Why did He choose to be born so?

    Our Lord could have ordered the angels to embellish the Holy Grotto with the most delicate silks, the most aromatic perfumes, and the most celestial symphonies. He could have enjoyed every legitimate material delight from the first moment of His human life.

    Instead, He chose the very opposite. His delicate body lay not on soft silk, but on coarse straw. His crib was a feeding trough which, however diligently scoured by Our Lady, did not exude the sweet smells of exquisite perfumes. Born at midnight in the middle of winter, the Holy Infant trembled in the cold night air, warmed only by the breath of beasts. His cradle song was the lowing of cows.

    Thus, Our Lord Jesus Christ showed us how foolish it is to make this world’s delights the end of our lives. To the contrary, Christ taught us to disdain them for the glory of God and the good of souls, in the measure that they distract and even deviate us from our ultimate end — the eternal delight of unending life with Him.


Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira