Todayâs Gospel reading gives us one of the great prayers of the Christian tradition: the Benedictus, the prayer of Zechariah, father of John the Baptist. It has become a cornerstone of the Churchâs daily rhythm, prayed every morning in monasteries, convents, parishes, and countless homes throughout the world. The prayer opens with the astonishing proclamation that âGod has visited his people,â and it closes with the radiant promise of âthe rising Sun from on high.âWhen we hear the word visitation, we often think first of Mary visiting Elizabeth, but Zechariah points us to an even deeper divine visitation: God visiting humanity in the person of His Son. In this short hymn, Zechariah expresses the whole mystery of the Incarnation: God bending toward us, stepping into our world.
It is a beautiful reading to have today, for tonight we step into the quiet wonder of Christmas Eve: that sacred threshold where anticipation becomes fulfilment! The long Advent changes into the radiance of Christâs birth. Christmas Eve has a stillness unlike any other night of the year: a hush falls upon the world, lights glow softly in windows across the whole world, families come together, presents are exchanged, children's laughter fills rooms,... It is a night when we feel that heaven truly touches earth and for a moment things feel different, at peace.
Our painting by  Giorgione, 1505-1510, draws us into a softly lit, deeply atmospheric Nativity scene where humility and wonder meet outside a half dark grotto. On the right, the Holy Family kneels near a rocky cave; the newborn Christ Child lies simply on the ground wrapped in a thin cloth. To the left, two shepherds, dressed in humble, tattered garments, bow in reverent adoration, bridging the gap between the sacred and the ordinary. Above them, winged angel heads float over the scene. In the top left corner a full angelic host is hovering. Meanwhile the pastoral landscape beyond opens into gentle hills, a winding river and distant buildings, a Venetian countryside (where Giorgione was from) bathed in gentle daylight.
As we step into tonight's holy night, I wish each of you a Christmas Eve filled with quiet wonder, gentle light, and the deep peace that only Christ can give. May the beauty of Bethlehem touch your homes, and may the newborn Saviour draw you ever closer to His love. A blessed and grace-filled Christmas Eve to you.
