Memorial of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr
“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)
MONDAY, Dec. 13th Mt 21:23-27 Alleluia Verse: “Show us, Lord, your love, and grant us your salvation.”
- Jesus came to save us. Each person is created out of love to be with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in heaven for all eternity!
- For this, Jesus willed to be born, live, suffer and die on the cross and by this means open the gates of Heaven for us!
- Our preparation to celebrate Jesus’ coming as a little baby in the arms of Mary is our loving thanksgiving for His sacrifice of Love!
- Fr. Ed gives us food for thought to strengthen our mind, heart and soul to make this our best reception of the Baby Jesus born of Mary and in our hearts this Christmas!
PREPARING FOR THE BIRTH OF JESUS IN YOUR SOUL by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV
The most important Birthday in the history of humanity is the Birthday of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The key to experiencing the overflowing, exuberant joy of Christmas depends on the time, energy and effort that we expend in preparing for this day. In short, the key to the success of the party depends on the prior preparation for the party.
The Church teaches about the three comings of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Incarnation historically about 2000 years ago—the Word made flesh in the womb of Mary and Jesus born in Bethlehem. At the end of time—this is left for God the Father to determine. Finally, and very pertinent to us in the present moment, is that Jesus comes to us constantly by means of grace!
Therefore, we would like to offer a concrete plan on how we can prepare for the Birthday of Jesus in our own life, our own mind, our own heart, and in the depths of our own soul by means of grace right now! May Mary, the Mother of God, the good Saint Joseph, and the holy angels of God assist us in this most noble of endeavors. May this Christmas bring a radical change in our lives!
1. CLEAN THE STABLE. If we are not living in the state of grace, then nothing happens spiritually in our lives; we are like a dead branch hanging from a withering tree. Why not have the courage, trust and humility to prepare yourself to make the best Sacramental Confession in your life. Clean the inner stable of your life of all the dirt, cobwebs, smut, and debris that belong in the moral trash-bin. Sweep clean the inner recesses of your inner life so that Jesus can be born in you with immense and overflowing joy this Christmas.
2. SILENCE. We sing the famous Christmas hymn Silent Night, but this song must resonate in the very depths of our spiritual lives now more than ever. Shriek cries, loud noises, constant chatter, endless news items, a whirlwind of constant noise pollution bombard us north, south, east and west. Now more than ever we need urgently silence, silence, silence… Why? So that we can hear the gentle breeze of God’s voice speaking in the depths of our hearts. May the words of the young Samuel resonate in our hearts: “Speak O Lord, for your servant is listening.” (1 Sam 3:10)
3. BIBLICAL MEDITATION. In the strong times of the year—both Advent that leads to Christmas and Lent that culminates in the Easter triumph—the Church warmly and insistently exhorts her children to have the Bible, the Word of God in their hands for meditation. May Our Lady who meditated upon the Word of God in her Immaculate Heart be our constant and splendid model. If you like, meditate daily upon the Biblical Readings in the Mass; this must be our Daily Bread!!! In Advent, the first readings are filled with the joy of God’s promises for the faithful!
4. RECONCILE. As we approach the Birthday of Jesus, the word SHALOM—PEACE BE WITH YOU—should set the mood in this season of joy. Examine your social-relations, especially with respect to those who are closest to you, especially in your family. Is there any person that you are at odds with, that you resent, that you have a bitter feeling for? Now is the time to reconcile! If we have offended someone, sometimes the most difficult words for us to express are I’M SORRY!!! Perhaps those are the two words that can transform your Christmas day from bitterness to overflowing joy! Remember what Jesus said: “If you are offering your gift at the altar and remember that your brother has something against you, leave our gift at the altar, go and reconcile with your brother, and then return to offer the gift.” (Mt 5:23-24) On the other hand, if someone has offended us, we should recall the number of times we have offended God and others, and forgive them from our heart. Peter asked Jesus how many time he should forgive someone who offended him. Seven times? Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Which means always! Recall the words of the great English poet, Alexander Pope: “To err is human; to forgive is divine.”
5. CONQUER LAZINESS. The poet Dante presents the contrast between the Capital Sins and their opposing virtue in the Divine Comedy, Purgatorio. The opposing virtue to laziness is diligence. Dante presents Our Lady in the Visitation as the model. After Mary conceived Jesus through the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, Mary went in haste to help and serve her cousin Saint Elizabeth. As Christmas approaches, like Our Lady, may we move in haste to carry out the inspirations that God sends us through His Holy Spirit. Let us not wait until tomorrow to do what we can do now, today! Life is short and as the saints are known to say: “Let us work hard in this life and rest forever in heaven.” (Saint Peter Canisius)
6. SAINT JOSEPH. One of the most humble, hidden and inconspicuous figures in the Bible is the Glorious Saint Joseph. Of all the saints, he is the greatest. Being both the Spouse of Mary and the earthly Father of Jesus, his dignity and holiness transcends the stars! It was the great Saint Joseph who protected Mary. It was this great man who found a place where the Child Jesus could be born. It was this same saint who protected the Child Jesus from being slaughtered by the malicious King Herod. Why not lift your mind and heart in prayer to Saint Joseph and implore him for the grace to truly celebrate Christmas with yearning, longing and overflowing love!
7. EYES OPENED TO THE NEEDS OF THE POOR. It is so true that Jesus was born in the abject poverty of a stable for animals. Later on in His preaching, Jesus taught in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit; for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” (Mt 5:3) To capture the utter depths of the meaning of Christmas, we must have contemplative eyes to see Jesus even today truly present in the poor, the sick, the abandoned, the elderly, the marginalized, the dying and the imprisoned. Read and meditate on the chapter that summarizes the Corporal Works of Mercy—Mt 25:31-46. Examine your daily walk and contacts. Who is that hungry, or poor, or naked, or foreigner, or sick, or imprisoned person that God has placed in your path, who is really Jesus? Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta expressed it in these words: “We must see Jesus in the distressing disguise of the poor.”
8. THE REAL GIFT OF CHRISTMAS: JESUS HIMSELF! The name Bethlehem actually means: House of Bread. Jesus in “The Bread of Life discourse” (John Chapter 6:25-59) refers to Himself as “the Bread of Life who gives life to the world.” (Jn 6:33) The most full meaning and living out of Christmas is to live out the Mass, “Christmas”—the Mass of Christ. And of course the culminating point of Mass is the Consecration which terminates in the reception of Holy Communion, upon which your soul becomes in actuality “The Little House of Bethlehem.” An all-important title for Jesus in Advent and Christmas is Emmanuel—God with us! Jesus is truly with us in the celebration of Holy Mass and the reception of Holy Communion. In a very real sense, we can live Christmas every day!
9. BRING SOME LOST SHEEP TO THE ARMS OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD. The largest religious group in the United States, Mexico, Europe and the Philippines is non-practicing Catholics. These are wandering sheep, ships without a port, arrows shot with no target, drivers with no GPS or destination. They are wandering in no-man’s land; in the wasteland of T.S. Elliot. Why not this Christmas season invite one of those wandering sheep, who are in the millions, to come back to Church; invite them to make a good Sacramental Confession, telling them of the love and mercy of the Heart of Jesus. Then encourage them to return to the practice of living out a fervent Sacramental life including Mass and the Eucharist. Remember the words of Saint James: “My brothers, if anyone among you should stray from the truth and someone bring him back, he should know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his ways will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” (James 5:19-20)
10. MARY AND THE MYSTERY OF CHRISTMAS. Following the solid advice of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and the Spiritual Exercises why not enter into a Contemplative scene of Christmas? Why not contemplate the Baby Jesus resting in the arms of His Mother Mary? Why not beg Mary for the grace to take the Baby Jesus into your own arms? Contemplate Him; talk to Him; kiss His little Face and tell Him from the very depths of your heart how grateful you are for His coming to save you, how much you love Him for having died for you on the cross and shedding every drop of His Precious Blood for the salvation of your immortal soul. To plumb the very depths of the Mystery of Christmas we must enter into the most pure and Immaculate Heart of Mary who is the Mother of God, the Mother of the Church, and your Mother!
