Book of the Month Club
This month’s featured selection:
“The Blessing of Christmas” by Pope Benedict XVI
This little crimson book may be small in size but it is mighty in meaningful text and brilliantly juxtaposed ancient artwork. The preface tells the reader it “brings together in one volume two earlier books by Joseph Ratzinger that perfectly compliment each other: ‘The Light That Shines upon Us,’ 1978 and ‘Praise of Christmas,’ 1982.”
The text curiously begins with the “burden of sickness,” which then-Cardinal Ratzinger relates to the purification and waiting of Advent. In that anticipation there is hope, he says, while using examples of the beauty of nature and the frailty of man to illuminate his message of eternal joy in Christ.
Three of the seven chapters begin with a numbered Scripture verse that brings to life the message on the pages. Scripture and surprising personal anecdotes are interspersed throughout the tome and the text is packed with new meaning to an age old Biblical inheritance.
Ratzinger describes how some of the most cherished Christmas customs come from the Advent liturgy, such as the Christmas tree and decorations. Even the custom of Christmas baking comes from liturgy: “In that day, the mountains will drip sweetness and the rivers will flow with milk and honey.”
In the genealogy of Jesus, Pope Benedict XVI writes of the Scripture reference lineup focusing on the five women of “faith and grace.” He speaks at length of the freedom of love and how the child Jesus brings us new awareness of God’s love each Christmastide.
Historical church figures, the likes of St. Francis of Assisi, who was the first to create a crèche, and St. Elizabeth of Hungary, who spent her last hours of life telling of the life of Jesus, add to the rich texture of church history the pope presents. And the stunning artwork sprinkled throughout draws the reader into the beauty and depth of mankind’s ancient journey of Christmas.
The author challenges the reader to consider the silence of the yuletide as God works to change hearts from within. He addresses the truth that God came to mankind as the child of Jesus, the light that shines in the darkness. His message: “It is of course true that the freshness, the purity, and the openness of a child give us hope.”
“The Blessing of Christmas” is an easily understandable yet powerful reminder that the child Jesus in the Christmas story is beautiful and good. And when men encounter it, they become good. For they have seen the glory of God in this world.
Questions for discussion
• When have you experienced the “burden of sickness,” whether physically or spiritually? How did the waiting purify you?
• Discuss the ramifications of the four women from Jewish history and Mary in Matthew’s genealogy account in chapter two.
• How are you like the ox and ass in chapter four, who bow before the Christ child born in a stable?
• What does “Silence is the space of this child. Silence is the sphere where God is born” mean to you? How can silence bring you closer to God? (Page 90)
• How can a renewed focus on the truth and beauty of the Christmas message bring you hope for your personal future?
