The Sealed Gate

IC XC
✙
NI KA

O Virgin of virgins, how shall this be?
For neither before thee was any like thee, nor shall there be after.
Daughters of Jerusalem, why marvel ye at me?
The thing which ye behold is a divine mystery.

Additional O Antiphon from the Sarum Use

The Sarum usage (in part of the English Catholic Church) started their antiphons a day earlier than the rest of the Catholics. This pushed the Oriens off the Solstice night and changed the Anagram from Ero Cras to Vero Cros. It also, on the day before the Nativity, changed the focus – all the other Antiphons were about the Messiah but this one, seemingly, was about someone else: the Theotokos. And yet…

As we know, the Church never says anything about the Theotokos unless the Church is actually talking about the God born of Mary. And this Antiphon makes that point: Even when everyone is asking Mary about it, she says, “Why marvel at me? This is a divine Mystery.” I didn’t do this, God did. So, she points to the light in her womb even now, the day before his birth.

We forget this at our own peril: the Passion of the Christ did not begin on the Cross, at the Pillar, in the Garden, or in the Upper Room.

The Passion of the Christ begins in his conception as the Lady says, “be it done unto me according to thy word” and the infinity is compressed to less than a single cell. The intense humility of our God overcomes our pride. “This is not my job… yeah, I’m not going to do that… how dare you serve me something like this?” The infinite divinity of eternity without undergoing change or division, becomes a human being, united with us in every way. The wisdom of the Word becomes voiceless. Unable, even, to form thoughts in his brain, unable to communicate except by the very love incarnate in the act of the incarnation.

The passion of the Christ has begun and he who said, “Were I hungry I would not tell you! I own the cattle on a thousand hills” must cry out for his food. But before that. Before he can even cry out. He must wait in silence, fed by the actions of the body of his mother. Actions he himself, set in motion the the passing millenia of time for no other purpose than to nourish God. The passion has begun.

He who sees all things can see nothing in the darkness of the womb and will be, soon, blinded by the light, unable to see anything at all but able, maybe, soon, to make out Mary’s face. The passion has begun.

He who is infinite light and holiness. He before whom angles veil their faces, he before whom no living man can stand will soon dirty himself and need to be cleansed, and in the womb is surrounded by blood and water. The passion has begun.

Oh, this is love.

This is our God.

This is our hope.

God has come.

And there is a light dawning.

We will never know the fullness of his passion for us. But we can give in, we can dance to his tune in his step at his invitation. We can die with him in all things – he for whom even conception was yet another death – we can then live with him in all Eternity.

This.

Is.

Love.

Praise to God whose love was shown
Who sent his Son to earth
Jesus left his rightful throne
Became a man by birth

The virgin’s baby son
All creation praised Him
God incarnate come
Come to Bethlehem

Still a higher call had He
Deliverance from our sins
Come to set all people free
From Satan’s hold within

For by the sin of man we fell
By the Son of God
He crushed the power of Hell
Death we fear no more

Now we stand with strength, with power
The sons of God on earth
Faithful to the final hour
Christ’s righteousness our worth

And now all praise is given
For the babe, the Son
The Savior King is risen
Christ is Lord indeed

For the babe, the Son
The Savior King is risen
Christ is Lord indeed