Nothing could be more opportune, on the occasion of Christmas, than for us to comment on the advent of the Incarnate Word into the world, born of the Immaculate Virgin Mary.
These considerations are based on the writings left by the seer Anne Catherine Emmerich,1 a 19th-century German mystic favoured with many ecstasies and revelations, published with the requisite imprimatur.
Before we analyse her descriptions, it would be interesting to point out the deeply rational aspect they evince, and how Anne Catherine shows extraordinary tact and a considerable sense of things in resolving delicate questions that arise in the course of her visions. This attitude speaks in favour of the seer’s lucidity and the veracity of her narratives.
Child lying on flowers and fine herbs
She describes what took place on Christmas Eve. St. Joseph, advised by Our Lady about the imminent birth of the Child, set about preparing the crib in the Grotto of Bethlehem to receive the Son of God. The way he did it is extremely beautiful: he spread a layer of fine herbs and, over them, lovely flowers that he found in the nearby meadow, then overlaying everything with a modest bedcover brought by the Blessed Virgin.
It is especially charming to think that the Child Jesus spent His first night on a bed of flowers, with a cover woven by His Mother
It strikes me as especially charming, the idea that the Child Jesus would sleep His first night on flowers – perhaps some lilies of the field that Solomon, in all his glory, was unable to emulate – and, even more splendid in God’s eyes, spread with a cover woven by Our Lady.
According to the seer, about an hour before the birth, after another indication from Mary Most Holy, St. Joseph lit several lamps he had brought for the occasion and suspended them from wooden beams on either side of the grotto. They would be the first flames to shine in praise of the Child Jesus.
Magnificent and most intense golden light
Then came the climactic moment of the birth of the God-Man. In Anne Catherine Emmerich’s visions, how did this happen?
It is a dogma of the Faith that Our Lady was a virgin before, during and after giving birth. Therefore, it would be necessary to present this virgin birth surrounded by immense mystery. And she tells us the following: St. Joseph, although he was the legal and not the natural father of that Child, was not intended to witness that glorious moment, because it was something to be seen only by God and Mary Most Holy. And so – the gentle ways of Providence! – a little lamb came up to the entrance of the grotto and began to bleat, making a noise that might have disturbed Our Lady at that moment. Out of concern for the divine Mother, St. Joseph left and went after the little animal to quieten it and lead it away from there.
When he returned to the grotto, the area he had set aside for Our Lady’s sleeping quarters, separated by poor mats, was immersed in a magnificent and intense golden light. St. Joseph saw that Mary was on her knees, with her hands crossed over her breast and facing the East, in deep meditation. The Patriarch realized he should not go any further. The golden light separated him from this unique scene, the real content of which could only have been witnessed by God and the Angels.
A Child as beautiful as lightning
St. Joseph retreated to another corner of the grotto and prayed there. Anne Catherine Emmerich recounts that the dazzling light began to spread from Our Lady and fill the whole room. As this glow became stronger, the Virgin Mary rose from the floor and was already a good distance from it when St. Joseph finally left his place to see what was happening. Our Lady, then in an ecstasy of wonder, told him: the Child is born!
He looked down and saw the Infant Jesus, a Child – in the words of Anne Catherine – “as beautiful as lightning,” that is, brighter and more splendid than the very light that was illuminating the grotto at that moment. It was the lumen Christi, in face of which all other lights are eclipsed.
Then this scene takes place: Our Lady comes out of her ecstasy, She descends again to the ground and remains for a whole hour contemplating the Child who had been born on a cloth spread out by her. Thus, the God-Man had been born amid the greatest possible material deprivation.
After giving birth to the Child-God, the Blessed Virgin remained in adoration with St. Joseph, in an angelic and celestial silence
After this period of adoration, the Blessed Virgin Mary arises, takes the Child, beautiful as lightning, and places Him in the arms of St. Joseph. Imagine the joy of Our Lady’s virginal husband in holding the frail body of the humanized God! He adored the Son of the Most High reclining in that first crib, which was his own arms. Then he placed Him once again in the manger, beside which the Virgin and he knelt, both remaining in prayer, in an angelic and celestial silence.
The first nocturnal Adoration in history
Meanwhile, the whole atmosphere, including even the stones of the grotto, was filled with splendour and joy, for even inanimate beings there was a perceptible rejoicing, as it were, because the Child Jesus had been born. In fact, the grotto’s jubilation was that of all of nature, transformed by the indescribable event. Flowers burst into bloom and exuded magnificent scents, the fragrance of the foliage was stupendous, while a growing luminosity began to beam down on the grotto. And it was this radiance that caught the attention of the shepherds camped nearby.
We can see from these descriptions the tact with which Anne Catherine presents the birth of the Child of God, with its delicate aspects, St. Joseph’s conduct, Our Lady’s attitude, the mysterious birth, in short, everything as perfect as it could have been.
The seer also tells us that after a while, when the Child was in the manger, St. Joseph became concerned about Our Lady and, although She showed no signs of fatigue, he brought a chair and the Blessed Virgin’s bed close to the manger in case She wished to rest. The two of them remained recollected in fervent prayer, and thus began the first nocturnal Adoration in history.
If we think of the Child as beautiful as lightning and the Mother as fair as the moon, we will comprehend a little more of the marvellous fragrance of Christmas.
Unprecedented joy felt throughout the earth
As we noted above, Anne Catherine says that the light shining on the grotto served as an announcement to the shepherds of Bethlehem, who thus learned of Jesus’ birth. She describes this aspect of Christmas in a very uplifting, attractive and pious way, capable of instilling devotion and fervour in our souls. When we read it, we realize that it would be logical and reasonable for things to have happened this way. The seer narrates:
“I saw in many places, even in the most distant, an unusual joy, an extraordinary movement that night. I saw the hearts of many men of good will rekindled by a yearning filled with happiness, and, in the opposite direction, the hearts of the wicked filled with fear.”
This description makes us think of the better days that Providence has in store for Christendom, when Our Lady will truly exercise her sovereignty over the world, and then all that is good, noble and beautiful will flourish in humanity: men will desire the good with joy; there will be sacrifice, dedication and renunciation, in the enthusiasm of their soul.
Nature celebrates the Birth of the Saviour
“Even in the animals I saw joy manifest itself in their movements and leaping.”
Let us imagine a magnificent night in the East, the beauty of nature bathed in superb moonlight and enveloped by a mild temperature. Sheep, goats and other animals start to leap and play, birds flutter and sing, and flowers give off their best perfume. It is nature’s celebration of the Saviour’s birth.
It is in keeping with the natural order of things that all creation would express contentment at the birth of the Saviour
Note how reasonable it is that this happened. In fact, it is in keeping with the natural order of things that when the Child Jesus, to whom all of nature is subject, came into the world, those creatures should rejoice in the presence of their divine Benefactor and express this contentment by displaying better colour, greater beauty, etc.
“The flowers raised their heads, the plants and trees took on new vigour and verdure, spreading their fragrances and perfumes. I saw fountains of water springing up from the earth.”
This springing up of the earth’s fountains of water seems highly symbolic to me. The spring that gushes forth, the life that surges up from the ground, represents the graces that spread over people. Water means life and vigour for the earth; grace is a life-giving factor for the human soul.
“The sky had a dark red colour over Bethlehem, while a faint, bright vapour could be seen over the grotto of the manger, […] and in the valley of the shepherds.”
Another beautiful description. We have heard of rosy dawns, we know of reddish twilights, but a night sky with that deep shade of red must have reflected an altogether special splendour. And over the cave, an illuminated, attractive mist, full of mysteries.
The Shepherd’s Tower, symbol of the Church
“Some distance from the grotto of the manger was what they called the Shepherds’ Tower. It was a large pyramidal scaffold, made of wood and based on huge blocks of the rock itself: it was surrounded by green trees and stood on an isolated hill in the middle of a plain. It was surrounded by stairs, had galleries and small towers, all covered in mats.”
Anne Catherine explains that this was the observation point where all the shepherds in the region converged and stayed overnight to watch over their flocks.
I think that this Shepherd’s Tower is a beautiful symbol of the Catholic Church: the Bishops, with their flocks, approach the only existing tower in the Church, in the structural sense of the word, which is the Chair of St. Peter. From the height of this tower, the Shepherd of the shepherds casts his watchful eye to defend the flock against wolves and thieves.
The seer also says that this tower emerged from amidst the trees, atop an entirely isolated hill surrounded by a plain. Once again, something reminiscent of the Papacy, because in comparison with the Papacy everything seems like a plain. The Roman Pontiff is the supreme authority, the most august hierarch of the Church and, as such, the greatest hierarch in the universe, for no powerful man in the temporal order can compare with him.
“Seen from afar, [the tower] resembled a large ship with many masts and sails. It afforded a splendid view of the whole region. From it, one could see Jerusalem […]. The shepherds’ families lived in these places, within a radius of two leagues. They had their own seperate farms with gardens and pastures. They gathered near the tower, where they kept the tools shared in common.”
It is interesting to imagine these houses of the shepherds’ families scattered around the tower, with their gardens and farms. Night falls over all this, becoming mysterious and magnificently crimson, and in the distance a white, illuminated mist begins to rise. What must have been the watchmen’s amazement at this spectacle?
The Angels’ announcement to the shepherds
“At the birth of Jesus Christ, I saw three shepherds very impressed by the appearance of that marvellous night […]. Amazed, they beheld the extraordinary light over the grotto of the manger. […] They climbed up to the lookout point and turned their gaze towards the cave. While they were looking in that direction, I saw a luminous cloud descend over them, and I perceived movement in it as it approached.”
We understand that this is the announcement of the Angels, who do not appear suddenly, but are preceded by a luminous cloud that prepares the hearts of the shepherds for the good news. This cloud, which grows in brightness and beauty as it approaches, gradually lifts the spirits of these simple men, who are filled with awe and wonder at everything they see.
The superb phrase of the Gospel expresses this marvellous truth: peace comes down from Heaven to hearts of good will
“First I saw vague shapes, then faces, and finally I heard harmonious and joyful songs, which became clearer and clearer. An Angel appeared before them and said to them: […] ‘This day is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. And this shall be a sign to you. You shall find the Infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger.’ While the Angel was saying these words, the radiance became gradually more intense around him. I saw five or seven great figures of Angels, beautiful and shining, holding in their hands a kind of long scroll on which was written in letters the size of one’s hand, and I heard them praising God singing: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will.’”
The superb phrase in the Gospel has a unique cadence and expresses this marvellous truth: peace comes down from Heaven to hearts of good will, as the fruit of the glory they give to God on high.
An event encompassed with splendour
“Later, the shepherds who were at the tower had the same apparition; Angels also appeared to another group of shepherds near a spring, east of the tower, three leagues from Bethlehem. I did not see the shepherds going to the cave of the Nativity, which was a league and a half distant from some of them and three leagues from others. I did, however, see them consulting together as to what they would bring to the newborn Child and preparing the gifts with all haste. They arrived at the grotto at dawn.”
Let us try to imagine the uncommon beauty of the dawn that followed such a magnificent night. And how particularly attractive is the scene in which these shepherds – simple men of good will to whom peace was promised – in the midst of all the splendour of nature in celebration and under a magnificent dawn, arrive at the grotto of the Nativity to adore the Saviour!
We thus grasp the magnificence with which God surrounded the Nativity of His Son, given to the world by Mary Most Holy, under the paternal and enraptured care of St. Joseph. ◊
Taken, with adaptations, from:
Dr. Plinio. São Paulo. Year X. N.117
(Dec., 2007); p.18-23
Notes
1 The text commented on was taken from the following work, from which we have transcribed some extracts: BLESSED ANNE CATHERINE EMMERICH. Visiones y revelaciones completas. Buenos Aires: Guadalupe, 1952, t.II, p.218-222.
