CIRCLE OF WARMTH

Pope declares …“no animals at the birth of Jesus!” This comment reported by a multitude of news agencies. Could this be possible?

During the Christmas season I display a number of manger scenes collected over the years. Children invariably move the animals right next to the Baby Jesus.

 In the past I had been present at a Christmas day Mass when the new Bishop of Orlando, Bishop John Noonan, was the celebrant and homilist. There is a formality and ritual that arrives with a Bishop, but grace and humility arrived with him as well. His words left me with a vivid picture of Mary, Joseph, and the animals… their breath and bodies providing warmth for this new babe.

 Small children probably “get” the importance of the animals. Mary and Joseph would more than likely think of stepping back  if the animals  provided more heat to their new infant… something that as parents,…as imperfect as we are… might also do under those circumstances. Often we see Baby Jesus surrounded by Mary and the animals,…with Joseph as protector of this tiny circle. Is this not true for many dads who shepherd our families, sacrificing their own needs, for their wife and children, and protecting us from the “cold”?

So, here was this little family, all present to one another.  Mary, Joseph, God made manifest…and the animals… all supporting one another…the first circle of warmth.

When that circle was complete, the shepherds appeared with their sheep, giving honor and additional warmth to the little family. They had been guided by the light above, and came to pay homage. Their hearts were open. They had little material gifts to give, but came to the table of our Lord anyway.

Additional warmth arrived when the Magi appeared with their camels. These astronomers had much to give in the way of material gifts – gold, frankincense and myrrh – but their hearts were also open to the New Savior  as they too had been guided by the star.

The “no animals at the birth of Jesus”, controversy came from the third book of “Jesus of Nazareth …the infancy narratives”, written by Pope Benedict XVI. The book was a scholarly look at what we know about the Jesus birth. He was pointing out that the Gospels did not specifically mention the animals, (which is true, since I checked it out myself)…but he clarified that the animals were mentioned in other parts of the bible. Their presence could however be inferred since there was a manger which by definition is “a trough or open box in a stable designed to hold feed or fodder for livestock”.

Hmm! How many times have I failed to see the truth and walked away with an incomplete view?

As this New Year begins may truth and warmth surround you!

See you next time...God willing! God bless!