To you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger – Luke 2:11-12
These are the words the angel, the heavenly messenger, spoke to the shepherds out in the fields of Judea on Christmas night. The image featured for this week is thus the Adoration of the Shepherds by Gerard van Honthorst (1622). Van Honthorst depicts a very intimate and earthy Nativity scene, in comparison to the somewhat chaotic paintings of his contemporaries and successors, such as Charles Le Brun’s Adoration (1689). Here we only see six figures, the Holy Family, and three shepherds, in the stable.
The focal point of the image is the Infant Jesus, and indeed, He is the only source of light in the painting. He radiates an eternal and ethereal glow which captures the gaze of both the viewer and the characters in the image, bar one shepherd boy. Mary, the Blessed Mother of the Lord, is the most bathed in the Light of Christ above all others present, demonstrating her Immaculate nature which perfectly reflects her Son, just as the moon reflects the light of the sun. The absolute pitch black background reminds us of the silent tranquillity of that Holy Night, as well as the darkness of sin which Christ was to banish away as the shining Light: I am the light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (Jn 8:12).
The expressions of the various figures should be a mirror of our own experience as we contemplate and reflect on the Child who was born for us on that Christmas night. The shepherd in the top corner expresses a sense of piety and awe as he removes his cap, the young boy points to the Lord with an expression of joy and gladness, the one lower down, with hands clasped, shows a kind of heartful longing, like Simeon: Lord, now you let your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation (Lk 2:29-30). St. Joseph looks on with a face of wonder, letting off a smile of pure love and joy.
Even the cow present appears to be transfixed, and St. Joseph seems quite comfortable resting his hands on the animal as they both contemplate the Incarnate God. This serves somewhat as a reminder that our Lord came to save the whole of creation, to redeem the world by entering into its fallen condition, in order to elevate it to the glory, even a higher glory, for which it was always destined.
Mary sits in the centre, with that purest of contemplation she experienced (Lk 2:19), as she locks her tender eyes on her Son, the gift which God had given her, a gift to be given for the salvation of the world. Our lives and our entire being are an undeserved gift from God. May we live by continually giving this gift of ourselves to others, just as Jesus gave Himself wholly to us, giving His entire life for us so that we might have Life. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly (Jn 10:10).
May the Incarnate Lord Jesus bless you and your families this Christmas time.
Thank you for such a perfect reminder to be still and present during the hectic holiday season!