Quote of the day, 24 December: Bishop Silvio José Báez, ocd

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace for those he favours” (Lk 2:14). These words conclude tonight’s Gospel reading for this holy night of Christmas. They are the joyful proclamation of the angels who praise God at the birth of Jesus, the Savior. Heaven lifts up its voice. The interpretation of what was unfolding that night in the humble inn of Bethlehem could only come from on high. Only God himself, through his angels, could lead us into the grandeur of this mystery of love and tenderness: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace for those he favours.”

The birth of the Child is a manifestation of God’s glory. In Scripture, God’s glory is his loving and saving power poured out for humanity. It is not vanity, not a self-centered display of greatness, nor a boastful show of power. God reveals his glory by loving us and giving us life. He revealed his glory in creating the universe for humanity’s sake, as the psalmist says: “The heavens declare the glory of God, the vault of heaven proclaims his handiwork” (Ps 19:1). Similarly, the Lord “covered himself in glory” when he liberated the Israelites from Pharaoh’s power, leading them through the sea on their way to the land of freedom (cf. Ex 15:1). God is glorified when he creates and when he saves. His glory is revealed in the universe and in history. He shows his glory by giving us space and time to live, but also by delivering us from every form of slavery so that we may live as free men and women.

The space of his glory is not only the heavens but, above all, a humble manger in the village of Bethlehem. His birth is not a resounding event like the Israelites crossing the sea. Yet tonight, from the modest inn of Bethlehem, God’s glory is revealed. This is the great mystery we celebrate at Christmas: the Almighty has made himself little; the Eternal has become mortal; the Omnipotent has become weak; the Holy One has become the friend of sinners; the Invisible has made himself visible. From the night of Bethlehem onward, God is not only present among us but he is one of us: sharing in our humanity, the brother of every human being in the world.

In the Child, we contemplate God’s glory—not the glory of a strong, powerful, and demanding God, but the glory of a God who is small, weak, vulnerable, and in need. He has come with great simplicity, humility, and meekness. God does not impose himself or dominate us. “He makes himself small, he becomes a child, so as to attract us with love, to touch our hearts with his humble goodness; to unsettle, with his poverty, those who scramble to accumulate the false treasures of this world” (Pope Francis, December 18, 2015).

God was born fragile, like us, in Bethlehem, to understand us and stand by our side, consoling us and filling us with joy. He was born full of tenderness to give us his forgiveness and to set us free from all our enslavements. He was born as our brother so that we might love our humanity and recognize that every human being is a brother or sister to be welcomed and loved, not a rival or enemy to be defeated and subdued. He was born bringing light to the night, instilling the hope that the injustice prevailing in our society today will not last forever. He was born poor so that we might welcome God in the poor, in those who weep, who are lonely, and those deprived of freedom and dignity. In them, God comes to meet us. For this reason alone, Christmas comes to us only if we are in solidarity with the most marginalized and forgotten people, the victims of injustice and the wickedness of worldly powers.

On the night of Bethlehem, the glory of the Lord shone brightly. We are no longer lost in immense solitude or submerged in total darkness. God has entered history to share our life. With him, we can be reborn; his presence rekindles joy, hope, and fellowship. Only the Child of Bethlehem, from his birth to his death, speaks to us of God and reveals God to us through his life, words, actions, and acts of tenderness. With his hands embracing and healing, with his body offered and surrendered to humanity, on the cross he became a victim of the unjust powers of this world. The Child of Bethlehem is the same Christ who was crucified on Calvary and rose in glory, conquering the world’s injustice, violence, and sin! This is why the night of Bethlehem points us to another night, the night of Easter. In both, God says the same thing: “Be not afraid.” He doesn’t want us to be afraid; he wants us to have no fear. In Bethlehem, the Child smiles at us, conveying his tenderness; at Easter, the Risen One looks at us with mercy, freeing us from despair, evil, and sin.

Let’s experience this Eucharist with the same gaze as the Virgin Mary, who—filled with wonder—contemplated the mystery and, with her heart overflowing with joy, embraced the child of her womb. May she, who “was able to turn a stable into a home for Jesus with poor swaddling clothes and an abundance of love” (Evangelii Gaudium 286), help us to welcome the glory of the Lord manifested in the Child of Bethlehem. He is “the Savior,” the only one in whom we can place our ultimate hope. May his glory enlighten our hearts and guide our steps.

Silvio José Báez, o.c.d.

Auxiliary Bishop of Managua
Homily, The Nativity of the Lord
Christmas 2018, Mass during the Night

Translation from the Spanish text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: This icon of the Nativity comes from St. Paul Orthodox Church in Dayton, Ohio. The iconographer is Dmitry Shkolnik. Image credit: Fr. Ted Bobosh / Flickr (Some rights reserved)

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