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BRINGING LIGHT TO THE WORLD
When the Blessed Mother spoke to Mary Ann Van Hoof during the October 7, 1950
Apparition, She said, “My Child, after
November 12th your penance will
start every Friday until Christmas; and, again in Lent. This suffering will be great, and at
times will last over Sunday.” It
was not clear to Mary Ann at this time that she would suffer the Passion of Our
Lord on the Fridays of Advent and Lent, nor did she know that there would be a
most unusual privilege granted her on the last Friday before Christmas. Each year on this day she visioned
and, in time, narrated the details of the four days journey of Mary and Joseph
from Nazareth to Bethlehem; plus, the Birth of the Christ Child in the cave.
Surely one of the purposes of renewing this story of the world’s “First and
Greatest Love” is to instill in the minds and hearts of men the true meaning of
peace; and, rekindle the faith that has grown cold in the hearts of many. Also, to remind everyone of their
dignity; created just a little less than the Angels, and according to the image
and likeness of God.
Yes, He, the
Prince of Peace, had come to help everyone understand the meaning of true peace;
and, that only from Him would we have it.
If only hearts would turn with true love to Our Lord and Savior, peace on
earth to men of good will would be established.
We need to spread His love and peace to all. We need to KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS! Let us awaken mankind and fight the
secular “Holiday Season” promotion; for,
Emmanuel, “God With Us”, is truly among us.
Let us spend a
few moments now reflecting on the following passages taken from “The Catechism
Explained” as found in the original edition by Rev. Francis Spirago; Copyright
1921.
We, as humans,
cannot fully appreciate the beauty of Christmas; the wonder of a God-made man. During this holy season we need to
spend much time in contemplating this gift to mankind; and, how we should view
and celebrate this most blessed event.
The Birth of
Christ was announced by Archangel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary at Nazareth
(Luke i. 28). Later, Mary and Joseph
had to travel to their native place of Bethlehem to be enrolled in the Census
which was being held by command of Emperor Augustus. There they were obliged to seek
refuge in a stable outside the city gates because no rooms were available for
them in Bethlehem. Christ was born
of the Blessed Virgin Mary in that stable.
As in the Conception, so in the Birth of Christ, was an exception made to
the ordinary course of nature. Mary
was free from the penalties described in Gen. iii. 16, because, as St. Bernard
says, She alone had conceived without carnal pleasure. St. Augustine exclaims: “Behold He
Who rules the world lies in a manger.
He Who feeds the angels is suckled by His Mother. Strength becomes weak, that weakness
may be made strong;” and again, “A great Physician came down from Heaven
to heal a great disease on earth; He
healed in a way hitherto unheard of, for He took our ills on Himself.” “Being rich He became poor, that
through His poverty we might be made rich” (2 Cor. Viii. 9).
Every
circumstance attending the Birth of Christ has a deep meaning. Christ is born at Bethlehem (the
house of bread) because, as St. Jerome says, He is the living bread. He is born far away from His home in
Nazareth because He descended from Heaven, His true home; and, is a stranger
among men. He is born amid the
shepherds and their flocks because He is the “Good Shepherd” (John x. 11) of a
great flock. He is born in a stable
because the earth in comparison to Heaven is but a stable. He is born not in a house, but in a
stable, that all might have confidence and approach Him, says St. Peter
Chrysologus. He is born in obscurity
because He is the “hidden God” (Is. Xlv. 15) Whom we cannot see in this life;
and, Who loves good deeds done in secret.
He is laid in a
manger where cattle feed because He was to be the food of man; and, He is laid
on the wood to recall to us that He came down from Heaven to die on the Cross
and later dwell in our tabernacles.
He is born at midnight because the greater portion of mankind was buried in
darkness and knew nothing of the true God.
He is born in the winter season at night (notice that the nights in
Palestine are particularly cold) because the hearts of men were cold and
unwarmed yet with the fire of Charity.
Christ drops from Heaven in the night-time like the dew (Cf. Is. Xlv. 8)
to refresh the hearts of men.
At the time of
His birth the temple of Janus in Rome was closed; and, there was peace over all
the earth because Christ was the Prince of Peace (Is. Ix. 6) and the God of
Peace (1 Cor. Xiv. 33). Our Lord
came as a little child that man might approach Him with more confidence. Had He come as a great king, men
would have shrunk away; while, as a child He invited, not in awe, but in
sympathy. Christ comes in poverty
and renunciation to teach us that the road to Heaven is the way of suffering and
self-conquest, not of pleasure and self-indulgence. Besides this, He would show that He
is the Friend of the Poor to whom He is appointed to preach the Gospel (Luke iv.
18).
A light appeared
to the Shepherds to remind us that the Light of the world is come (John viii.
12), Who is to shine in the midst of the darkness (John i. 5). The hymn of the angels is the keynote
of His mission, to glorify God (John xiii.32) and to give peace to men (John
xiv. 27). Peace especially with God through reconciling man to God by His death
on the Cross; peace with self which is the true peace that comes from the
knowledge and practice of the Gospel; and, peace with our neighbor by the
virtues of brotherly love, love of one’s enemy, and meekness. He announced His Birth by the voice
of an angel to the Shepherds; and, not to the proud Pharisees and Scribes. Why?
Because He would hide His mysteries from the wise and prudent, and reveal
them to the little ones (Matt. Xi. 25); because He would give His graces to the
humble and resist the proud (1 Pet. V. 5).
Such, too, is the disposition of God’s providence in all time; to the
proud, whatever their learning, the teachings of Christ are a sealed book, while
the lowly and humble receive God’s light.
The first to receive the call to the Crib were the Jews in the persons of
the Shepherds; and, after them the Gentiles in the persons of the three Kings. All this to signify that Christ would
first call into His Church the Jews (Matt.
Xv. 24); and, afterward the Gentiles by means of His Apostles.
The wonderful
star in the East was to announce that Christ “the wonderful” (Is. Ix. 6) had
come down from Heaven. The Census of
the people at the time of His Birth reminds us of the great enrollment which
will take place at His second coming.
Thus,Christ begins to teach us in His Birth even before uttering a word. “The deeds of the Lord are
commands; if He does anything in silence, He means that we should imitate Him,”
is the comment of St. Gregory the Great.
In the liturgy of
the Church we celebrate Our Lord’s Birth on the twenty-fifth of December
(Christmas Day). On that day every
priest has the privilege of saying three Masses, which recall the three-fold
Birth of Christ; the eternal birth from God the Father, the birth in time from
the womb of Mary, and His spiritual birth in our hearts.
A crib is generally erected in most
Churches, a practice originated by St. Francis of Assisi. In many households there is kept up
the custom of the Christmas-tree, a reminder of the fatal tree of Paradise; and,
also of the tree of the Cross. The
Christmas-boxes recall to our minds the gifts of God the Father to mankind on
this day. Immediately following
Christmas are the feasts of St. Stephen, St. John, and the Holy Innocents, as
though the Church were saying: “If you would follow Christ, you must become a
martyr like St. Stephen; if not to the shedding of blood, at least to the denial
of self and the bearing of suffering.
You must also love God and your neighbor like St. John; and, do works of
mercy. And finally, you must be like
a child with God.”
The new-born Child is adored
first by the Shepherds and then by the Magi.
The Shepherds were told by an angel of the Birth of the Savior (Luke ii.
9); the three Kings were led to Him by a star (Matt. Ii. 9). This Star was something exceptional,
for it had a proper motion of its own in the heavens; according to St. John
Chrysostom, it may have been an angel, under the appearance of a star. St. Irenaeus remarks that the
presents indicated their esteem of Him to Whom the three Kings offered them. Gold, the symbol of homage, is
offered to Him as King; Incense, the symbol of prayer, because He is God; and
Myrrh, the symbol of mortification, because as Our Redeemer, He was to suffer. The Magi returned to their homes by
another way to show us says St. Gregory the Great, “that if we wish to reach
our true home in Paradise, we must forsake the path in which we have hitherto
walked; and, tread in the way of penance, obedience, and self-denial.” The relics of the three Kings were
taken from the East to Cologne in 1162 by Barbarossa and now repose in the
Cathedral there. The feast of the
three Kings is held on the sixth of January.
On this day in many countries the initials of the names of the three
Kings are sometimes marked on the doors of houses to claim their patronage. This feast is also called the
Epiphany because in former times the Birth of Christ, or appearance of Christ to
mankind, was celebrated on this day.
Hence in the Greek Church the season of Advent is prolonged until the Epiphany. This day is also celebrated as the
one on which Christ was baptized in the Jordan; and, performed His first miracle
at Cana.
When the Child
was eight days old He was circumcised, and received the name Jesus (Luke ii.
21). Jesus (in Hebrew Joshua or
Josue) means Savior. This name is,
as St. Paul says, above all names (Phil. Ii. 9), for it was chosen by God
Himself and revealed to the Virgin Mary (Matt. i. 21). Moreover the holy name has great
virtue; its invocation brings help in temptation and affliction; and, the powers
of hell shrink from it (Mark xvi. 17).
The name usually given by the prophets was Emmanuel, i.e., “God with us”
(Is. Vii. 14). The Feast of the
Circumcision on the first of January is also New Year’s Day. The Church would thus teach us to
begin everything in the name of Jesus.
Innocent XIII., in 1691, was the first to order the practice of beginning
the New Year on the first of January; previously it had been Christmas Day. It is a pious custom in many places
to have a solemn thanksgiving service; and, to sing the
Te Deum on the last day of the year,
in thanksgiving for past favors.
When the Child
Jesus was forty days old, He was presented in the Temple (Luke ii. 39). Mary complied with the Law of Moses
(Lev. Xii.), though, being free from sin, She needed no purification. The feast of the Purification is also
called Candlemas; because on that day candles are blessed and carried in
procession in memory of the words of holy Simeon calling Our Lord the “light
for the revelation of the Gentiles” (Luke ii. 32).
We, as humans,
cannot comprehend the immense gift of a God-man to this world of sin. God’s love for us did not end with
His Death and Resurrection; for, He left us a wondrous gift of Himself in the
Holy Eucharist. Always remember,
Holy Eucharist means “God with us”.
Jesus remains truly present in the tabernacles of our churches, with His Body,
Blood, Soul, and Divinity veiled under the appearance of bread. Here He dwells in our midst, and
works within us and for us.
When we receive
the Holy Eucharist, Jesus enters our hearts and remains corporally present as
long as the appearance of bread lasts in our body. The Holy Fathers of the Church teach
that, during this time, angels surround us to continue to adore Jesus and love
Him uninterrupted. They are a guard
of love.
The Eucharistic
Lord is here with us as a brother, friend, or spouse of our soul. He wishes to enter within us to be
our love, support, and the Food for eternal life.
He wants us to be His children, someday enjoying the everlasting bliss of
His love.
God has truly
given us everything. We can find all
we need in the Eucharist - strength, comfort, love, etc. What more can we want? It is so great a good, that no one
can desire anything greater. St.
Peter Julian Eymard said that, “when a spark of the Eucharist is placed in a
soul, a divine germ of life and of all the virtues is cast into that heart. This germ is sufficient of itself, so
to say (to do much).” He also stated,
“The Eucharist is the supreme proof of the love of Jesus. After this, there is nothing more but
Heaven itself.”
Love for Our God
in the Eucharist must spring from the heart.
The heart needs to be exercised to love Our Lord as we ought. Holy Communion is the highest point
of this exercise, where the consuming flame unites the heart of a creature with
their God. We also need to exercise
our will. We must bring the lessons
of the Eucharist and love of Our Lord into our daily life. The Eucharist shows us
self-sacrifice, humility, patience, and dedication. Christ loves us now and forever. We need to turn to Him and return
that love, asking for His help and support.
The Eucharist can transform us.
Strength is given for us to become Saints, to live out our life for the
God who created us.
In conclusion
then, let's take all these lessons of Christmas into our minds, hearts, and
souls. May we be transformed with hearts consumed in the fire of God’s love;
and, may we join the angels in singing “Glory to God in the Highest.”
May the beautiful Latin hymn,
O Magnum Mysterium, express our
wonderment in its words:
“O great mystery and wonderful sacrament,
That animals should see the new-born Lord lying in a manger!
Blessed is the Virgin whose womb was worthy to bear
Christ the Lord.
Alleluia!”
Constant Vigil of
Prayer
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