Kierkegaard has a fable of a king who fell in love with a poor maid. The king wanted to marry her. When he asked his counselors, “How shall I declare my love?” they answered, “Your majesty has only to appear in all the glory of your royal raiments before the maid’s humble dwelling, and she will instantly fall at your feet and be yours.”
But it was precisely that which troubled the king. He wanted her glorification, not his. In return for his love, he wanted hers, freely given.
Finally, the king realized love’s truth, that freedom for the beloved demanded equality with the beloved. So late one night, after all the counselors of the palace had retired, he slipped out a side door and appeared before the maid’s cottage dressed as a servant to confess his love for her.
Clearly, the fable is a Christmas story. God chose to express His love for us humans by becoming one like us. We are called to obey, not God’s power, but God’s love. God wants not submission to His power, but in return for His love, our own.
May Jesus be reborn in your heart and life during Christmas 2021 and everyday of the New Year 2022. Wishing you all Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year.
-Submitted by Fr. Joseph Dovari