Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
My very dear sons,
If, in her Immaculate Conception, the mercy of God anticipated the work of salvation by preserving Mary from all sin; if, at the Annunciation, Divine Mercy was announced, by Divine embassy, as a reality already coming into the world; here, in the Stable of Bethlehem we have the long awaited arrival of Divine Mercy in person, le fait accompli, although presented in a rather informal and initially unimpressive manner, that is to say in the diminutive person of the Word Incarnate speaking only, as yet, in the ill-defined forms of “baby talk.” Misericordia praesens, misericordia vagiens.
Even the Donkey and the Ox, gazing silently upon the scene, seem mildly astonished. The world expected a King, that is to say a “kingly” sovereign in royal estate, with golden crown and gem-studded vestments—and here is a mere newborn, wrapped in common swaddling clothes. He is sufficiently surrounded by his parents, but with neither pomp nor majesty. And yet—and yet— king He is: the king of Heaven and Earth, the king of men and angels, the king of hearts and minds, the king of Divine Mercy.
Beginning with the Manger, little by little, the royal dignity of this unimposing king will impress itself upon those who approach Him: the shepherds, the Magi, Simeon, and Anna. The reason for such discretion with regard to the king’s coming into His world will also appear as time goes on. Herod, the king of no-mercy, will stop at nothing in order to eliminate the Child Jesus, whom he quickly considers as a threat to his unbridled lust for power and wealth. It is a sad fact that repeats itself all too often throughout History that the powerful allow themselves to be enslaved by greed and envy to the point of losing all sense of humanity and of mercy toward their fellow human beings. The fact weighs heavily upon our collective memory. We have an ever greater need for Christmas and an ever greater need for Mercy, as time goes on, century by century, year by year.
It takes more than the slyness of a king Herod (“that fox” – Lk 13:32) to outsmart Divine Wisdom, however, and the true King of mercy will pass unharmed through the snares of all His enemies, until the day comes, when, tragically, the Prince of this world will be allowed to defeat himself (paradoxically), to seal his own dark fate, by laying hands on the Prince of Peace, who is also the Prince of Life. But all of that is far in the future tonight. For the moment we have Mercy in Person, asleep in a Manger, where we can contemplate Him and love Him as the answer to all the woes that ever shook and upset this poor world. For the time being, the Blessed Virgin Mary is His royal throne. The good Saint Joseph is His court, serving Him better than a whole army of soldiers and courtiers. The stars are there too along with the angels, while other worshippers are lacking, to give Him due glory and honor. Such is the beginning, the infancy of Mercy.
This is not to say that there was no mercy before the Birth at Bethlehem. In fact, from the earliest times of the Old Testament God revealed to men this Divine attribute. When the Lord God granted to Moses a vision of His glory in the cleft of the rock, Moses cried out, “O the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, patient and of much compassion, and true, who keepest mercy unto thousands…” (Exodus 34:6-7). And it was true. King David would later experience in his own life the need for mercy, after he sinned. This great king also sang as no other the praises of mercy.
The mercies of the Lord I will sing forever. I will show forth thy truth with my mouth to generation and generation. For thou hast said: Mercy shall be built up forever in the heavens (Psalm 88:1-2, Douay). In fact, however, this mercy of the Old Testament was more a promise than a concrete reality, as men continued to struggle with sin and with the impossible fulfillment of the Law. This is why, in turn, the royal prophet Isaiah called out, not just for mercy as sign or favor from God, but for a person who would bring both justice and mercy to the world.
Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just one: let the earth be opened, and bud forth a savior…(Is. 45:8)
Indeed, without justice there can be no mercy, and only Christ, the true David, the true prophet like Moses, could restore justice on earth and grant Divine mercy to humankind. Furthermore, He would not only grant us mercy, but teach us to do the same. “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.” (Lk. 6:36)
In our own day it seems that Herod lives again. Our very liberal society grants amnesty to just about anything and anyone, but mercy is a word that is seldom or never used, especially with regard to the Holy Innocents who fall victim each day to abortion. It may well be that we will see difficult days ahead, before the world learns again to appreciate what it means to be human and how much we need Divine Mercy. In the mean time, let the wonder and mercy of Christmas fill our hearts and souls with the light that illumines every man and every woman coming into this world, the light that shines forth most gloriously now from the Manger of Bethlehem, the Manger of Mercy. Amen.
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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
My very dear sons,
If, in her Immaculate Conception, the mercy of God anticipated the work of salvation by preserving Mary from all sin; if, at the Annunciation, Divine Mercy was announced, by Divine embassy, as a reality already coming into the world; here, in the Stable of Bethlehem we have the long awaited arrival of Divine Mercy in person, le fait accompli, although presented in a rather informal and initially unimpressive manner, that is to say in the diminutive person of the Word Incarnate speaking only, as yet, in the ill-defined forms of “baby talk.” Misericordia praesens, misericordia vagiens.
Even the Donkey and the Ox, gazing silently upon the scene, seem mildly astonished. The world expected a King, that is to say a “kingly” sovereign in royal estate, with golden crown and gem-studded vestments—and here is a mere newborn, wrapped in common swaddling clothes. He is sufficiently surrounded by his parents, but with neither pomp nor majesty. And yet—and yet— king He is: the king of Heaven and Earth, the king of men and angels, the king of hearts and minds, the king of Divine Mercy.
Beginning with the Manger, little by little, the royal dignity of this unimposing king will impress itself upon those who approach Him: the shepherds, the Magi, Simeon, and Anna. The reason for such discretion with regard to the king’s coming into His world will also appear as time goes on. Herod, the king of no-mercy, will stop at nothing in order to eliminate the Child Jesus, whom he quickly considers as a threat to his unbridled lust for power and wealth. It is a sad fact that repeats itself all too often throughout History that the powerful allow themselves to be enslaved by greed and envy to the point of losing all sense of humanity and of mercy toward their fellow human beings. The fact weighs heavily upon our collective memory. We have an ever greater need for Christmas and an ever greater need for Mercy, as time goes on, century by century, year by year.
It takes more than the slyness of a king Herod (“that fox” – Lk 13:32) to outsmart Divine Wisdom, however, and the true King of mercy will pass unharmed through the snares of all His enemies, until the day comes, when, tragically, the Prince of this world will be allowed to defeat himself (paradoxically), to seal his own dark fate, by laying hands on the Prince of Peace, who is also the Prince of Life. But all of that is far in the future tonight. For the moment we have Mercy in Person, asleep in a Manger, where we can contemplate Him and love Him as the answer to all the woes that ever shook and upset this poor world. For the time being, the Blessed Virgin Mary is His royal throne. The good Saint Joseph is His court, serving Him better than a whole army of soldiers and courtiers. The stars are there too along with the angels, while other worshippers are lacking, to give Him due glory and honor. Such is the beginning, the infancy of Mercy.
This is not to say that there was no mercy before the Birth at Bethlehem. In fact, from the earliest times of the Old Testament God revealed to men this Divine attribute. When the Lord God granted to Moses a vision of His glory in the cleft of the rock, Moses cried out, “O the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, patient and of much compassion, and true, who keepest mercy unto thousands…” (Exodus 34:6-7). And it was true. King David would later experience in his own life the need for mercy, after he sinned. This great king also sang as no other the praises of mercy.
The mercies of the Lord I will sing forever. I will show forth thy truth with my mouth to generation and generation. For thou hast said: Mercy shall be built up forever in the heavens (Psalm 88:1-2, Douay). In fact, however, this mercy of the Old Testament was more a promise than a concrete reality, as men continued to struggle with sin and with the impossible fulfillment of the Law. This is why, in turn, the royal prophet Isaiah called out, not just for mercy as sign or favor from God, but for a person who would bring both justice and mercy to the world.
Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just one: let the earth be opened, and bud forth a savior…(Is. 45:8)
Indeed, without justice there can be no mercy, and only Christ, the true David, the true prophet like Moses, could restore justice on earth and grant Divine mercy to humankind. Furthermore, He would not only grant us mercy, but teach us to do the same. “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.” (Lk. 6:36)
In our own day it seems that Herod lives again. Our very liberal society grants amnesty to just about anything and anyone, but mercy is a word that is seldom or never used, especially with regard to the Holy Innocents who fall victim each day to abortion. It may well be that we will see difficult days ahead, before the world learns again to appreciate what it means to be human and how much we need Divine Mercy. In the mean time, let the wonder and mercy of Christmas fill our hearts and souls with the light that illumines every man and every woman coming into this world, the light that shines forth most gloriously now from the Manger of Bethlehem, the Manger of Mercy. Amen.
