St. Ambrose of Milan: How One Ought to Observe the Day of the Nativity

You are well aware of the great joy and the large gatherings of people that occur on the day when the birth of an earthly king is celebrated. On such an occasion, leaders, officials, and all the soldiers, arrayed in silken garments and girded with expensive, gold-shimmering belts, hasten to present themselves in splendid magnificence before their king. They understand that the king’s joy will be magnified when he sees the exceptional beauty of their attire and that he will give himself over to even greater delight as they demonstrate more zeal during his celebration. (For the king, being human, does not look upon the heart, but judges a person’s disposition toward him by outward appearances. Thus, whoever loves the king more will adorn themselves in the brightest garments.)

Furthermore, knowing that the king is generous on the day of his birth, freely bestowing many favors—whether to his nobles or to those who are considered lowly and despised in his household—they strive beforehand to fill his treasury with various riches. This ensures that he, desiring to distribute gifts, may do so generously, so that his eagerness to give out blessings may be satisfied before his wealth is exhausted. They carry out all of this with great diligence, hoping themselves to receive a substantial reward in return.

Brothers! If the sons of this age, for the sake of fleeting honor, prepare so diligently to celebrate the birthday of their earthly king, how much more ought we to prepare for the birth of our eternal King, Jesus Christ? He rewards our devotion not with temporal glory but with eternal glory, and grants us honor not of earthly authority, which passes to a successor, but of the heavenly kingdom, which has no successor. What kind of reward shall we receive? The Prophet speaks of it thus: Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9; cf. Isaiah 64:4).

With what garments, then, ought we to adorn ourselves? I speak not of outward attire but of ourselves—that is, our souls. For Christ, our King, does not demand splendid clothing but devotion of the soul; He does not gaze upon the adornment of the body but looks upon the heart of those who serve Him. He is not impressed by the shine of a perishable girdle that binds the loins but marvels at the invincible chastity that restrains lust with the bond of shame.

Let us therefore strive to appear before Him perfected in faith, clothed in mercy, and ordered in the image of our lives. Whoever loves Christ sincerely should adorn themselves more brightly by keeping His commandments, so that He may see that we truly believe in Him. Let us show such radiance at His celebration that He may rejoice all the more when He perceives the purity of our spirit. Let us chasten our hearts beforehand, cleanse our conscience, sanctify our spirit, and meet the coming of the all-holy Lord in purity and blamelessness. In this way, the day of the birth of Him who was born of the Most Pure Virgin may be celebrated by His servants in purity.

But whoever comes on that day in uncleanness and defilement does not honor the Nativity of Christ. Though present in body at the Lord’s feast, they are far from the Savior in spirit. For the unclean cannot have fellowship with the holy, the miser with the merciful, the corrupt with the chaste. If someone unworthy presumes to enter such fellowship, they bring even greater offense, for they do not know themselves. Wishing to appear zealous, they are in fact presumptuous, like the man mentioned in the Gospel, who, being invited to the wedding feast, dared to enter the assembly of the saints without wearing a wedding garment. While one there shone with righteousness, another with faith, and yet another with chastity, he alone, with a defiled conscience, inspired only revulsion amidst the brilliance of all others by his dreadful trembling.

The brighter the holiness of the righteous reclining at the feast, the more evident was the sinner’s defilement. Perhaps he would not have caused such aversion had he not appeared among the company of the saints. For this reason, the king’s servants, binding him hand and foot, cast him into outer darkness, not only because he was a sinner but because, as a sinner, he presumed to claim the reward reserved for holiness (Matthew 22:11–13).

Therefore, as we prepare to celebrate the day of the Nativity of our Lord, let us cleanse ourselves, brethren, from every stain of sin. Let us fill His treasury with various gifts, so that on that holy day we may bring comfort to strangers, alleviate the sorrows of widows, and clothe the poor. For would it be right that in the same household, among the servants of the same master, one should rejoice in silken garments while another languishes in rags, one is filled with food while another suffers hunger and cold? What efficacy will our prayers have when we ask to be delivered from the evil one, yet refuse to show mercy to our brothers?

Let us imitate our Lord. If it pleased Him to make the poor co-partakers with us of heavenly grace, why should they not share with us earthly wealth? Brethren by the mysteries should not be strangers to one another in possessions. We gain stronger advocates for ourselves before the Lord when we sustain those who give thanks to God through our offerings. The poor, blessing the Lord, benefit the one whose assistance causes God to be praised. For as Scripture says, Woe to the man by whom the name of the Lord is blasphemed, so it also says, Peace to the man by whom the name of the Lord our Savior is blessed.

The merit of the benefactor is such that, while they alone show mercy in their home, in the Church many voices intercede to the Lord on their behalf. What they might not have dared to ask of God themselves, they receive unexpectedly through the prayers of many. The blessed Apostle, glorifying such help, says: That the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons may cause thanksgiving to be made by many on our behalf (2 Corinthians 1:11). And elsewhere: That the offering may be acceptable and sanctified by the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:16). Amen.

-From the Book Homilies on the Nativity of Christ