Oftentimes, when we employ our prayerful imagination in considering the Nativity story, we perceive the depth of emotion within Mary and Joseph. We are drawn into the humility of the shepherds, and we might marvel at the luminescence of the angels or the mystique of the Magi. For many, it has even become a frequent wondering as to what that celebrated stable really looked and smelled like while the radiant star of Bethlehem hung proudly overhead. But what about the cattle and the sheep who adorned the hay-strewn manger? And the donkey who ensured Mary’s timely arrival in Bethlehem? Have you ever wondered what stirred within them as they witnessed God becoming human?
A window into their viewpoint is vividly captured in the 12th-century French carol entitled, “The Friendly Beasts,” where various creatures share their version of what magically unfolded on that most holy of nights. This is not a Christmas song I was familiar with as a child but is one that I have come to cherish in more recent years as a middle-aged adult. Sure, it carries a lovely melody, and the words are catchy. But what inspires me most of all is the tenderness with which it is imbued, that seems to transport me back in time to the events we hear proclaimed every Christmas in the Gospel readings. This carol bears the Ignatian charism of discovering God in all things, including the perspective of the animals, who were there the very hour that Jesus as Emmanuel — God with us — was born.
Every time I listen to the lyrics, I marvel at how more than humanity was incredibly impacted by the Incarnation. Indeed, all of creation was and still is. The precious animals of the Nativity were so enlightened by what came to be in their midst that they were each motivated to give their own respective gifts to this newborn because his birth changed everything about life by giving it ultimate meaning. As the song declares, “[T]hus every beast by some good spell in the stable dark was glad to tell of the gifts they gave Emmanuel.” May your heart contemplate this as you hear the Nativity story anew this Advent. And, may it reveal to you, as it does me, the wonder and might of God’s magnificent love.
I hope you enjoy this 2006 version of “The Friendly Beasts” by Sufjan Stevens. It’s my favorite!
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