and laid Him in a manger[1], because there was no room for them in the inn.”
COMMENTARY.
Divine Providence. The Prophet Micheas (Old Test. LXX) had foretold that the Saviour would be born at Bethlehem. But how was it likely that this prophecy would be fulfilled, seeing that she who was chosen to be the Mother of the Divine Saviour dwelt at Nazareth? The Providence of God directed that the pagan emperor of Rome should order all his subjects to be enrolled, and that this decree should be executed in Judaea at the very time when the Birth of the Redeemer was at hand. Obedient to authority, Mary and Joseph journeyed to Bethlehem to inscribe their names in the city from which originated their royal race, and thus, unwittingly, the Roman emperor was made to take a part in the fulfilment of the prophecy that the Redeemer would be born in Bethlehem, the city of David.
The Divinity of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is true Man, born of the Virgin Mary, the child of Mary, the son or descendant of David. But He is also true God, the Son of the Highest, as was announced to the Blessed Virgin by the angel. He shows Himself to our sight as Man, for in the crib we can see nothing but a little child. But He reveals Himself as God to our hearing, for His angels come and announce that this little Child in the crib is the Saviour, Christ the Lord Himself. Therefore let us fall on our knees before the crib, and adore
- ↑ A manger. While Mary was absorbed in prayer the Child was born to her. The Virgin Mother wrapped Him in swaddling clothes with her own hands, and laid Him in the manger belonging to the stable, and, full of faith, adored Him as the Son of the Most High.
