Glorious Birth of Our Lord
(From Prayer of the Faithful According to the
Maronite Liturgical Year)
The Divine Liturgy in the Maronite tradition often
mentions the title "Mary, Mother of the Light." The opening prayer of
the liturgy used to mention it every day. This title is rich in theological and
spiritual significance and is indeed one of the treasures of the
When Constantine granted freedom for Christians to
worship publicly, it was appropriate to replace the celebration of the
Unconquerable Sun, with the Feast of the New Sun of the world, to celebrate the
birth of Jesus, the Light of the world (John 3: 19).
The image of light is found throughout salvation history.
The Aramaic Fathers of the Antiochene tradition teach us that creation is a
preparation for the incarnation of the Son of God. All was created by the
Father, through the Son. Scripture tells us that the first thing that was
created is the sun: it is the heavenly body which gives forth light, warmth and
life itself. The sun is the image of the Son of God because Christ himself is
that light which comes from heaven. As a ray of light coming through a cloud,
he appeared from the Virgin Mary. When God created the world, he separated the
light from the darkness and throughout the Old Testament, one finds the light
and the darkness contrasted with one another. In the New Testament, there is a
constant struggle between the light and the darkness.
The genealogy in the gospel account of Matthew describes
the human ancestry of Jesus and, as such, lists the sinners whose sins Jesus
had to bear. This is the side of darkness in the spiritual realm. Saint John
describes Jesus as coming from God, light from light: "I have come to the
world as its light to keep anyone who believes in me from remaining in the
dark" (John 12: 46). The account of the birth of Jesus contains the image
of light throughout. The shepherds saw a great light, "The glory of the Lord
shone around them" (Luke 2:9). The Magi saw a brilliant star in the skies,
and followed it (Matthew 2: 9-11). The shepherds said, "let us go",
and the Magi said, "we saw a light and we came” (Luke 2:15; Matthew 2:2).
Throughout the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, we
find the image of light used to express his divinity. His baptism was a true
revelation and, as such, a great enlightenment. During the transfiguration,
Jesus was surrounded by light (Matthew 17: 2-5). When Jesus died on the cross,
darkness came upon the earth (Matthew 27:45) and the soldier, standing at the
foot of the cross, was moved to say, ''Truly, this was the Son of God"
(Matthew 27:54). The resurrection itself was blinding light (Matthew 28:2). The
descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is described as "tongues of
fire" (Acts 2: 3). Upon seeing a great light and being thrown from his
horse, Saul came to believe (Acts 9:3). While in prison, Peter saw a bright
light and was freed from his chains (Acts 12:6). Just as the shepherds and Magi
saw and followed the light, we who have seen the Light must follow. Jesus told
us, "Walk while you have the light" (John 2: 19; 5:34; 12: 35-36).
This feast of the Birth of Our Lord, the Light of the world, should be an
incentive for us to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).
"The night shall be no more. They will need no light
from lamps or the sun, for the Lord God shall give them light and they shall
reign forever" (Revelation 22:5).