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world at His coming. The Saviour is born at Beth
lehem, the house of bread, to teach us that He is the true
Bread of life, and the food of our souls. He is born in
the city of David, to make known to all that He is really
descended from the family of David, and consequently
is the Messias described by the prophets. Thus Beth
lehem foreshadows the cenacle ; the crib is, as it were,
the first tabernacle ; the stable is a figure of the first
temple of the new Law, the Feast of Christmas presages
the Feast of the most holy Sacrament.
The singing of the angels on Christmas night teaches
us the greatness of the divine Infant and the twofold
end of His Incarnation : the glorification of God and
the Redemption of mankind. By the adoration of the
shepherds, the faith of the Israelites expecting their
deliverer is translated into action. The presence of
the ox and the ass represent that large portion of man
kind who live like animals, but who are called to acknow
ledge, in the humble Infant of the crib, their Master
and their King.
The Feast of Christmas proclaims Mary s divine ma
ternity and perpetual virginity. We see a creature
become the Mother of her Creator, a woman give
birth to the Son of God, a virgin become a mother,
without ceasing to be a virgin. Though we may partly
understand these truths, we cannot wholly penetrate
them. Hence we admit that the Son of God could be
come man ; that there is in Jesus Christ but one Person
only; that in spite of this unity of Person He has two
distinct Natures, the divine Nature and the human
Nature. But how these truths are accomplished is be
yond our intelligence and becomes the object of our faith.
In the same way we admit Mary s divine maternity,
since Mary is the Mother of Jesus who is God. We