Nativity Hymn 1: The Righteous Who Looked for the Son

This is the day that gladdened the prophets, the kings and the priests, for on it their words were fulfilled, and so the whole of them were truly carried out! For on this day the Virgin brought forth Immanuel in Bethlehem. The voice that Isaiah spoke long ago became reality today. There was born the one who was to write down the number of the Gentiles! The psalm that David once sang came to its fulfillment today! The word that Micah once spoke has truly come to pass today! For a Shepherd came from Ephrathah, and his staff swayed over souls. Look! From Jacob shone the Star, and from Israel rose the Head. The prophecy that Balaam spoke had its interpretation today! The hidden Light also came down, and from the Body rose his beauty! The light that spoke in Zechariah shone today in Bethlehem! [a]

The Light of the kingdom has risen in Ephrathah, the city of the King. The blessing with which Jacob blessed came to its fulfillment today! That tree too, the tree of life, brings hope to mortals! Solomon’s hidden proverb had its explanation today! Today the Child was born, and his name was called Wonder! For it is a wonder that God should show himself as a baby. By the word “worm” the Spirit foreshadowed him in a parable, because his birth was without marriage. Today the meaning of the type the Holy Spirit drew was explained. He came up as a root before him, as a root out of parched ground. Whatever was said in secret was done openly today! The King who was hidden in Judah, Tamar stole him from his loins; today his conquering beauty arose, which she loved while it was still hidden. Ruth lay down at Boaz’s side, because she perceived the Medicine of Life hidden in him. Today her vow was fulfilled, since from her seed arose the Giver of life to all. Adam brought the pain of childbirth on the woman who had come out of him. Today she ransomed her pain, she who bore a Savior to her! A man gave birth to Eve our mother, a man who himself had had no birth. How much more should Eve’s daughter be believed to have borne a Child without a man! The virgin earth gave birth to that Adam who was head over the earth. Today the Virgin gave birth to the Adam who was Head over the heavens. The staff of Aaron budded, and the dry wood yielded fruit! Its mystery is made clear today, for the virgin womb has borne a Child! [c]

Shamed is that people which holds the prophets to be true; for unless our Savior has come, their words have been proved false! Blessed be the True One, who came from the Father of the Truth and fulfilled the words of the true seers, which were accomplished in their truth. Bring out from your treasure-house, Lord, from the coffers of your Scriptures, the names of righteous men of old who looked to see your coming! Seth, who was in Abel’s place, foreshadowed the Son as slain, by whose death the envy that Cain had brought into the world was blunted! Noah saw the sons of God, holy men who suddenly grew wanton, and he looked for the Holy Son, by whom lewd men were turned to holiness. The two brothers who covered Noah saw the only Son of God, who would come to hide the nakedness of Adam, who was drunk with pride. Shem and Japheth, being gracious, looked for the gracious Son, who would come and set Canaan free from the slavery of sin. [f]

Melchizedek expected him; as his deputy, he looked to see the Lord of the priesthood, whose hyssop purifies the world. Lot saw how the people of Sodom perverted nature, and he looked for nature’s Lord, who gave a holiness beyond nature. Aaron looked for him, for he saw that if his rod ate up serpents, his cross would eat up the Serpent that had eaten Adam and Eve. Moses saw the serpent lifted up that had cured the bites of asps, and he looked to see him who would heal the wound of the ancient Serpent. Moses saw that he alone kept the brightness that came from God, and he looked for him who came and multiplied gods by his teaching. [g]

Caleb the spy carried the cluster on the pole, and came and longed to see the Cluster whose wine would comfort the world. Jesus the son of Nun longed for him, that he might grasp the force of his own name: for if by his name he grew so mighty, how much more would the Son be by his birth? This Jesus, who gathered and carried and brought back some of the fruit, was longing for the Tree of Life, to taste the Fruit that gives life to all. Rahab too was looking for him; for when the scarlet thread redeemed her from wrath as a type, as a type she tasted the Truth. Elijah longed for him, and when he did not see him on earth, he, thoroughly cleansed through faith, went up into heaven to see him. Moses saw him, and Elijah too; the meek man came up from the depth, the zealous man came down from on high, and in the middle they saw the Son. They pictured the mystery of his coming: Moses was a type of the dead, and Elijah a type of the living, who fly to meet him at his coming. For the dead who have tasted death he makes to be first, and the rest, who are not buried, are caught up last to meet him. [i]

Who is there who can count up for me the righteous who looked for the Son, whose number cannot be fixed by the mouth of weak creatures like us? Pray for me, beloved, that another time, given strength, I may set out their foretaste in another composition, as well as I am able. Who is equal to praising the Son of the Truth who has risen on us? For it was for him the righteous longed, that they might see him in their own generation. Adam looked for him, for he is the Lord of the Cherub, and could grant entrance and a dwelling close beside the branches of the Tree of Life. Abel longed for him to come in his days, so that instead of the lamb he offered he might see the Lamb of God. Eve too looked for him; for the nakedness of woman was grievous, and he was able to clothe them, not with leaves, but with that same glory they had traded away. The tower that the many built looked, in a mystery, for One who would come down and build on earth a tower that lifts up to heaven. Yes, the ark of living creatures looked, as a type, for our Lord; for he would build the holy church, in which souls find refuge. In the days of Peleg the earth was divided into tongues, seventy of them. It looked for him who by the tongues divided the earth among his apostles. The earth, which the flood had swallowed up, cried in silence to her Lord. He came down and opened baptism, and by it people were drawn up to heaven. Seth and Enosh, and Kenan too, were called sons of God; for they looked for the Son of God, that by grace they might be his brothers. Methuselah lived a little short of a thousand years: he looked for the Son who makes people heirs of a life that never ends! Grace itself, in hidden mystery, was pleading on their behalf, that their Lord might come in their age and make up what they lacked. For the Holy Spirit in them pleaded in their place, with meditation. He stirred them up, and in him they looked on that Redeemer for whom they longed. [k]

The soul of righteous men saw in the Son a Medicine of life, and so it desired that he might come in its own days, so that it might taste his sweetness. Enoch longed for him, and since he did not see the Son on earth, he was counted righteous by great faith, and went up into heaven to see him. Who is there who will spurn grace, when the Gift that the people of old did not gain with much labor now comes freely to men? Lamech too looked for him, who might come and lovingly give him rest from his labor and the toil of his hands, and from the earth that the Just One had cursed. Then Lamech saw his son Noah, in whom types pointing to the Son were drawn. In place of the Lord far off, the type close at hand gave rest. Yes, Noah also longed to see him, the taste of whose helping graces he had tasted. For if the type of him preserved living creatures, how surely would he himself give life to souls! Noah longed for him, knowing him by experience, for through him the ark had been made firm. For if the type of him saved life in this way, surely he would do much more in person. Abraham perceived in the Spirit that the Son’s birth was far off; instead of seeing him in person, he rejoiced to see even his day. Isaac longed to see him, having tasted the taste of his redemption; for if the sign of him gave life in this way, much more would he by the reality. [o]

The Watchers rejoiced today that the Wakeful One came to wake us! Who would spend this night in slumber, when the whole world was keeping watch? Since Adam brought the sleep of death into the world by sins, the Wakeful One came down to wake us from the deep sleep of sin. Let us not keep watch like moneylenders, who think of their money lent at interest and lie awake so often at night to reckon up their capital and their interest. The thief is wakeful and wary; he has buried his sleep and hidden it in the ground. All his wakefulness comes to this: that he may cause much wakefulness to those who are asleep. The glutton too is wakeful, who has eaten much and is restless; his wakefulness is his torment, because he could not bear to hold back. The merchant too is wakeful: at night he works his fingers, counting over the sums that are coming to him, and whether his wealth will double or triple. The rich man too is wakeful, whose riches chase his sleep away: his dogs sleep, while he guards his treasures from the thieves. The anxious man too is wakeful; his sleep is swallowed up by his cares; though his end stands by his pillow, he lies awake with cares for years to come. Satan teaches, my brothers and sisters, one kind of watching in place of another: to be sleepy toward good deeds, and awake and watchful toward evil. Even Judas Iscariot was wakeful the whole night through, and he sold the righteous Blood that bought the whole world. The son of the dark one put on darkness, having stripped the Light off himself; and the thief sold for silver him who created silver. Yes, the Pharisees, the dark one’s sons, stayed awake all night long: the dark ones kept watch so that they might veil the Light that has no limit. You, then, keep watch like the lights of heaven in this night of starlight. For though its color is so dark, in power it is bright. [p]

For whoever is like this bright One, wakeful and prayerful in darkness, an unseen light surrounds him in this visible darkness! The bad man who stands in daylight still acts as a son of darkness; though clothed outwardly with light, inwardly he is wrapped in darkness. Let us not be deceived, beloved, by the fact that we are keeping watch! For whoever does not keep watch rightly, his watch is an unrighteous watch. Whoever does not keep watch cheerfully, his watching is only a sleeping; and whoever does not keep watch innocently, even his waking is his enemy. Such is the waking of the envious man: a solid mass, packed with harm. That watch is nothing but a trafficking, packed with scorn and mockery. If the angry man stays awake, his waking will be fretful with anger, and his watching turns out full of rage and cursing. If the babbler stays awake, his mouth becomes a passage that is ready for sins but blocked to prayers.

The wise man, if he is one who keeps watch, chooses one of two things: either he takes sweet, moderate sleep, or he keeps a holy vigil. That night is fair in which he who is Fair rose to come and make us fair. Let nothing that might disturb it enter into our watch! Let the approach to the ear be kept fair, the seeing of the eye chaste, the musing of the heart holy, and the speaking of the mouth pure! Today Mary hid in us leaven that came from Abraham. Let us, then, pity beggars as Abraham pitied the needy. Today the rennet fell on us from the house of gentle David. Let a man show mercy to his persecutors, as Jesse’s son did to Saul. Today the sweet salt of the prophets is sprinkled among the Gentiles. Let us gain a new taste by that through which the ancient people lost their taste. Let us speak the speech of wisdom; let us not speak of things outside it, lest we ourselves be outside it! [r]

In this night of reconciliation let no one be angry or gloomy! In this night that stills all things, let no one threaten or disturb! This night belongs to the Sweet One; let no one in it be bitter or harsh! In this night that is the Gentle One’s, let no one in it be high or haughty! On this day of pardon let us not demand payment for wrongs! On this day of gladness let us not spread sadness! On this day so sweet let us not be harsh! On this day of peaceful rest let us not be angry! On this day when God came to sinners, let not the righteous man be lifted up in his mind over the sinner! On this day on which the Lord of all came to his servants, let masters too stoop lovingly to their servants! On this day on which the Rich One became poor for our sakes, let the rich man have the poor man share his table. On this day the Gift came out to us, though we did not ask for it! Let us therefore give alms to those who cry out and beg from us. This is the day that opened for us a gate on high for our prayers. Let us also open gates to petitioners who have transgressed and have asked us for forgiveness. Today the Lord of nature was changed contrary to his nature; let it not be wearisome to us to turn our evil wills. The body is fixed in its nature; it cannot become greater or less. But the will has such dominion that it can grow to any measure. Today the Godhead set its seal on manhood, so that manhood might be adorned with the stamp of the Godhead.