And she gave birth to her first-born Son and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:7).
I was reading the story of the nativity of Our Blessed Lord in the Gospel according to Saint Luke, and something struck me in the text this time…
“Joseph went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born Son and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, ‘Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.’” (Luke 2:1-14).
And though the text is very familiar to me, this time I noticed the “swaddling cloths” because it was mentioned a couple of times and it got me to thinking...
You see, when we swaddle a baby in modern times, what we are doing is wrapping their arms and legs into a “bunny rug” so that they will not accidentally startle themselves with their unconscious movements of their rams and legs. When a baby is born, it moves its arms and legs involuntarily. And sometimes, those movements actually startle the baby. This means, that after the baby is born – during their first few months of life – their mother wraps their arms and legs up in a cloth – especially when they wish to sleep – so that they will not interrupt their own sleep with their involuntary movements.
But, in ancient times, “swaddling cloths” were used to straighten the baby out and force the baby to lie straight. For this reason, “swaddling cloths” were wrapped very tightly around the infant in order to prevent them moving at all.
And I have been reflecting on those “swaddling cloths” that were wrapped around my Beloved. For God, who is King of the Universe, made Himself into a tiny little baby just so that His Mother could wrap Him up so tightly that He – who created the world – could not even move.
And when I stop and think about that today, I am struck dumb in awe, because the wonder of such a God is completely beyond my human ability to reason. And I wonder, how I shall ever be able to thank my Beloved for such magnanimity as that!
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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