Christmas, an Act of the Imagination

If 99% of modern and post-modern Biblical criticism is to be accepted (and I accept both), all of the Gospel texts dealing with the birth of Jesus are, more or less, acts of the imagination. None of the disciples knew Jesus in his childhood. Luke and Matthew’s accounts do not really complement each other. So that we don’t all panic over this, it is pretty clear that there is some history (interpreted history, but history) in the Gospels’ accounts of the public life of Jesus.

When I first began to study this, there was a part of me that was a little threatened by it. For this reason, I understand why some Christians are hesitant to accept this criticism. Nevertheless, once you let go of some of what Paul Ricoeur called the naiveté of a precritical Christian faith, you find that historical critical reads of the texts are liberating. They basically contend that the early Christian communities imagined what the birth of Jesus was like and that these communities read some very rich symbolism into this beautiful, awe-inspiring event.

In Christmas, we celebrate that God took the form of a human being, specifically that God trusted humanity so much that God took the form of a vulnerable child. That is worth imagining! Since the evangelists and their communities imagined what the birth of Jesus was like, we can do the same.

So, let us imagine: imagine Mary giving birth. What are her labor pains like? Did Joseph feel any fear about her labor? How did he cope with that fear? Did he ever worry that he could lose her and the child? Does it console us to know that Mary and Joseph understand what our fears our like? Does that give new meaning to our reverence for the Holy Family?

Imagine holding the Christ child. Feel his soft brow. Hold his cheek to your cheek. Smell his baby smell. Little miracle! Feel how fragile he is. You are holding the Messiah in your hands. You are holding God’s son. He needs you. He relies completely on you. What an act of trust! That God might let human beings, with all of our virtues and vices, hold his son. What does that say to you about how God feels about you? What does that say to you about finding God in all children?

Imagine Jesus growing up in Nazareth. Imagine Mary teaching him. Imagine Jesus imitating his earthly parents. This is how all children learn, which is why there is a very tender, very real truth to the idea that Mary was a great theologian. She and Joseph taught the Christ child right from wrong. They held him when he was frightened. He could not have carried out his mission if he had not been loved by his earthly parents.

Now return to your own life: where do you need the tenderness of the Christ child? Do you believe that God trusts you? Talk with the Lord about that. Consider Mary and Joseph’s wisdom in raising the Messiah. Do you have questions for them? Do you need their help? Talk with them. Let your prayer go where it will . . . . .

Merry Christmas!