Poetry · Chapter
A Christmas Prayer explained
A Christmas prayer invoking the peaceful and patient animals present at the Nativity, asking the Christ Child to grant humanity similar virtues of peace, patience, quietness, and strength, and to remind all that they belong to the Father.
What happens
A Christmas prayer invoking the peaceful and patient animals present at the Nativity, asking the Christ Child to grant humanity similar virtues of peace, patience, quietness, and strength, and to remind all that they belong to the Father.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak where the speaker tu…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Childhood and Innocence
The Christ Child and the gentle animals evoke a state of innocent peace and simplicity.
- Redemption and Grace
The prayer asks for 'glad repentance' and a seat at the Father's hearth, symbolizing grace and reconciliation.
Characters to notice
- Jesus Christ
Addressed as the Christ Child, whose birth brings repentance and a seat at the Father's hearth.
- God
Referred to as the Father, whose knee is the seat of belonging.
Key passages
“Loving looks the large-eyed cow, Loving stares the long-eared ass At Heaven’s glory in the grass!”
The cow and the ass gaze lovingly at the divine presence revealed in the humble stable.
The animals recognize the sacredness of the moment, emphasizing nature's awareness of divine glory.
“Make us peaceful as thy cow; Make us patient as thine ass; Make us quiet as thou art now; Make us strong as thou wilt be.”
Grant us the cow's peace, the donkey's patience, the infant's stillness, and the strength you will grow into.
The prayer asks for virtues embodied by the nativity scene: peace, patience, quietness, and future strength.
“Make us always know and see We are his as well as thou.”
Help us always remember that we belong to God just as you do.
Affirms the shared divine parentage and belonging of all humanity with Christ.
