O Holy Night

By: Ivonne J. Hernandez

“Jesus was born in a human stable, into a poor family. Simple shepherds were the first witnesses to this event. In this poverty, heaven’s glory was made manifest. The Church never tires of singing the glory of this night.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 526, The Christmas Mystery)
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The Catechism continues with a quote from the Kontakion of Romanos the Melodist:

“The Virgin today brings into the world the Eternal
And the earth offers a cave to the Inaccessible.
The angles and shepherds praise him
And the magi advance with the star,
For you are born for us,
Little Child, God eternal!”
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"Oh, how we like to romanticize! We turn a dirty, smelly stable into a picture-perfect Christmas card. We then run ourselves ragged, trying to reach for a mirage. Yet the mystery of this night lies in the reality of our lives. Just like Jesus came and few saw Him, He comes to us hidden within human hearts.

Halfway through the Advent Season, I found myself with an unquiet heart. I had a hard time living in the contrast of what I wanted the season to be like, to feel like, and what it was. I wanted time to pray and ponder, seeking purple vestments among the Christmas lights. The sounds of Christmas everywhere I went felt like a cacophony to my seeking Advent heart. The liturgical and the popular clashing once again brought unrest to my mind. Why can’t the world follow the correct times? That question was the entrance into my prayer time. And, before I even finished speaking, I felt the answer in my heart. A reminder that Jesus comes into the reality of our lives.
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Whenever I resist what is, I get an unquiet feeling in my heart. I find peace when I look for Jesus in the circumstances around me. This does not mean that there are not things that I might need to do differently, but it means that He is always here to guide me. I can’t hear His voice when I am busy focusing on criticizing the world around me. That first Christmas, when God led Joseph and Mary to a stable, it was amid the chaos. I can imagine me saying, "Lord, why don’t they know you are coming? Can’t they see the signs?" Yet it was precisely those circumstances that led them to the cave. “In this poverty, heaven’s glory was made manifest.”

“Jesus was born in Bethlehem, house of bread. It is a temporal birth to reach the spiritual birth in our souls, where it is conceived by the faith of holy baptism. Hence, this admirable definition of the Eucharist by the Church Fathers: an extension of the incarnation. Jesus Christ is incarnating and living in man.” (St. Peter Juian Eymard)
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 The poverty of a Babe in a manger…  “Give us this day our daily bread.”

“The trust of children who look to their Father for everything is beautiful. …Jesus teaches us this petition because it glorifies our Father by acknowledging how good he is, beyond all goodness.” (CCC 2828)
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God shows up amid the chaos and invites us to welcome Him within. He shows up in our lives as they really are, not as we wish they would be. He is coming to transform us, to bring light to the darkness. In our poverty, let us trust and let Him in.

“Save the world, O Saviour. For this you have come. Set your whole universe aright. For this you have shone on me and on the magi and on all creation” (From the Kontakion of Romanos the Melodist)
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Ivonne J. Hernandez

Ivonne is a Catholic wife, mother, Lay Associate of the Blessed Sacrament, President of Elisheba House, speaker, and writer. Author of The Rosary: Eucharistic Meditations. Regular contributor for CatholicMom.com and the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament's Daily Eucharistic Reflection. She has written for other publications, including Emmanuel Publishing and Shalom Magazine. She and her husband, Rick Hernandez, coordinate the RCIA program at their home parish. She loves choral music and is a member of the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay. She lives in Trinity, FL with her husband and two of her young adult sons.