As we celebrate Die VI infra Octavam Nativitatis, our hearts remain fixed on the profound mystery of the Incarnation. In the octave of Christmas, the Church bids us linger at the manger, contemplating the boundless love of God made manifest in Christ. Today’s readings—Titus 3:4-7 and Luke 2:15-20—invite us to marvel at the mystery of divine grace and its revelation to the lowly, as attested by the shepherds and proclaimed by the Apostle Paul.
Titus 3:4-7: The Kindness and Love of God Our Savior
In his epistle to Titus, St. Paul succinctly encapsulates the heart of the Christmas mystery:
“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, not because of righteous deeds we had done, but because of his mercy, he saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:4-5).
Here, St. Paul proclaims the gratuitous nature of God’s grace. The Incarnation is not a response to human merit but a divine initiative rooted in the sheer generosity of God. St. Ambrose reflects on this truth, emphasizing the transformative power of grace:
“He took what is ours to give us what is His; in His poverty we find our riches, in His weakness our strength, in His mortality our immortality.”
Through baptism, prefigured in Christ’s taking on human flesh, we are reborn as sons and daughters of God. The Church Fathers frequently likened the Incarnation to a second creation, a renewal that restores humanity to its intended glory. St. Irenaeus writes:
“Through the Word made flesh, God recapitulated all things in Himself, so that what had been lost in Adam might be restored in Christ.”
The Nativity is, therefore, a beginning of this renewal—a dawn of hope and salvation, given not according to our deeds but as a gift of mercy.
Luke 2:15-20: The Shepherds’ Response to the Mystery
Turning to the Gospel, we witness the shepherds, lowly and unlettered, receiving the angelic announcement of the Savior’s birth. The Evangelist records their immediate response:
“The shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us'” (Luke 2:15).
St. Gregory the Great highlights the significance of the shepherds’ response, noting their humility and readiness to act:
“While the wise of this world were asleep, it was the simple shepherds who were awake and deemed worthy to hear the voice of the angels.”
Their journey to Bethlehem mirrors the soul’s pilgrimage toward Christ, guided by divine revelation. Upon finding the Child and His Mother, they glorify God, becoming the first evangelists of the New Covenant.
St. Augustine marvels at this scene, noting how God’s glory is revealed in the ordinary:
“The stable of Bethlehem becomes a throne, the manger a royal cradle, for in these lowly things, the Highest has made Himself lowly, that He might lift us up.”
Mary’s role in this passage is particularly striking. She listens to the shepherds’ account and “kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). St. Bede the Venerable observes:
“Mary is the model of the contemplative soul, treasuring the mysteries of salvation and pondering the ways of God with attentive devotion.”
The Grace of the Nativity in Our Lives
In these readings, we find a call to both wonder and action. Like the shepherds, we are invited to seek Christ with eagerness and proclaim the joy of His coming to others. Like Mary, we are called to ponder the mysteries of God in silence and prayer, allowing His grace to transform our hearts.
This octave of Christmas is a time to immerse ourselves in the gift of divine grace, recalling that our salvation is entirely God’s initiative. St. Leo the Great encourages us in his Christmas homily:
“Christian, remember your dignity. You have been made a partaker of the divine nature; do not return to your former baseness. Through the mystery of the Word made flesh, you have been redeemed and exalted.”
As we continue to celebrate the Nativity, may we allow the light of Christ’s coming to penetrate our lives, leading us to deeper faith, hope, and love. Let us glorify God for His mercy and, like the shepherds, proclaim the good news of salvation with joy.
Prayer
O God, who by the birth of Your Son illumined the world with the light of salvation, grant that we, who ponder the mystery of His Nativity, may be transformed by Your grace and bear witness to Your love in all we do. Amen.