The Gospel says, “The angel of the Lord appeared to the (shepherds) and the glory of the Lord shone around them…” It is no wonder the shepherds were struck with great fear. The glory of the Lord is radiance. It is light. It is majesty and power. But we are not struck with great fear, but with great awe and wonder and admiration, for the glory of the Most Holy Trinity is all around us. It is bringing to light the knowledge of the glory of God shining on the face of Jesus Christ and showing us its reflection on the face of his mother Mary. 

Unlike the shepherds, we have no fear, because we are united with our heavenly Father who gazes with delight upon the glorious face of his Son. We have no fear, because the veil that covered our faces has been removed, and we are transformed from glory to glory by the Lord who is the Spirit. We have no fear, because we are united with our Lord through Our Lady who ponders all these things in her heart, reflecting the glory of her child as the moon reflects the brilliance of the sun. Keeping our night watch, we have no fear, because we are surrounded by the glory of the most Holy Trinity and the loving care of Our Lady.

We should not be surprised that fear is being cast out tonight. We are hearing good news, and all good news comes from God, the most Holy Trinity. To begin with, we see the Father’s love which has made us his children by giving us all he has in the lowliness of his Son. His mysterious plan is now revealed and made visible in this child’s face We have but to look toward him and be radiant, and let our faces not be abashed. 

We are experiencing a new creation and a new covenant prepared by the Father in his beloved Son and sealed with his Spirit, a covenant of peace and freedom. For where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. In this covenant of peace, the Spirit is opening doors to all those who walk in darkness and shadow of death! The absolute praise of the Father for his Son is the Spirit shining on the face of Christ; at the same time, the Spirit is the absolute thanksgiving of the Son for all the Father has given to him, including the Son’s utter helplessness, his utter dependence, and his absolute childhood. This is the new covenant we celebrate.

But the unfathomable mystery of this holy night can be penetrated even further by turning to the Our Lady. Mary has been waiting patiently for the Father’s plan to mature and to see the face of her child. Already her union with the Spirit has given her an unfading glory, unlike the passing glory of Moses. Like her son, she has emptied herself, she has taken the last place, she has glorified the God of Israel who has done such great things for her. She has resolved not to do her own will but to let it be done to her according to God’s will. Although her son is bone of her bone and flesh of her flesh, she does not grasp her divine motherhood as a badge of honor, but pours out her glory so that he may increase and she decrease. Like mother, like son. 

Tonight, we are like the shepherds who have gone to Bethlehem to see this great thing that the Lord has made known to us. But will it really make any difference in our chaotic world? What can we do, hidden away in a monastery? It all depends—it depends on whether we treat this kindness and love of God our savior as somehow caused by our righteous deeds rather than his mercy. It depends on whether the grace of God which has appeared leads us to live our monastic life temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age. It depends on turning our gaze once again to the glory shining on the face of Christ. If we do that, the glory of God will be imprinted on our faces, too, just as it was with Moses. We will become intimate friends of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and reflections, like Our Lady and St. Joseph, of that glorious peace which the Trinity wants for our war-torn world.

Reflection by Abbot Vincent