Today is Dec. 18, Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent.
We read at today’s Mass, “In his days Judah shall be saved, Israel shall dwell in security. This is the name they give him: ‘The LORD our justice'” (Jer 23:6).
Bethlehem owes much of its enduring significance as a site of Christian pilgrimage to St. Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine. Her extraordinary piety and devotion to Christ led her to preserve and honor the sacred places of His earthly life.
Helena, a convert to Christianity, was profoundly moved by the mysteries of Christ’s life, death and resurrection. Eusebius, the early Church historian, describes her as a woman of deep faith who acted without hesitation to honor God. Upon visiting the Holy Land, she identified and restored key sites associated with Jesus’ life, including the grotto in Bethlehem where He was born.
St. Helena’s motivations
Her actions were not motivated by mere imperial power or grandeur but by genuine devotion. She sought to glorify the God who humbled Himself to be born in a cave, adorning the site of His nativity with splendor to draw the hearts of pilgrims to worship and wonder.
Eusebius reports: “She dedicated two churches to the God whom she adored, one at the grotto which had been the scene of the Savior’s birth; the other on the mount of his ascension. For he who was God with us had submitted to be born even in a cave of the earth, and the place of his nativity was called Bethlehem by the Hebrews. Accordingly the pious empress honored with rare memorials the scene of her travail who bore this heavenly child, and beautified the sacred cave with all possible splendor.”
The Church of the Nativity, built by Helena in the fourth century, stood as a testament to her faith. Rising above the grotto she adorned, the church reflects the paradox of the Incarnation: the eternal king entering human history in the humblest of circumstances. Helena’s work ensured that this sacred site would be preserved for generations, allowing countless pilgrims to encounter the mystery of God’s love made flesh.
Let us pray,
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that the coming solemnity of your Son may bestow healing upon us in this present life and bring us the rewards of life eternal. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
