Listening at the Crib

At Christmas time, we can imagine, in our mind’s eye, we are talking with Jesus, Mary and Joseph at the Crib. What might they say to us? The Gospel provides us with what we might hear.

Let’s start with Joseph. Pope Francis has a great regard for Joseph. He sees him as a “protector”, revealing our human vocation to protect the whole of creation, to protect each person, especially the poorest and to protect ourselves. I think Joseph would say to us: “Jesus will save you”. “No matter what situation you are in: trust him. He’ll save you.” Jesus’ name, in fact, means: God saves.

Mary would probably look us in the eyes and say: “Jesus will give you a new name”. This might surprise us. After all, we all have our names, Brendan, Catherine, John etc. But in the Bible, when it talks about giving someone a new name, it means that God is bringing about something new in a person’s life, in a people’s life. God is working to help us be fully fulfilled in our lives. In that sense, he is giving us a new name, our true self fully alive. In other words, in his great love, he is re-creating us all the time. Mary understands that better than anyone.

The third person who has something to say to us is the baby Jesus. Of course, he can’t really talk so we have to listen carefully to what he might want to say. Given he has come on earth for us, he would simply want to say: “I am with you and I will be with you”. As we read in the Gospel, Jesus is called “Emmanuel” a name which means “God is with us”. We know that just before he ascended into heaven, Jesus promised he would be with us until the end of time.

Let’s think about that. Jesus says “I am with you” and he promises to be with us always. Yes, we celebrate Jesus with us at Christmas. But everyday can be Christmas. Later on in his life, Jesus will say: “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them”. So he’s not just with us back 2000 years ago at the first Christmas, nor is just with us now in some vague way. He says “when we are gathered in his name”. What does “in his name” mean? It means when we try to live mutual love with one another – forgiving one another when a quarrel breaks out, looking out for one another, going the extra mile when we feel like giving up on one another.

I remember years ago attending a gathering where a married couple shared how they tried to live this mutual love all day long, beginning again when necessary. What they discovered, they said, was a new, invisible but real presence of Jesus among them in their relationship, in their family. That really struck me. Everyday can be Christmas if we love one another.

As we listen to these promises that are whispered to us from the Crib: “Jesus will save you”; “He will give you a new name” and Jesus’ own promise: “I will be with you”, let’s open the doors of our heart, our family, our home, and encounter Jesus, let him live among us through our love for one another so that others will encounter him through us.