Christmas Day
Readings: Isaiah 52:7–10, Psalm 97(98):1–6, Hebrews 1:1–6, John 1:1–18
25 December 2024
Today a great light has shone down upon the earth. cf. IS 9:1
Today’s Gospel for the Mass During the Day is John’s Prologue: “In the beginning was the Word: and the Word was with God and the Word was God” (Jn 1:1). But you may not hear it at Mass. Many priests exercise their prerogative, “for pastoral reasons”, to instead use the Midnight Mass readings. John’s Prologue is beautiful, but compared to Luke’s story of shepherds and angels, it isn’t very “Christmassy”.
Some Christians are wary of the so-called Christmassy. They fear it romanticises the cold realities of the Nativity and diminishes the significance of the Incarnation. But attraction to the Christmassy is well explained by today’s Gospel Acclamation: “A hallowed day has dawned upon us. Come, you nations, worship the Lord, for today a great light has shone down upon the earth.”
Doesn’t this verse, which echoes Isaiah, also echo something in our hearts? Don’t we long for people everywhere to treat Jesus well? We want the whole world to welcome him with the same affection as Mary and Joseph. We gild the cold indifference of those who do not know him, who do not love him, with carols and trees and lights and everything else Christmassy. This is not a naïve denial of the dark and cold; it is an affirmation of something greater: divine light and warmth.
Lord Jesus, you are a light that shines in the dark. Make us bearers of your light and warmth. Amen.
Fr John Corrigan
Artist Spotlight
Nativity and Annunciation to the Shepherds by Bernardino Luini (1480–1532)
Nativity and Annunciation to the Shepherds (c. 1520–1525). Oil on panel, 222cm x 165 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris, France. Public Domain.
Russia is no stranger to literature. From its treasure trove comes a beautiful poem called, A Legend from Russia, about a grandmother called Babushka. She is about to retire for the night, “When out of the winter’s rush and roar, came shepherds knocking upon her door.” They tell her that a royal child has just been born in Bethlehem. Would she come and help? Babushka is a kind lady, but likes her comfort. It’s cold outside. She’ll go tomorrow. “Wait till then. But sternly the shepherds knocked again.” They only asked for a basket “with comforting gifts, with meat or bread, and we will carry it in your stead.” Again, she says, “tomorrow.”
And she’s as good as her word. The next day she packs a basket: “A shawl for the Lady, soft as June; for the child in the crib, a silver spoon, rattles and toys and an ivory game. But the stable was empty when she came.”
How often is this our story! We find not empty stables, but empty lives. We wait too late—too late to tell others we love them, too late to mend a quarrel, too late to enjoy the gift of our children or of our parents. Too late to enjoy the gift of today. Too late to find Christ—for he is found in these moments of love and forgiveness, these people and lives. It is the sad cry of mankind at Christmas as we look around at faces missing.
What happened to Babushka? The poem ends by picturing her wandering the world looking for the Christ child. Does she ever find him? She finds children on their mother’s knees. She leaves gifts with each infant, hoping it is the Christ child, and it is! For Jesus still lives on earth. He is born, he suffers, he dies each day in the members of his Body, the Church. It may be hard to believe, but our broken humanity is the hiding place of divinity. We need search the world no longer looking for Christ this Christmas time, as does Babushka, for Christ is wherever we are. He is present in the accustomed places, of course— the Scriptures, the Blessed Sacrament—but he is also present in ourselves, in the poor, in all those whom love has gathered around us.
And let’s not fool ourselves that the “poor” means the materially poor. Sometimes they receive more help than the real poor—the sick, the lonely, those we, ourselves, have made poor by our lack of love.
Let us ask Christ to help us not to waste a minute of the coming year; that in 2025 we will find them every day—in Scripture, in Sacrament, in family, in friends, in good, and in bad.
Born near Lake Maggiore in northern Italy, Bernardino Luini (+1532) remains a somewhat enigmatic figure, with limited information available about his life. It is documented that in 1521, he journeyed to Rome where he was deeply impacted by the artistic style of Raphael. The bulk of his panel paintings are centred around religious themes. His Nativity and Annunciation to the Shepherds (c. 1520–1525) can be found in the Louvre. Each figure in the painting is softly illuminated by a gentle light. Mary’s visage reflects the influence of Raphael, and both she and Joseph gaze upon the scene with adoration and awe, mirroring the two angels above. The ox and ass provide warmth to the baby with their breath. Of course, we don’t know what animals, if any, may have been at the manger. Artists by custom refer to a quote from the prophet Isaiah: “The ox knows its owner and the ass its master’s crib, Israel does not know, my people do not understand” (Is 1:3).
In contrast to the angelic choir above, Luini attaches great symbolism to the small angels in the lower left of the picture. They foretell the coming doom—one holds the cross, the other wraps the baby in a foreshadowing of the shroud. In fact, the whole composition is dominated by the cross beams of the stable. The shepherds in the upper right-hand corner, hearing the Good News of salvation, will soon be on their way.
Monsignor Graham Schmitzer
Fr John Corrigan is an assistant priest in the Diocese of Ballarat, ministering in the parish of Sunraysia, centred on Mildura, Victoria. He is known for his Blog of a Country Priest and regular appearances on Network Ten and Foxtel’s Mass For You At Home.
Monsignor Graham Schmitzer, retired parish priest of Immaculate Conception Parish in Unanderra, NSW, was ordained in 1969 and served in many parishes in the Diocese of Wollongong. He was chancellor and secretary to Bishop William Murray for 13 years. Raised in Port Macquarie and educated by the Sisters of St Joseph of Lochinvar, he worked for the Department of Attorney General and Justice before entering St Columba’s College in 1962. He enjoys travelling and visiting major European art galleries.
With thanks to the Diocese of Wollongong, who have supplied this reflection from their publication, The Light: Advent and Christmas Daily Reflections 2024. Reproduced with permission.
