By LifeSiteNews (Faith) | Created at 2024-12-24 23:13:26 | Updated at 2024-12-25 12:54:17
13 hours ago
Tue Dec 24, 2024 - 6:00 pm ESTTue Dec 24, 2024 - 9:53 am EST
(LifeSiteNews) — How accurate is the Nativity story as portrayed in popular media like The Chosen, Jesus of Nazareth, and The Nativity Story?
We explore whether these depictions align with biblical accounts and Church teachings. This is The John-Henry Westen Show.
Did the Blessed Virgin Mary experience pain during childbirth?
Drawing from Scripture, Church doctrine, and mystical visions of saints like Anne Catherine Emmerich and St. Augustine, we reflect on the miraculous birth of Christ and its deeper spiritual meaning.
Join us as we rediscover the mystery and beauty of the first Christmas.
Show notes
The CHOSEN – Dallas Jenkins
Jesus of Nazareth (1977)
- Epic miniseries by Franco Zeffirelli is considered a masterpiece of Christian cinema. It remains one of the most revered portrayals of the life of Jesus and is a staple during Lent and Christmas in many Christian households.
The Nativity Story (2006)
- Directed by Catherine Hardwicke
But is this depiction contrary to the Scriptures and the constant teaching of the Church?
Blessed Ann Catherine Emmerich, venerable Mary of Agreda, and Maria Valtorta
As midnight approaches, a profound silence fills the grotto. According to the Blessed Virgin Mary kneels in prayer, enveloped by a radiant supernatural light. Without pain or physical effort, Jesus is miraculously born, leaving Mary’s virginity untouched. The light grows so intense that it briefly illuminates the surrounding area.
Mary weeps tears of joy, overwhelmed by the sight of her Son. She gently takes Him into her arms, swaddles Him, and places Him in the manger. Her first act is one of profound adoration, recognizing Him as her God.
St. Joseph, who had been praying nearby, approaches. Joseph is overcome with awe, falling to his knees at the sight of the radiant Child. He hesitates at first, feeling unworthy to approach, but Mary tenderly calls him forward to behold the Savior.
At the moment of Christ’s birth, the heavens burst into praise. The angels singing “Glory to God in the highest” in celestial harmony. The singing first reaches the ears of shepherds keeping watch nearby.
The shepherds, humble and pure-hearted, respond immediately to the angelic message. They gather simple gifts – milk, cheese, and lambskins – and hasten to the grotto. Upon arriving, they fall to their knees, overwhelmed by the sight of the newborn King, as the animals in the cave bow their heads in quiet reverence. Lying in a manger – a feeding trough is found the bread of heaven – the New Manna – in Bethlehem – the house of bread.
The ox and donkey are significant in all three accounts, warming the Christ Child with their breath.
Above the grotto, a unique star shines brightly, a sign for the world that the Messiah has been born. According to Anne Catherine Emmerich, the star radiates a supernatural brilliance, visible to those with faith, including the Magi who would later follow it.
The Holy Family spends the first hours in quiet joy and contemplation.
a. The mysterious light at the moment of birth
All three mystics mention a supernatural light that flooded the cave at the moment of Christ’s birth. Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich describes this light as brighter than the sun, radiating from Mary and engulfing the grotto. It was so intense that the Blessed Virgin herself appeared to be made of light.
b. The temperature in the cave was supernaturally balanced
Despite the cold night, Anne Catherine Emmerich explains that the cave maintained a mysteriously comfortable warmth. This was a divine protection for the Holy Family and the newborn Messiah.
Mary’s miraculous delivery without pain
According to Mary of Ágreda and Anne Catherine Emmerich, the Blessed Virgin experienced no pain during childbirth. The birth of Jesus was entirely miraculous, with no physical trauma, maintaining Mary’s perpetual virginity.
Genesis 3:16 (ESV)
“To the woman he said, ‘I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children.
– The NEW EVE
1. The Church’s teaching: perpetual virginity
The doctrine of the Perpetual Virginity of Mary teaches that Mary remained a virgin before, during, and after the birth of Jesus.
- This includes the belief that the birth of Jesus was miraculous and did not involve physical trauma or pain, preserving Mary’s virginity intact.
- The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 499-500) affirms this teaching:
“The Church has always understood the virginal birth of Jesus as a sign of His divine identity and His mission.”
Pain in childbirth is a consequence of Original Sin (Genesis 3:16). Since Mary was conceived immaculately (free from sin), she was exempt from this consequence, and her childbirth was therefore painless.
St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430)
St. Augustine strongly affirmed that Mary’s virginity remained uncompromised during the birth:
- He wrote that Christ “came forth from His mother’s womb without injury to her virginal integrity.” (Sermon 189: On the Nativity of the Lord)
St. Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274)
The Angelic Doctor taught that the birth of Jesus was miraculous and painless:
- “Christ came forth from the closed womb of His Mother, and therefore her virginity remained inviolate… Just as He passed through the sepulcher without moving the stone.”
(Summa Theologica, III, Q. 28, Art. 2)
St. Gregory of Nyssa (335–395)
St. Gregory compared Christ’s birth to a light passing through glass:
- “His birth was exempt from pain, because He did not come to dissolve the law of nature, but to heal it.”
St. Ambrose of Milan (340–397)
St. Ambrose described the Virgin’s delivery as joyful and without suffering:
- “Mary brought forth the Savior of the world not with the sorrows of earth but in celestial joy.”
(On the Mysteries)
Matthew 1:25
“But he [Joseph] had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus.”
Early Church Fathers – such as St. Jerome, St. Augustine, and St. Athanasius pointed to this passage.
Isaiah 7:14
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
John 20:19
“Jesus came and stood among them, although the doors were locked.”
Physical virginity as well – the hymen was intact.
Ezekiel 44:2 – a prophetic symbol of Mary’s perpetual virginity.
“This gate is to remain shut. It shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, because the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered by it. Therefore, it shall remain shut.”
2. The cave was prepared by angels
According to Anne Catherine Emmerich and Mary of Ágreda, angels purified and illuminated the grotto at Bethlehem before the Holy Family arrived. It was a modest, humble space, yet heaven itself made it fitting for the King of Kings.
3. Joseph’s careful preparation of the manger
Maria Valtorta describes how St. Joseph meticulously cleaned the manger and padded it with hay and a blanket to make it soft and warm for the infant Jesus. He wept while working, overwhelmed by the sacredness of the moment.
St. Joseph come and prepare the stable of our hearts to receive the King of Kings.
The John-Henry Westen Show is available by video on the show’s YouTube channel and right here on my LifeSite blog.
It is also available in audio format on platforms such as Spotify, Soundcloud, and Acast. We are awaiting approval for iTunes and Google Play as well. To subscribe to the audio version on various channels, visit the Acast webpage here.
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You can send me feedback, or ideas for show topics by emailing [email protected].
John-Henry is the co-founder, CEO and editor-in-chief of LifeSiteNews.com. He and his wife Dianne have eight children and they live in the Ottawa Valley in Ontario, Canada.
He has spoken at conferences and retreats, and appeared on radio and television throughout the world. John-Henry founded the Rome Life Forum, an annual strategy meeting for life, faith and family leaders worldwide. He is a board member of the John Paul II Academy for Human Life and the Family. He is a consultant to Canada’s largest pro-life organization Campaign Life Coalition, and serves on the executive of the Ontario branch of the organization. He has run three times for political office in the province of Ontario representing the Family Coalition Party.
John-Henry earned an MA from the University of Toronto in School and Child Clinical Psychology and an Honours BA from York University in Psychology.
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