At Christmas, the Church celebrates the Holy Nativity of Christ, remembering the story of Christ’s birth in the stable at Bethlehem, the angels and the shepherds on the hill, with the wise men from the east offering gold, frankincense and myrrh at his feet. But wisdom also remembers the eternal birth of Christ in hearts that awaken to his presence, empowering the Spirit’s glorification of the Father through the Son, which is revelation of the Holy Trinity. Indeed, wisdom beholds the glory of Christ in the Spirit, restoring glory to the Father. Inspiring the Bride of Christ to embrace him with her gaze and kiss, wisdom communicates his mercy and her peace. Under the mercy of time, the Bride’s timeless glory descends as ineffable peace, enabling those who are under the mercy to awaken to Great Peace. At Christmas, therefore, we remember not only Christ’s temporal nativity long ago, but his timeless nativity in awakened hearts in every moment.
With Advent, the Eternal Christmas comes to awaken wisdom and unveil the glory of the Eternal Birth, which bears witness to the Eternal Gospel remembered in the Eternal Eucharist, so is not subject to the divisions of institutional Christendom or the Schisms of conventional Christianity. Bearing witness to the indivisible mysteries of timeless glory, wisdom dazzles seers with the glory of her beauty, radiant in her houses of spiritual healing. For she is guardian of healing hallows in realms of ineffable holiness, imparting cures with her gaze and healing with the kiss of her embrace. Her realms of paradise are gardens in which her love is revealed, hidden until her wisdom gives birth to them in the womb of her glory. Her heavenly earth receives his earthly heaven with a kiss, the kiss of the Spirit that hallows saints, curing them from confusion and division. Advent celebrates his coming, together with her’s with him at Christmas, generating Holy Theophany.
With Theophany, Christmas turns the parousia of the Eternal Advent into a baptism of fire, unveiling the glory of love’s Epiphany in uncreated light. Wisdom reveals the Thrice-Holy glory of grace through her light-bearing love, chrismating Christians by grace, as she anointed Christ for burial before he died. Hallowing Golgotha with the balm of her love, she stood unflinching at the foot of the Cross. She anointed his deceased body with myrrh and went early to the tomb on the third day. As the Apostle to the apostles, she was the first to bear witness to his resurrection. Her anointing love is even now phosphoric because her myrrh-bearing love is timeless light-bearing, coming to meet us with the uncreated light of love’s co-inherent glory. The Holy Theophany of Christ unveils Holy Trinity with the Spirit’s anointing balm, revealing his glory through her beauty, the beauty of her epiphanic holiness. Her transfiguring gaze embraces saints with a kiss of peace, hallowing the Name of grace in realms of glory. For wisdom, Christmas completes Advent by unveiling Theophany as light-bearing Epiphany, welcoming his baptism as the Bride’s descent, the descent of the dove, unveiling the glory of Jerusalem, the Holy City of God.