Catholic Journal

How the Early Fathers of the Church help us Celebrate a Fruitful Christmas

In these beautiful days of Christmas it is so important to have relevant people who help us uncover the powerful meaning of these life-giving celebrations. The Early Fathers of the Church have all the credentials for being good guides in this.

For St Irenaeus, the fact that the Son of God became a human being meant a recapitulation of man to go back to his original holiness and be born again. He wrote:God recapitulated in Himself in ancient formation of man, that he might kill sin, deprive death of its power and vivify man. In St Ignatius of Antioch’s view, Jesus Christ is the substance that was begotten by God whom he pleased him from eternity to send him amongst us. Ignatius said: For He is not the voice of an articulate utterance, but a substance begotten by divine power, who has in all things pleased Him that sent Him.

According to St Augustine of Hippo, the Son of God became dependent on the same man he created to the point of giving his life for man at his hands. Augustine observed: Man’s maker was made man, that He, Ruler of the stars, might nurse at His mother’s breast; that the Bread might hunger, the Fountain thirst, the Light sleep, the Way be tired on its journey; that the Truth might be accused of false witness, the Teacher be beaten with whips, the Foundation be suspended on wood; that Strength might grow weak; that the Healer might be wounded; that Life might die.

By his birth Christ became what he was not, a human being. St John Chrysostom reminds us of this truth when he wrote: This day He who Is, is Born; and He who is becomes what He was not. The fact that the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, became a human being and himself underwent a violent death and experienced resurrection, we can say that in himself death and corruption were brought to an end. St Athanasius of Alexandria observed: Thus it happened that two opposite marvels took place at once: the death of all was consummated in the Lord’s body; yet, because the Word was in it, death and corruption were in the same act utterly abolished.

Christ’s incarnation becomes the yardstick with which he understands our condition, how much we are expected to collaborate with his grace and also the extent to which we can collaborate with his saving grace. St Gregory Nazianzen rightly affirmed: He measures all by comparison with his own suffering, so that he may know our condition by his own, and how much is demanded of us, and how much we yield. In the Christmas story, Christ, the teacher of us, his children, became one of us to better instruct us. Moreover, he became our heavenly nourishment, we who were so hungry for him. St Cyril of Jerusalem said: Teacher of children became himself a child among children, that he might instruct the unwise. The Bread of heaven came down to earth to feed the hungry. Additionally, on Christ as teacher, St Athanasius affirms that Christ’s presence amongst us had the dual mission of healing and teaching all of us who know from our lives what suffering really is. He wrote: The Lord did not come to make a display. He came to heal and to teach suffering men. Even St Justin the Martyr seems to be taking the same trail when he states: For next to God, we worship and love the Word who is from the unbegotten and ineffable God, since also He became man for our sakes, that becoming a partaker of our sufferings, He might also bring us healing.

The Second Person of the Holy Trinity, Jesus Christ, became a human being as you and me are so that our sinful human nature should prevail on the devil who had deceived it. Hence, Verbum Dei Caro Factum Est, the Word was made flesh. St John Damascene reflects on this point when he says: God the Word was made man for this reason, that that very nature which had sinned, fallen, and become corrupt should conquer the tyrant who had deceived it. With St Gregory Nazianzen God incarnate is always the cause of our rejoicing. The first reason being with trembling due to our sins whereas with the second reason is that of joy since He is our real hope. The Cappadocian Father wrote: Christ in the flesh, rejoice with trembling and with joy; with trembling because of your sins, with joy because of your hope.

St Athanasius of Alexandria was bold enough to make the following foundational claim about Christ’s incarnation: He was made man that we might be made God. Finally, if Jesus, who is essentially God from eternity, became a human like us, thus was willing to change to someone he was not before, why are we not making our effort to let his grace change our evil will into one who does his will? Hence, St Ephrem the Syrian opens up our eyes when he tells us: This Lord of natures today was transformed contrary to His nature; it is not too difficult for us to also overthrow our evil will.

From this brief overview concerning Christmas and the way it was envisaged by the Early Fathers of the Church one thing stands out: how the tender infant Christ, who is shown in white swaddling clothes, already foreshadows His death and His burial. This is so since the white swaddling clothes remind us of the white linen shroud that will wrap Jesus’ body after His death on the cross, as the Gospel of St Matthew rightly says: And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in His own new tomb (Mt. 27:59). But it was thanks to his passion, suffering, death and resurrection that He has given us life, and life abundantly. Thus, the principle of God’s incarnation in Jesus Christ becomes the privileged means of our sanctification.

A blessed Christmas to each and everyone of you!

Fr Mario Attard OFM Cap

FR MARIO ATTARD OFM Cap was born in San Gwann on August 26 1972. After being educated in governmental primary and secondary schools as well as at the Naxxar Trade School he felt the call to enter the Franciscan Capuchin Order. After obtaining the university requirements he entered the Capuchin friary at Kalkara on October 12 1993. A year after he was ordained a priest, precisely on 4 September 2004, his superiors sent him to work with patients as a chaplain first at St. Luke's Hospital and later at Mater Dei. In 2007 Fr Mario obtained a Master's Degree in Hospital Chaplaincy from Sydney College of Divinity, University of Sydney, Australia. Currently, he is one of the six chaplains working at Mater Dei Hospital. Furthermore, he is a regular contributor in the MUMN magazine IL-MUSBIEĦ and hosts radio programmes about the spiritual care of the sick.