“Christmas must mean more to us every year, and we must not be afraid of immersing ourselves in its joy. It is the most natural thing in the world that a woman’s heart should be moved to tears at the manger, at the sight of that small Person who is the Redeemer of the world, and that this was the way he chose to come, out of all possible ways of coming. He chose this way of sacrifice; his first expression of love was in the context of sacrifice. And he is showing us that it is this way that our love is to be expressed always. Let us hold this before our eyes so that we can show by our way of living that truly here also, in our lives, the kindness and love of God have appeared.” -Mother Mary Francis, Come Lord Jesus On Mary: “The description of His birth in the Gospel does not say that she held Him in her arms, but that she “wrapped Him up in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger.” As if her first act was to lay Him on the Cross. She knew that this little son of hers was God’s Son and that God had not given Him to her for herself alone but for the whole world.” -Caryll Houselander, The Reed of GodWe learn from Mary the disposition of heart we want to have in relation to Jesus. A heart surrendered totally and completely to His will, never once counting the personal cost. A heart in awe and wonder as we hear “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior!” (Luke 1:46-47).I wanted to paint the shepherd opposite of Mary in a similar gesture as her, highlighting how we learn to pray, hope, adore, and ultimately become Christian by imitating her receptivity to Christ.*Fun fact: If you’re familiar with my other paintings, you’ll notice that her hands are in the same position here as they are in my “Luke 2:19” painting where she “treasured these things and pondered them in her heart.” On Joseph and the shepherds: The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.” Matthew 1:20Joseph is shown here in purple (the color most commonly used to represent royalty), showing his royal lineage. It is through Joseph that Jesus inherits his title “Son of David,” yet he is pictured here almost indistinguishable from the three shepherds. This was to speak to Joseph’s humility and role as father, husband, and “shepherd” to Jesus and Mary.The three shepherds were not only a nice number for the composition, but also a nod to the coming of the three wise men. I love meditating on the fact that the Lord of the Universe appeared not only as a small, helpless baby, but that He wanted the poor, outcasted, unclean shepherds to be his first visitors. On the animals: “The ox knows its master, the donkey its owner's manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” Isaiah 1:3Traditionally in art, nativity scenes were depicted with an ox and a donkey before any other animals were introduced. Why? Most commonly it is referenced to this text (above) from Isaiah. The people of Israel were being rebuked for failing to recognize and obey God pointing out that even creation (ox & donkey), who are without reason or knowledge can still recognize Him.The Church Fathers also saw this as a prophesy pointing ahead to the new people of God, which would consist of both Jews and Gentiles. The ox, a symbol of sacrifice and labor, was considered a “clean” animal and represented the Jews, while the donkey, a symbol of humility and service, was considered an “unclean” animal and represented the Gentiles. Both are brought to the manger where the Bread of Life was laid, as a universal call to worship Him who came to unite and reconcile all nations to Himself. On Baby Jesus: “He asked for hands and feet to be nailed.He asked for flesh to be scourged.He asked for blood to be shed.He asked for a heart to be broken.The stable at Bethlehem was the first Calvary.The wooden manger was the first Cross.The swaddling bands were the first burial bands.The Passion had begun.Christ was man.”-Caryll Houselander, The Reed of GodThis painting started with me wanting to paint baby Jesus in the cruciform position and show a number of the parallels of his birth and his passion. I’m always struck by details, I’m a firm believer that that is where the love is. It wasn’t enough for the King of all creation to come as a helpless, humble baby, rejected even before He was born. He wanted to prove to us over and over again that it is all a part of His plan, that He had all of it in mind from the beginning of time. I see it most clearly in these parallels:The wood of the manger reminds us of the wood of cross. The swaddling clothes remind us of the burial cloths. He was born in Bethlehem which means “house of bread” and was placed in a feeding trough. You’ll notice that some of the straw is painted as strands of wheat. The more I dove into the possibilities for this painting, the more I realized how Eucharistic it all was! The Eucharist was always a part of His divine plan. He became the Bread of Life so that we could have everlasting life. He is the light amidst the darkness of sin and no amount of sin or suffering can eclipse His perfect, merciful love.
