And Mary Said (The Politics of Christmas?)

Last updated on: December 14, 2020 at 5:13 am by John Mark N. Reynolds

And Mary Said (The Politics of Christmas?) 2020-12-14T02:11:18-04:00 John Mark N. Reynolds

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The politics of Christmas are the incarnation of jollification: the righteous losers end up winning, the humble are exalted, justice happens.

Christmas is a Hallmark move indeed: all is well.

Mary broke politics at Christmas. She gave consent to the good God and the good God made all well. Like any courageous human, Mary was not “fearless,” but she chose, did her duty, persisted toward holiness.

As a result, in a crooked world, her straight was remarkable.

She was unknown to the Emperor, though his actions would shape her journey. She ended up frightening the King and so had to go into exile. If she was to become the Mother of God, she had to defy every contemporary political calculation.

She said, “Let it be done. . . “ and every sentient being in this cosmos would see Bethlehem as central to reality. Mary, mother of God, would become Queen, awful and terrible to the unrighteous. She was in love with God and that love was requited.

There were zealots in the neighborhood, people who would not compromise with the tyrants, but she could not join their doomed cause. They associated the kingdom with a political order and her Son, her Divine Son, would build a kingdom not of this world. He was building an Empire of souls, eternal, safe for all time by her intercession.

There were Sadducees in Jerusalem. They had made their peace with Herod and Rome. They had the world, pleasures for their flesh, and the approval of devils. There were treats they could distribute. Mary would have none of it. She knew the Temple and became the Temple for God in the flesh. She wanted God: truth, goodness, beauty.

She spoke and the polis changed, politics changed forever. The humble, the lowly, the oppressed gained a voice from the one human God chose to be His mother when the God-man came.

6 And Mary[f] said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
    Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name.
50 His mercy is for those who fear him
    from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
    and lifted up the lowly;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
    and sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
    in remembrance of his mercy,
55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
    to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

Mary said so many things, but she at least said this: the poor, the rich, the Romans would be made throne-less, cast down, and sent away hungry. This would be true if they persisted in demanding money, power, and treats despite injustice.

No Christian can deny this central song of Christmas, but perhaps the gilding and the glorious musical settings have obscured the message. The world is turned upside down: empires are to be ruled by women of Israel and not august imperialists.

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