronted with a baby.
And so Our Lord comes to us as a baby, as a little child. He Is not impressed by most of the things by
which we set such great stock. No, He
takes delight in us, in the very reality of our existence. He more than repays any attention we manage
to give Him.
Even from his very birth, then, Jesus, the Word become flesh,
reveals His Father to us, showing us the God that takes delight in our being
who we are, being present and attentive to Him.
The child in the manger is not only the fulfillment of God’s desire to
save us, He is the expression of His eternal desire to be with us. He wants to be with us because He knows us
and loves as and, yes, finds each one of us deeply delightful.
Back in the early 1400’s in Italy, Gentile da Fabriano captured
this truth in his art. In his painting
of the Adoration of the Magi, the Virgin Mary is dandling the child on her lap
as the three richly robed kings approach, each proffering his costly gift. The first of the kings to reach the child,
having doffed his crown, is crawling on his hands and knees, in obvious
reverent awe of the newborn king. He
lifts his lips to venerate the tiny, royal toe.
The child Jesus, meanwhile, looks back at this dignified, respectful
figure, and cooing with amusement, reaches out to pat the patriarch’s shiny
bald pate.
The juxtaposition of the dignity and the delight is
marvelous. Now, if that king had any
vanity at all – pretty likely, I’d say – he did not glory in his baldness. No matter; Jesus glories in it, because Jesus
glories in him.
One of the blessings of having been your pastor here for so long,
is that I can follow children from the time that they are simply “good news” joyfully
shared, to miracles bundled and presented, then as they grow and blossom into
much, much more. What I get to see is
not only splendid individuals taking shape in the sight of God and man, but
also families transformed. I see mom and
dad, brother and sister taking new shape in relation to this one soul whom they
once welcomed as almost an alien.
Because of the child -- sibling or son or daughter -- every
member, every life, becomes more itself:
stronger, brighter, and more beautiful. And
suddenly it is impossible not only for us to think of them without their
younger members, but also they could not think of themselves otherwise. Because from this one who came to them small
and helpless, who required that they put aside their plans and their dignity,
and give over their full attention, they have received something they cannot
name or quantify. It is the experience
of being loved.
For to us a child is
born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and
his name will be called "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)
Once years ago, we had a parishioner here who had come to
Washington to work for the good of the nation at the center of her
governance. He had married his college
sweetheart shortly after their graduation, which set him apart from most of his
coworkers, who included some married folks, but they had married much
older. Then, he told me, when he had his
first child, there was outright shock and some ridicule, for almost none of
them had children at all. These are the people who are running our
country, he emphasized in alarm – the
staffers and advisors who make our government do what our government does! I thought it explained a lot, actually.
In this world that for some people is too crowded, and for some
people is too lonely, the Christ child lying in the manger is both liberation
and reassurance. The eyes of a child
liberate us from our own pretensions, and reassure us of our true
identity. When the child’s eyes see with
the light of God’s own knowledge of us, there is no possibility of pretense,
and we know that we are seen for who we truly are, and loved.
Thank God we have so many families here who welcome children as a
gift and blessing. It takes our
attention, all of us, off our own selves and our own self-image, and helps us
to brighten up and open up and rejoice in the gift of being seen by a little
child. So many times, a couple with their
first child has approached us for Baptism, and expressed nervousness about
attending Mass. I laugh and assure them,
oh, don’t you worry. There is room at
Saint Bernadette for your baby! I think
you know what I mean.
We as a parish, as a family before God, receive insight from all
these children into who we are in the eyes of God. And whether it comes from their total
dependence, or from their ability to make us look like fools, it is a gift I am
so glad you share with me.
So in this holy time, as you kneel down the living God, know that He
is in fact looking back at you. That is
why He came, to see you and be with you and find joy in you. Don’t be self-conscious about your hair or
your teeth or what you have to say. Just
give Him all your attention, because that is the best way to hold His
attention. And know that the God of
heaven and earth is transfixed by the wonder of your existence, and wants this intimacy
of delight never, ever to end.
And the angel said to
them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy
which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of
David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you
will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." (Luke
2:9)
Now, I am not the only one
around here who can be a little silly sometimes, and who is grateful to if
there is a baby nearby to serve as an excuse.
But I won’t name names -- about that, anyway. Nonetheless, Father Gallaugher and Father Markey,
Delfina, Jackie, Carol, Norma, and Dao, and the whole lot of us here in the
rectory, want you to know of our joy to be with you, and our prayer that you be
graced to bask today and always in the joy of God-with-us, the child
Jesus. May his tiny hand and sparkling
eyes bless you and all your dear ones with confidence in His love. Merry Christmas!
Monsignor Smith
