None of us, the people living on earth today, remembers – and cannot
remember – from which glory our forefather Adam fell off once. However, the
fact that the fall occurred, the fact that something irreversible happen to the
humankind, the fact that the man fell from the great height to the dreadful
depth – this fact is known to all the peoples and every civilization tried to
find the answer about the reasons of that universal catastrophe.
However, no matter what guess about those reasons
people had, the Lord came to His creature Himself; He gave the answers to all
the bothering questions of being by Himself; He brought Himself and placed His
Blood and Body in people’s hands. And the bright time of the Nativity of Christ
came. Christ came to this world and brought light as it is said in the Book of
Isaiah: “The people who walked in
darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of
death, upon them a light has shined” (Isaiah 9:2). The Mother of God served
the great mystery: She sacrificed Herself to God, Who would sacrifice Himself
to people.
According to the Gospel story, Virgin Mary was about to
give birth right at the time when Roman emperor Augustus issued an edict annoncing the beginning of the general census of the Roman Empire population. Many people had to come back
to their native cities and villages to participate in the census in the place
of their origin. Virgin Mary and Joseph arrived to Bethlehem, the land of
David, but they just could not find a place to stay because there were too many
people in the city. They had to stay in a den, where shepherds used to shelter
with their cattle from bad weather.
Here, in the most “humble” place, in the most
miserable and poor place, in the most remote place of the Roman Empire,
Virgin Mary gave birth to Her Son, the King of the kings and the Lord of the
lords, to Whom all the heavenly forces serve with trembling. As it is sung in
one of the old Russian Christmas chants, “there was no gold at all where He was
lying in His cradle”. Jesus Christ came to this world not to reign over people
although He was the King of Israel, but to serve and sacrifice Himself for the
salvation of many others.
How did that event affect Virgin Mary? Was she waiting
with joy and trembling for the coming of the Divine Infant? With hope and concern
at the same time? “But Mary kept all
these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). The Gospel does
not tell us about the feelings and worries of the Mother of God throughout Her
whole life. In general, we know rather little about Her. However, as Fr.
Alexander Schmemann wrote, even if we knew absolutely nothing about the Mother
of God except that She was called Mary, the Church would anyway surround
Her with love, loyalty and respect.
And now Mary’s Son is lying in the manger, warming by
the breathing of the ox and donkey, while his blessed Mother is looking at Him
with love. In this image, the humanity will see so much warmth, love and hope
that it will remain in people’s minds forever. No matter how the enemies strive
to burn this image out of the human’s memory and history, it will never happen.
“For unto us a Child is born, unto 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. Of the increase of His government and
peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to
order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward,
even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:6-7).
The word
of St. Gregory the
Theologian:
“O new commingling; O strange conjunction; the
Self-Existent comes into being, the Uncreated is created. That which cannot be
contained is contained... He Who gives riches becomes poor, for He assumes the
poverty of my flesh, that I may assume the richness of His Godhead. He that is
full empties Himself… What are the riches of His Goodness? What is this mystery
that is around me?.. He partakes of my flesh that He may both save the image
and make the flesh immortal”.
Reflections
in the Church tradition:
Kontakion
— Tone 3
Today the Virgin gives birth to the Transcendent One,
and the earth offers a cave to the Unapproachable One! Angels with shepherds
glorify Him! The wise men journey with a star! Since for our sake the Eternal
God was born as a Little Child!
End of Part IV
To be continued…
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