Amazed

 "Only wonder knows...”  (St. Gregory of Nyssa)

Naples is well known for its crib-statues.

Among the others there is one particularly interesting.  It is called ‘Enchanted Shepherd’, or ‘Amazed’.  It represents an empty-handed child with open arms, while its countenance radiates wonder.  It recalls a legend:

One day the little statues started scolding ‘Amazed’ because he was not bringing any gift to Baby Jesus. “Shame on you”, they said, “are you going to visit Jesus without offering him anything?”

Amazed would not answer a word.  He was totally captured by little Jesus.  The rebukes grew louder and louder.  At that point Mary took his defence.

“Amazed is not empty-handed.  Don’t you see, he is giving Jesus his wonder, his amazement?  God’s love, incarnate in the tiny little child, enchants him”.

When all understood, Mary concluded: “the world will be marvellous when people will be capable of wonder, like ‘Amazed’. Do you realise? For the love of us, God became man, so that we may become divine.”

Pope Francis obviously knows this wonder as he asks the question:

“Why does the Christmas Nativity scene rouse such wonder and move us so deeply”?

“Because”, he says, “it shows God’s tender love; the creator of the universe lowers himself to take up our littleness”.

St. Therese too was caught up in this wonder:

“I could never be afraid of a God who made himself so small for love of me...I love him...

he is all love and mercy”.

Before these days of Christmastide slip by, may our hearts too be captured by that wonder as we gaze in amazement at our God who has become a tiny infant of love and mercy, for you, for me...