Let us place ourselves in spirit near the Grotto of Bethlehem to hear that which the Child Jesus wishes to tell us.
Newsroom (28/12/2021 20:46, Gaudium Press) Christmas: a short, simple, and understandable word, yet filled with meaning. Its sonority is very similar in most languages and its resonance in the hearts of true Catholics is invariable: it speaks to us of joy, of innocence, of peace, of light; in short, it speaks to us of the birth of Jesus.
Moreover, Christmas is a pleasant date to remember from our childhood. How much joy we felt during the celebrations with the whole family gathered together; how much pleasure pervaded our souls when we opened the Christmas presents we had so long desired; what peace and tranquility we experienced when we knelt before the Blessed Sacrament and implored with piety all the graces we needed from the Child Jesus!
There is also something else that happens at Christmas: we sense that evil has lost its power, that sin has been conquered, and that a mysterious light is hovering over men, inviting them to peace, to joy, to conversion.
Truly, this is not a mere impression, it is reality!
The fullness of time
This happened at the very first Christmas when Our Lord was born on earth. As we know, God sent His Son into the world “when the fullness of time came” (Gal 4:4). Realistically, Our Lord could have been born in any other historical period; but He desired to come into the world “in the fullness of time”. Now, what does this fullness of time mean?
In the opening homily of Lent 2001, Pope St. John Paul II explained that “fullness of times” means the “favourable time […], that is, the time when God, through Jesus, ‘satisfied’ and ‘helped’ his people, fully realizing the promises of the Prophets.”[1]
Truly, the ancient world lived sunken in the corruption of manners never seen before: corroded by idolatry, hardness of heart, greed, cruelty, tyranny, and so many other vices. According to many commentators, this was the “darkness” in which the Saviour’s light shone, a darkness which could not overpower the Light of Christ, as St. John tells us (cf. Jn 1:5).
Therefore, “the fullness of time” is the moment when the darkness of evil seems to have conquered the world, but it is soon overcome by the power of God. Indeed, it was necessary that night should fall over the world so that the radiant Light of the Saviour might shine more brightly, for it is during the night that the Light shows all its splendour! And here we find a profound similarity between the period in which Our Lord chose to be born and our present day.
The twentieth century has been “characterized in a particular way by the mystery of iniquity.”[2] Our twenty-first century then… daily horrors multiply of themselves, both in quantity and in wickedness. But it is in the midst of such nefarious darkness that the Light of God begins to shine.
Two positions before the birth of Jesus
Our Lord, in His Divine Humility, chose a poor grotto on the outskirts of a small town in Judah to be born. His sojourn among men is very much like the way the star-king shines in the firmament: it does not appear suddenly, but little by little shines gently into the darkness of the night. When the moment of its maximum splendour arrives, no darkness dares try to prevent its brightness. In other words, the Light of the Lord has so overcome the darkness that all people have come to know the Faith. And faced with this Good News, there are only two positions to be taken: that of Herod or that of the Magi.
The first, Herod, besides having murdered many of his relatives, was not the legitimate king. The throne of Judah belonged to the line of David, from which St. Joseph was descended. As soon as Herod heard of the birth of our Lord, he began to plot His death. But since this impostor had chosen the way of darkness to extinguish the Light of Christ, he was already numbered among those who would be defeated by the omnipotent power of God.
In opposition to this usurper, we see the Magi. These holy men came from afar with their caravans to see, behold, and adore the King of kings. They sought to join the Light and, when it reached its maximum brightness, they also participated in its victory.
A light begins to shine
This can also be applied to our days. It is true – in this 21st century the darkness becomes denser and denser, and the usurpers and impostors multiply their crimes each day. However, it is much more true that a discreet Light, created to take over the whole Earth, begins to shine. It casts its brilliant rays on all men and women, inviting them to join it in the struggle against the darkness of sin and evil.
Which path shall we choose? That of Herod, of the impostors, of darkness and defeat? Or shall we choose that of the Magi, of Christ, of light and victory? We know that those who choose God’s ways will soon be able to cry out: “The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it”. (Jn 1:5).
By Lucas Rezende
[JOHN PAUL II. Homily at Mass on Ash Thursday, 28/2/2001.
[2] JOHN PAUL II. Homily in Krakow, 18/8/200
Compiled by Sandra Chisholm
