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| Carl Heinrich Bloch, The Shepherds and the Angel, 1879 Frederiksborg Castle, Denmark |
CHRISTMAS 2018
At the Solemn Mass of the NativityMonday 24 December, 10:30 pm
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased! (Luke 2:14)
This year, it's occurred to me that for the shepherds in the Christmas story, the most memorable event in the night’s proceedings was most likely not their visit to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in Bethlehem, but rather the prior appearance of the angel announcing the birth of the Savior, and then the sky filled with the multitude of the heavenly host praising God. The swaddled newborn in the manger was the sign confirming the truth of the angelic announcement. The gift of new life is always beautiful, to be sure. But an infant in the company of his parents was something the shepherds had probably all seen before, in a variety of times, places, and circumstances.
The angelic appearance was, however, awesome and even terrifying: as Luke tells us, the shepherds were “filled with fear.” It’s not for nothing that the first words an angel usually speaks after appearing to human beings are “Fear not!” or “Do not be afraid!”
The Bible depicts angels as fulfilling three principal functions: they serve as messengers from God to human beings; they protect and defend God’s people on earth, and they worship and praise God in heaven. In the Nativity story the angels play the first and third of these roles. First, the lone angel delivers to the shepherds the good news of the Messiah’s birth. Then, the shepherds are granted a glimpse into heaven itself where the angelic host worships God with the song of praise: “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth among men with whom he is pleased.”
Glory to God in the highest. The phrase “in the highest” signifies heaven, the place of God’s dwelling. And peace on earth among men. The angels proclaim that just as Christ’s birth brings God glory in heaven, so it brings peace to human beings on earth. Specifically: peace among men with whom he is pleased. This last phrase presents a bit of a translation problem. Sometimes it’s rendered as “goodwill towards men,” or “to men of goodwill.” Each of these translations is defensible. Nonetheless the basic parallelism of the angelic proclamation is clear: The birth of Christ brings glory to God in heaven, and peace to human beings on earth.
But what does “peace on earth” mean? Some commentators suggest that having mentioned Caesar Augustus, the Gospel-writer Luke is taking a subtle dig at the Pax Romana, the peace of Rome. Augustus was often praised for having brought peace on earth; and, indeed, his reign was marked by unprecedented political tranquility maintained by force of Roman arms. So, perhaps the suggestion here is that it’s Christ, not Caesar nor any other earthly ruler, who brings true peace on earth.
But then the question presents itself all the more insistently: What kind of peace does Christ bring? For clearly, the world’s history in the two millennia since Christ’s birth has not been marked by what we usually think of as peace. On the contrary, it’s been a sad chronicle of conflict, war, revolution, massacre, and genocide. If God’s reign of justice, love, and peace is real - and the Church teaches that it is - its time is not yet but still in the future.
Nevertheless, the New Testament uses the word “peace” 92 times: most often to describe a reality and gift of God that’s available to us here and now. When the risen Jesus appears to his disciples, he says, “Peace be with you.” The authors of the New Testament epistles often begin and end their letters to the churches with such greetings as “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” From the earliest days, the Church’s liturgy has included the ritual greeting “The peace of the Lord be always with you.” Then the response: “And with your spirit.”
The English word “peace” translates the Latin pax, and the Greek eirene, all of which hark back to the Hebrew shalom. It’s often pointed out that shalom signifies far more than just the absence of active hostilities or a state of armed truce – which is what usually passes for peace in our world. Instead, shalom implies wholeness, well-being, flourishing, reconciliation, forgiveness, unity, and harmony. All this is signified when the angels proclaim peace on earth, or when in church we greet one another with a sign of peace.
It seems to me that the peace that Christ brings has three dimensions: peace with God; peace with one another; and peace within ourselves. Peace with God comes first. In the biblical understanding, the basic human predicament is that we’re not at peace with God. Collectively, humanity has rebelled against God; we’ve attempted to put ourselves in God’s place. Our first and greatest need, therefore, is the forgiveness and reconciliation with God that Christ came into the world to bring us. That peace can be ours when we repent of our sins and ask God to forgive us by the merits of his Son’s death and resurrection.
Then comes peace with one another. As our Lord says in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Just as Christ has reconciled us with God, so we’re under a positive obligation to seek reconciliation with one another. Nothing is more soul-destroying to any of us than harboring resentments and bearing grudges for wrongs, injuries, and injustices received. So, if we have anything against anyone, or if anyone has anything against us, we need to pray for that person, and pray for the grace to forgive. It may be humanly impossible, but all things are possible with God. An indispensable component of the peace for which Christ was born in Bethlehem is the presence on earth of a Church whose members are called to work tirelessly for reconciliation and peace among human beings.
Last but not least is peace within ourselves: “the peace of God, which passes all understanding.” In what seems a curious contradiction of the angels’ proclamation, later in Saint Luke’s Gospel Jesus says: “Do you think that I have come to bring peace on earth? No I tell you, but rather division …” He goes on to foretell the sufferings that his disciples will undergo on his account, including persecution even from their closest family members. Still, it’s the peace within, the peace that Christ gives in our hearts, that enables us to withstand all turmoil, conflict, and persecution without.
“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased.’” The peace on earth that Christ’s birth in Bethlehem brings us consists of peace with God, peace with one another, and peace within ourselves—even while peace remains conspicuously lacking in the world around us. As one of my favorite hymns puts it: “The peace of God, it is no peace, but strife closed in the sod; Yet let us pray for but one thing: the marvelous peace of God.”
This year, it's occurred to me that for the shepherds in the Christmas story, the most memorable event in the night’s proceedings was most likely not their visit to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in Bethlehem, but rather the prior appearance of the angel announcing the birth of the Savior, and then the sky filled with the multitude of the heavenly host praising God. The swaddled newborn in the manger was the sign confirming the truth of the angelic announcement. The gift of new life is always beautiful, to be sure. But an infant in the company of his parents was something the shepherds had probably all seen before, in a variety of times, places, and circumstances.
The angelic appearance was, however, awesome and even terrifying: as Luke tells us, the shepherds were “filled with fear.” It’s not for nothing that the first words an angel usually speaks after appearing to human beings are “Fear not!” or “Do not be afraid!”
The Bible depicts angels as fulfilling three principal functions: they serve as messengers from God to human beings; they protect and defend God’s people on earth, and they worship and praise God in heaven. In the Nativity story the angels play the first and third of these roles. First, the lone angel delivers to the shepherds the good news of the Messiah’s birth. Then, the shepherds are granted a glimpse into heaven itself where the angelic host worships God with the song of praise: “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth among men with whom he is pleased.”
Glory to God in the highest. The phrase “in the highest” signifies heaven, the place of God’s dwelling. And peace on earth among men. The angels proclaim that just as Christ’s birth brings God glory in heaven, so it brings peace to human beings on earth. Specifically: peace among men with whom he is pleased. This last phrase presents a bit of a translation problem. Sometimes it’s rendered as “goodwill towards men,” or “to men of goodwill.” Each of these translations is defensible. Nonetheless the basic parallelism of the angelic proclamation is clear: The birth of Christ brings glory to God in heaven, and peace to human beings on earth.
But what does “peace on earth” mean? Some commentators suggest that having mentioned Caesar Augustus, the Gospel-writer Luke is taking a subtle dig at the Pax Romana, the peace of Rome. Augustus was often praised for having brought peace on earth; and, indeed, his reign was marked by unprecedented political tranquility maintained by force of Roman arms. So, perhaps the suggestion here is that it’s Christ, not Caesar nor any other earthly ruler, who brings true peace on earth.
But then the question presents itself all the more insistently: What kind of peace does Christ bring? For clearly, the world’s history in the two millennia since Christ’s birth has not been marked by what we usually think of as peace. On the contrary, it’s been a sad chronicle of conflict, war, revolution, massacre, and genocide. If God’s reign of justice, love, and peace is real - and the Church teaches that it is - its time is not yet but still in the future.
Nevertheless, the New Testament uses the word “peace” 92 times: most often to describe a reality and gift of God that’s available to us here and now. When the risen Jesus appears to his disciples, he says, “Peace be with you.” The authors of the New Testament epistles often begin and end their letters to the churches with such greetings as “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” From the earliest days, the Church’s liturgy has included the ritual greeting “The peace of the Lord be always with you.” Then the response: “And with your spirit.”
The English word “peace” translates the Latin pax, and the Greek eirene, all of which hark back to the Hebrew shalom. It’s often pointed out that shalom signifies far more than just the absence of active hostilities or a state of armed truce – which is what usually passes for peace in our world. Instead, shalom implies wholeness, well-being, flourishing, reconciliation, forgiveness, unity, and harmony. All this is signified when the angels proclaim peace on earth, or when in church we greet one another with a sign of peace.
It seems to me that the peace that Christ brings has three dimensions: peace with God; peace with one another; and peace within ourselves. Peace with God comes first. In the biblical understanding, the basic human predicament is that we’re not at peace with God. Collectively, humanity has rebelled against God; we’ve attempted to put ourselves in God’s place. Our first and greatest need, therefore, is the forgiveness and reconciliation with God that Christ came into the world to bring us. That peace can be ours when we repent of our sins and ask God to forgive us by the merits of his Son’s death and resurrection.
Then comes peace with one another. As our Lord says in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Just as Christ has reconciled us with God, so we’re under a positive obligation to seek reconciliation with one another. Nothing is more soul-destroying to any of us than harboring resentments and bearing grudges for wrongs, injuries, and injustices received. So, if we have anything against anyone, or if anyone has anything against us, we need to pray for that person, and pray for the grace to forgive. It may be humanly impossible, but all things are possible with God. An indispensable component of the peace for which Christ was born in Bethlehem is the presence on earth of a Church whose members are called to work tirelessly for reconciliation and peace among human beings.
Last but not least is peace within ourselves: “the peace of God, which passes all understanding.” In what seems a curious contradiction of the angels’ proclamation, later in Saint Luke’s Gospel Jesus says: “Do you think that I have come to bring peace on earth? No I tell you, but rather division …” He goes on to foretell the sufferings that his disciples will undergo on his account, including persecution even from their closest family members. Still, it’s the peace within, the peace that Christ gives in our hearts, that enables us to withstand all turmoil, conflict, and persecution without.
“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased.’” The peace on earth that Christ’s birth in Bethlehem brings us consists of peace with God, peace with one another, and peace within ourselves—even while peace remains conspicuously lacking in the world around us. As one of my favorite hymns puts it: “The peace of God, it is no peace, but strife closed in the sod; Yet let us pray for but one thing: the marvelous peace of God.”
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