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Today the Virgin gives birth to the Transcendent One, / and the earth offers a cave to the Unapproachable One! / Angels with shepherds glorify Him. / The wise men journey with a star, / since for our sake the Pre-Eternal God was born as a young Child.” (Kontakion of Nativity)
It’s ‘today’ that the Virgin gives birth, for those on the Julian Calendar, while others are going back to work or school, having more or less completed the high liturgical season of Epiphanies. In fact, it’s ‘today’ in Bethlehem, because the Patriarchate of Jerusalem celebrates Christmas according to the Older Calendar. This difference in calendars among us, as Christians, is something we tend to regard as a scandal, and a painful reality for those who have friends or family who celebrate great feasts like this one separately from us. But let’s consider the above-quoted hymn, my friends, which offers some consolation on this matter, because it unifies those who celebrate(d) the Lord’s birth in Bethlehem at different ‘times.’
While the hymn does describe an event that happened at a specific time in history, one could say it was not ‘celebrated’ at the same exact time by the Virgin, the shepherds, and the wise men. She (and Joseph) were presumably the only ones there, along with the farm-animals mentioned in Christmas carols. (The Protoevangelium of James inserts also a midwife and Salome at the scene, but our tradition usually ignores this factoid.) The shepherds arrive at the scene somewhat later, while the wise men still ‘ journey with a star.’ The wise men beheld and celebrated the ‘ young Child,’ or celebrated Christmas, days or weeks later. So, we can compare them to Older Calendar folks, if you will.
And then there is One mentioned in this hymn who transcends time altogether: He’s called in this hymn the ‘ Transcendent One,’ the ‘ Pre-Eternal God,’ accentuating His transcendence of our time. In His ‘mind,’ the mystery of His incarnation was never unknown; you could say, God always ‘celebrates’ the mystery revealed to us only at a specific time in history, under Caesar Augustus and “ while Quirinius was governor of Syria” (Lk 2:2): it’s why, when He created the human being, He recognized His own image and likeness in us.
As for the angels, I don’t think they ‘knew’ about the mystery way back then, when we were created, but at the very least Gabriel knew about it since the time of the Annunciation. I don’t know if he could keep it to himself at that point, or if he shared it with other bodiless powers, if they chat among themselves. In any event, the angels did know and celebrate the birth of Christ before the shepherds knew, so they also celebrated Christmas a bit earlier.
To conclude this long reflection, if it’s any consolation, let’s remember that the ‘today’ of the Nativity of our Lord extends beyond our specific calendars; it always extended beyond our calendars. We can always join in its celebration, as we do, actually, throughout our lives in Christ, who is One that is always ‘coming’ to us, in the flesh, in His word, and by His life-creating Spirit. And let’s join in saying Merry Christmas to our Older Calendar brothers and sisters today! Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, among people of good will!❤
