As another Christmas rolls around, Amy and I have been struck again by the sheer beauty of the story. The God of the universe condescends to take on human flesh and even humbles himself to the point of joining a rather pedestrian family. And, as Amy noted in her last post, the irony of the Christmas story is wondrously exceeded by the Easter story, as the Christ is murdered—by us, the ones he came to save—but, in the most beautiful moment in human history, he rises from the dead, defeating death itself in the process and earning salvation for his elect, who were powerless to save themselves. Truly, in terms of aesthetic richness, the Gospel story is incomparable.
For all of its spiritual significance, the aesthetics of Christmas (as with Easter) should not be overlooked. Indeed, the spiritual and aesthetic dimensions of the Gospel are inseparable—a point emphasized by Pope Benedict when he recently met with hundreds of creative artists. See my post on this on the EPS blog.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
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