Lessons from a babe

At the centre of the cr?che are not the animals, nor the shepherd, nor the magi, even though they are all integrated into the Christmas message. It is not Joseph either, or even Mary, the greatest woman in history.

At the centre of the cr?che is Jesus. People are drawn to it because of the little child that lies at the centre---the passer-by who hardly comes to church; the intoxicated chap on the way home; curious schoolchildren; those who are not sure where they really are in this God’s business.

The infant Jesus in his purity and innocent beckons us forth, perhaps because we feel there is something in us that is still innocent and pure, something that sin has not touched.

This is not a misguided notion but something real. There is a part of us that sin cannot touch because Jesus dwells there. It accounts for every conversion and every hope of renewal. It reminds us that grace is stronger than sin and new beginnings are always possible.

Is it any wonder then that Christmas is a time for new beginnings? Families reconcile, spouses give each other a second chance, friends make up, warring groups enter peace making. The new creation brought about in Bethlehem continues into the present.

The Christ child also reminds us that dependence is not an evil word. While we have to to admit that since the economic boom of the 70s we have suffered from a dependency syndrome — somebody must come and do it for us — dependency per se, is not a bad word. We all come into the world dependent on others, especially our parents.

The corporal and spiritual works of mercy, which we have celebrated so much this past year, remind us how much we depend on one another for happiness and well being. Like the infant Jesus we must allow ourselves to be lifted up and taken care of when we fall.

Independence is a highly valued commodity today, but it is truer of human beings to say they live in creative dependence or interdependence.

Lessons concerning ‘being’ are another message from the cr?che. A babe wears no mask; it does not seek its identity from material things. It is what it is; true being, an unselfconscious revelation of itself.

We lose that, as we get older. We become engrossed in material things, brand-name stuff; power gets to our head like Caesar Augustus and Quirinius.

If Descartes says, “I think therefore I am”, the unbridled free market says, “I have therefore I am.” Pope Francis offers a truer definition of the human person in Misericordia et Misera, I love therefore I am.” A baby elicits love from us and a baby loves whoever presents itself as parent. A baby’s love does not depend on the moral character of the one who cradles it, like God’s love for us.

Let the infant babe at the centre of the cr?che find us at the centre of life living more humbly and loving more selflessly.