In silent night that is quiet and calm, the WORD OF GOD speaks, yet who
hears Him?
In silent night that is dark and long, the LIGHT OF THE WORLD shines,
yet who sees Him?
In silent night that is vulnerable to life and movements, the LIFE OF
ALL COMES INTO EXISTENCE, yet who receives Him?
Yes, it is Christmas. Today
God has spoken definitively in silence. The words of human and other creatures
have noise, whereas the WORD of the creator has no noise, He communicates in
silence. Silence is the language of God. Who can hear His silent voice? For who
can grasp the meaning of His WORD? Who is able to sense His utterance? In the
nativity scene we witness the great silence of Mother Mary and St. Joseph who
have overcome with holy fear, reverence and awe at the sight of the great
mystery that unfolds in their arms. The voice of God spoken concretely in baby
Jesus evokes silence. On the contrary, the angels who constantly sing the
praises of God in heaven enhance the silent voice of God through their choirs singing
Gloria (Lk 2:13-14). Their singing
too has silent voice as they could only be heard by shepherds and chosen ones
in the crib.
On resurrection Sunday, the
witnesses of the Risen Lord break out in loud noise in proclaiming the good
news about eternal life of humans. Mary Magdalene runs to the apostles to tell about
the resurrection of the Lord (Mt 28:8). The disciples on the way to Emmaus return
to Jerusalem instantly at the identification of the Risen Lord at the breaking
of the bread (Lk 24:33). St. Thomas asks for a personal encounter with the
Risen Lord (Jn 20:25). That is Easter – filled with joyful noise and jubilant exclamation.
Easter even terrifies Jewish leadership who try to silence the proclamation of
the resurrection (Mt 28:11-15). But tonight, we are invited to remain silent; no noise, just hear the silent voice of God that
speaks from the manger.
On Christmas night the shepherds
come to adore the Lord but when they return to their place they remain quiet
about this event. Magi make noise about the star of the Messiah. They enquire King
Herod about the birth of the divine child in his kingdom (Mt 2:2). Once, they
pay their homage to baby Jesus they go away in silence without making any
notifications to King Herod (Mt 2:12). People who made noise by saying that there
is no place for Mary and Joseph in their inn lost the possibility of seeing
this great mystery. Caesar Augustus who desired to show off his strength and
the vastness of his empire through census is defeated by the silent entry of the
King of Kings into world as baby boy. The noisy people and the proud who are
preoccupied with maintaining their high status in the empire miss the voice of
God spoken in silence. Usually, the birth of a child is a noisy event. If so
where are the owner and immediate neighbours of the crib? They are not found in
the crib. Rather, the countryside shepherds and magi from farthest away get the
chance to hear the voice of God in the crib. What can we make out from this
contradictory event? The mystics in the Catholic Church say that they find no words
to describe their highest divine experience. They remain silent. No language has
adequate vocabularies to assist mystics in enumerating their deep divine
experience. This is what happens tonight. Mary and Joseph remain silent. They are
the first mystics in the Catholic Church to have the highest and the deepest divine
experience. The fullness of God revealed in helpless babe in their arms shuts
their mouth from utterance. Indeed Mary and Joseph remain silent at the information
provided by shepherds with regard to angels’ appearance to them (Lk 2:17). Mary
treasures all these things and ponders over it in her heart (Lk 2:19).
Mary and Joseph are on a
long journey to enrol their names in census. They are disappointed by lack of
space in the inn. Amidst this darkness and suffering the light is shown to them.
Christmas is about encountering the Lord as light in the darkness of our life.
St. John says; “in him [Jesus] was life” (Jn 1:4). All creatures come into
existence and retain that life for eternity only through Him. Without Him no
life is possible; be it a temporary or eternal. The virginal married life between
Mary and Joseph became possible because of baby Jesus (Lk 1:37).
Tonight the creator has
taken the form of a creature. It is possible for the highest being to take the
form of a being that is lower than itself. Yet, is that desirable? Do we desire
to be like animals and plants – beings lower than us? Nevertheless, God has
done this. To us it is a mystery, for Him it is a humility. To comprehend this,
silence is the best way. The spirituality of silence begins from being with
Mary and Joseph at the crib with holy awe. Pope Francis says that Christmas
without Christ is not Christmas. Today we exchange our Christmas wishes with
our noisy words. That’s fine, Christmas is an opportunity to come together. Besides
these jubilations it is a day to spend time in front of the crib in silence. St.
John of the Cross says, “our greatest need is to be silent before this great
God”. Yes, we need silence to comprehend the great mystery of Incarnation. We need
silence to sense divinity in our humanity which the Incarnation of the Lord
opens up.
Silence is a profound space
for encountering God. In the stillness, we listen not only with our ears but
with our hearts, opening ourselves to the whispers of God. Through silence, we
find a space for reflection, prayer, and communion with God. It is in the quiet
moments that our souls can discern the gentle guidance of the Holy Spirit,
fostering a deeper connection with God and a greater understanding of our
faith. In the hush of contemplation, we may discover that silence is not merely
the absence of noise but a sacred language, a way for our spirits to converse
with God in humility and reverence. May this Christmas be such a one for all of
us.
Merry Christmas to you all!
Comments
Post a Comment