“Truly
He taught us to love one another,
His
law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains
he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And
in his name all oppression shall cease.”—“O Holy Night,” lyrics by Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure, translated into
English by John Sullivan Dwight, music by Adolphe Charles Adams (1847)
The
image accompanying this post is the painting Adoration of the Shepherds (ca. 1450), by the Italian Renaissance
artist Andrea Mantegna (ca. 1430-1506). I chose to highlight this particular
portion of the Nativity to illustrate the fact that Jesus’ appearance was not
for the elite of the world, but for all who, because of their belief that “His
law is love and His gospel is peace,” engage in the personal liberation that
begins to change the world.
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