NATIVITY OF OUR LORD 2011

"Infinite Sweetness is our Lord"

I'd stay to contemplate you forever
Holy Mother of God, 

with your delicate face,

and the tenderness  

of your embrace 

to your Holy Child,

who is the most beautiful among the children of men, 
the greatest on earth, 
and blessed are you
Infinite Sweetness.

What is it that makes you one? 

What is this joy 

that makes you one? 

What's this happiness that you let me perceive?

It's already a touch of Paradise, 

The infinitesimal part of a tiny drop,

and I can fill it inside of me when I contemplate you 

What's this unique unity? 

What's the secret of your joy that you hide one into the other?

What's this infinite mystery that surrounds you,

that transpires from your glances when they meet? 

Where can I find this peace,  

this beauty, this joy, this tenderness, 
this joyousness if not in you. 

In your unique unity I see the Holy Trinity.

AND IF YOU WONDER ...

If you wonder, 
looking at the Nativity 
who is the Child in the crib, 
if you wonder, 
looking at Him what does it mean, 
if you wonder why a child, 
if you wonder what He has to do with you, 
if you wonder what this child has to say to you,  … then stop for a moment in front of this Child in every Nativity Scene you will meet and close your eyes and let Him speak to you, let Him answer your questions ... and you will hear resound all within yourself this word : "LOVE" you will hear it powerfully inside of you, inside your mind, in your thoughts, in every deed, you will understand the meaning ... and your mind will open as the Red sea has opened once to let the Israelites pass through, and in that cleavage through the sea the Light of God will reach to you. 

THE LIGHT OF GOD COMES INTO OUR LIVES

The Light of God is here, to enlighten our dark lives, It shines high as a lighted lantern, as a burning fire, It has come to light up our footsteps, to enlighten everything around us,  It's here to tell us the most intimate secrets of our  own being, It's here to reveal the secrets of our living, to unfold the secrets of God. The Light of God is here, the lantern of God is lighten, it was lit for us, and it will shut down no more. It was lit once and forever. The Light of God is here, now, for all of us, and wishes to get inside of us, it is the light, It is the Light for which darkness flee, It's the Light that awakens our souls, It's the Light of the Encounter, It's the Light of  Wisdom, It's the Light that it's here.  It's the Light that draws us to Him, the Light which opens our eyes, opens our heart, the Light that wants to live within us.  And it's here now just for us. It's brilliant and powerful and it's now, it's the Light that renews itself, pulses, inhabits us, guides us. Here is the Light of God which comes in the night, ... here, ... now, ... it comes, ... here it is, ... wait, ... look, ... it's here among us, do not despair, ... it's calling for you, loves you, hears you, asking you to adore,  ... here it is, ... again, ... listen, the Light is talking to you ... "open your heart" ... it's saying to you "and your life will be My greatest miracle". Let it in, the Light of God is here and will glow in the deepest of your heart, it will glow on your face, it will glow in your hands and you will be His greatest prodigy, and you will be that for which your were created. 

IT'S THE LIGHT OF THE ENCOUNTER ...

“ Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you …”

Here … your light has come, here … your encounter has come, here … the Lord reveals to you, here … your Christmas has come, here comes the encounter that you have always awaited …  here comes the spark of light that you have always expected, here ... now it is coming to earth, passes through space and time, through sidereal spaces, through the doors of eternity to reach directly to your heart, and now it is getting inside your heart, setting your heart on fire, breaking down all barriers, burning like a fiery dart, it gets into your heart like a fiery meteorite, here ... now it  dwells in you. Covers you with His Light, His Glory, the Glory of God shines upon you. Now that you are dressed with His Light, now that you are enlightened with His Love.

HAVE A PEACEFUL CHRIST MASS DAY 

THE VISITATION

The Feast of the Visitation is celebrated on the 31th of May, it is the day on which the Blessed Virgin Mary, having been told at the Annunciation by the angel Gabriel that she had been chosen to bear the Son of God, went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who herself was pregnant with John the Baptist.

...

"my soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden,
For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm:
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and exalted those of low degree.
He has filled the hungry with good things;
and the rich He has sent empty away.
He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy;
As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to His posterity forever.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen


MAGNIFICAT


"my soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior...". Mary's soul magnifies the Lord, in a burst of heavenly joy her soul thanks the Lord and feels one with God. She is in God and God is in her. Mary tacitly says through the prayer of the Magnificat "I am within Love and Love is within me". And Love is actually within her and is becoming flesh and blood, God's infinite Love is closed in Mary's womb, just as in a cocoon from which a butterfly will be born. Mary is concretely pregnant with the Word, she carries Him inside herself, she host's Him and takes care of Him. She gives motherly cares to the Word. What is greater than this for a woman, to take care of God's Word inside and be mother of the Word, to eternally be pregnant with the Word and then give birth to Him. Mary continues to do this now and will continue for eternity. As Mary, we can also be pregnant with the Word of God so to sing to Him the most beautiful Love song ever sung on earth: "my soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. For He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden, For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed...". That's what Mary teaches us, it is her and our mission in the whole world, to be mothers of the Word, to cradle the Word. Each one of us can be a mother to the Word of God if we guard it as a precious shrine inside of us. And so then, the song of the Magnificat will explode inside us, let's allow this to happen through the work of the Holy Spirit. Let's accept from Mary this great gift, to be mother of the Word, let's enable the Glory of God to fill us like Mary was filled. Let's ask Mary the gift that God has given her: to be mothers of the Word.

THE ENCOUNTER BETWEEN TWO MOTHERS

Mary, immediately after her "fiat", anxiously leaves Nazareth and travels to the "hill country" to visit her elder cousin Elizabeth. Mary rushes to see Elizabeth in a journey full of expectation and hope as she sees herself in Elizabeth, she sees her confirmation. Mary wants to see Elizabeth. She sees herself in  Elizabeth, she sees consolation, encouragement, support, she is looking for a conniving glance. Mary, by visiting Elizabeth wants to see the anticipation of the Glory of God that has been announced to her by the Angel.

For these different reasons, Mary leaves Nazareth facing a journey full of difficulties and fatigue towards Elizabeth's house. The visit of Mary, her embrace to Elizabeth is the that of two mothers sharing the same joy in their heart, the same hopes and expectations. 

WHY SHOULD THE MOTHER OF MY LORD COME TO ME ?"

Elisabeth immediately recognizes Mary as the mother of her Lord. At once the Holy Spirit creates between them a unique bond in which they recognize one another in God.  Only the two of them intimately know the truth of what is to happen and are deeply united into one soul by God that is now in Mary's womb. Two mothers joined together by and into Eucharistic intimacy.

EUCHARISTIC UNION BETWEEN MARY AND ELIZABETH

Mary is the first tabernacle and Elizabeth is the first Eucharistic worshiper. This is what we usually do when we take part in Eucharistic worship. As Elizabeth did , we too worship our Lord in His Sanctuary, in His tabernacle. Thus is how Elizabeth worshiped her Lord, she embraced her Lord by embracing Mary who was carrying Him. Elizabeth asks Mary "Why, thou mother of my Lord comest to me? "she thinks she should be the one visiting, she thinks she should be the one going towards them. But this is only the beginning, it is the first gesture of Mary that will continue forever and ever. It is Mary who comes to us to bring us her Son as she did the first time when she went to visit Elisabeth. It is Mary who comes towards us to bring us Salvation. It is Mary who makes the same journey she did to see Elisabeth towards us to, she rushes to us without stopping and to bring us Jesus. It is Mary who visits us, who visits all her sons and daughters. It is Mary who travels across Eternity to reach us and undertakes all sorts of perils to get us, she has our name and our face in her mind and comes to visit us in a hurry to bring us the Saviour.

She leaves full of hope and expectations when she comes to us,  and she knows that each encounter with us will be another Visitation.

Mary comes to visit us: On October 13, 1917 a crowd believed to be approximately 70,000 in number, gathered at the Cova da Iria fields near Fátima, Portugal. 

Mary comes to Visit us and warn us: On a mountain in southern France, this is the La Salette apparition.

Mary comes to visit us: On December 31st 1984 in Medjugorje.

Trust In the Lord - Proverbs 3:5 & 6

Prayer of Forgiveness

The most beautiful thing,

I have to say to you, 

O Lord, 

after I love you, 

is ... "Forgive me",

I say " O Lord forgive me", 

because in these few words 

dissolves my heart,

"O Lord forgive me" 

even though many times I do not know exactly 

what to be forgiven for,

but if I repeat these words, 

if I repeat these words slowly 

and with all my heart 

and close my eyes, 

then I feel my heart blend with yours

and I know deep inside 

that these few words are the Key to Your Heart,

the Key to get into the depths of your Heart 

and of your Love.

"Forgive me, O Lord" 

and I can feel my tears falling,

and just uttering these words,

I can feel Your embrace and Your Love.

"Forgive me, O Lord" 

and I know that 

I do not need to make 

great speeches, 

but nothing more 

than these two words 

repeated inside, 

in my whole being...

"Forgive me, O Lord" 

and I say it with all my love,

"Forgive me, O Lord", 

it's so good to tell you this,

because when I say it

I feel that You receive me

and open Your arms.

"Forgive me, O Lord", 

as many times as I say

I love you,
"Forgive me" 

because by saying these few words

I feel in them all Your omnipotence, 

all of Your sweetness 

and all of your Grace.
"Forgive me, O Lord" 

because I feel in these few words 

all Your Divinity,
"Forgive me, O  Lord" 

for I feel in these words that You Love me

that you died for me,
that you gave your life for me,
I feel that you have given me life,

and You have done great things for me,
and I can feel the Father's Love through you.
I know you will do wonders for me,
I know that you will open your hands and let out all of Your Graces for me,
"Forgive me, O Lord" 

I say it, because I want to get to your Heart,
"Forgive me, O Lord" 

I say it, because I want to win your Heart,
"Forgive me, O Lord"...

THE CONSECRATED OF THE LORD SHOULD BECOME HOLY HOSTS, SHOULD BECOME BREAD TO NOURISH THE NEEDING

… here is the Word of God to all men and women of goodwill...

… here is the Teaching of God to Mankind, here is what God has done of Himself for each one of us, an eternal offer ...

... here is what we should be for God and for our neighbors ...

...an instrument of His Love, Peace and Brotherly Love.

If we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, 

the home of God, 

then we must shine,  

God must be shown through us, 

through our faces, eyes, actions.

Let God be free within us, 

free to act within us, 

let Him be free within, 

let's not put limits in our heart,

let's not outline areas in our heart, 

let Him be free to come into every pore of our skin, into each little and hidden meander of our heart,  

let's not hold anything for our self,

because that coin that we jealously keep hidden

and secret will be multiplied by Him,

that little space in our heart that we believe is rightfully ours will become a vast territory 

and will be just  for us,

that thing to which we do not want to give up

and to which we are bound by slavery,

will be undone,

and we will be set free,

our mind free,

our body, our soul and our spirit free.

So, let's deny ourselves,

let us give ourselves to Him fully.

Let's intensely wish to be one with Him and 

we will also be one with our brothers and sisters,

we will become bread to nourish the needing,

we will become bread to nourish the world,

we will become bread of life, bread of love, 

bread of charity, bread of solidarity,

bread of support, bread of justice,

we will become good bread for all,

nourishing bread,

fragrant bread

just like Him.

And as He nourishes us, we will nourish

as He takes care of us, we will take care

as He loves us, we will love,

as He comforts us, we will confort,

as He offered Himself,

we will offer ourselves to the Father.

Let's give our bodies and our souls to God alone,

so that He will make of us a masterpiece of Grace,

a masterpiece of Love,

because infinitely sweet is the Lord.

"When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of  the desert was something fine...

... and granular, as fine as hoarfrost on the ground. As soon as the Israelites saw this, they said to one another, "What is that?" not knowing what it was. "That", Moses told them, "is the food which God has given you to eat. These are God's orders: Each of you must collect as much as he needs to eat -- a homer per head for each person in his tent." The Israelities did this. They collected it, some more, some less. When they measured out what they had collected by the homer, no one who had collected more had too much, no one who had collected less had too little. Each had collected as much as he needed to eat. (Exodus 16.16-18)

"That, is the food which God has given you to eat..."

That is the bread that makes us one, 

it is the bread that 

makes us bread

one for the other.

"What is that?"

Let us ask in amazement

every time we eat this bread.

Every time we get close to Eucharist

every time we hold it in our hands,

we raise it high

we contemplate it

we adore it,

we look at it.

Every time we take it to the altar:

"What is that, my Lord?"

... and every time we will make this 

question, we will hear,

deeply within us the answer

that Moses gave to the Israelites

"That, is the food which God has given you to eat"

That is the nourishment.

It is what your soul desires most,

what your soul longs for,

and nourishes your body as well,

Each of us can have as much as we want,

a homer for each,

No one will have too much

no one will have too less,

but everybody will be satisfied.

This is the mystery of God's Love.

This is what we will have in 

the promised life, yes, but we 

can have it right now.

Right in this life.

Right now we can have God within us

enough to be one with God.

So, each of us eat of that bread

because

 "That, is the food which God has given us to eat"

…  if we will become bread, send O Lord from Heaven Food to spare …

Send us your Holy Spirit O Lord
send Him over all the Earth, 
send us the most fragrant bread from Heaven, 
so that it can be broken for the needing.
Send us, O Lord, a rainfall of bread as you have sent
long ago manna to the Israelites.
Form, O Lord, in your womb, good bread for us,
Shape, O Lord, in your womb, bread for all Mankind,
send us your Consecrated, O Lord
a rainfall of brothers and sisters to be broken as bread for the neighbors and become bread to all.
O Lord, we need that bread, 
we need Shepherds, 
shaped in your womb, 
shaped in You, 
for You and with You, 
we need shepherds forged at Your school. 
O Lord, in Your infinite Goodness, 
do not leave us like sheep without a shepherd. 
We need You to teach us to become bread for the others, 
as You have done.

"If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also".

The Christians in the world

From a letter to Diognetus "Christians are indistinguishable from other men either by nationality, language or customs. They do not inhabit separate cities of their own, or speak a strange dialect, or follow some outlandish way of life.  Their teaching is not based upon reveries inspired by the curiosity of men. Unlike some other people, they champion no purely human doctrine. With regard to dress, food and manner of life in general, they follow the customs of whatever city they happen to be living in, whether it is Greek or foreign.  And yet there is something extraordinary about their lives...  ...They live in their own countries as though they were only passing through. They play their full role as citizens, but labor under all the disabilities of aliens. Any country can be their homeland, but for them their homeland, wherever it may be, is a foreign country. Like others, they marry and have children, but they do not expose them. They share their meals, but not their wives.   They live in the flesh, but they are not governed by the desires of the flesh. They pass their days upon earth, but they are citizens of heaven. Obedient to the laws, they yet live on a level that transcends the law. Christians love all men, but all men persecute them. Condemned because they are not understood, they are put to death, but raised to life again. They live in poverty, but enrich many; they are totally destitute, but possess an abundance of everything. They suffer dishonor, but that is their glory. They are defamed, but vindicated. A blessing is their answer to abuse, deference their response to insult. For the good they do they receive the punishment of malefactors, but even then they, rejoice, as though receiving the gift of life. They are attacked by the Jews as aliens, they are persecuted by the Greeks... ...yet no one can explain the reason for this hatred.  To speak in general terms, we may say that the Christian is to the world what the soul is to the body.  As the soul is present in every part of the body, while remaining distinct from it, so Christians are found in all the cities of the world, but cannot be identified with the world.  As the visible body contains the invisible soul, so Christians are seen living in the world, but their religious life remains unseen.  The body hates the soul and wars against it, not because of any injury the soul has done it, but because of the restriction the soul places on its pleasures. Similarly, the world hates the Christians, not because they have done it any wrong, but because they are opposed to its enjoyments.  Christians love those who hate them just as the soul loves the body and all its members despite the body's hatred. It is by the soul, enclosed within the body, that the body is held together, and similarly, it is by the Christians, detained in the world as in a prison, that the world is held together.  The soul, though immortal, has a mortal dwelling place; and Christians also live for a time amidst perishable things, while awaiting the freedom from change and decay that will be theirs in heaven.  As the soul benefits from the deprivation of food and drink, so Christians flourish under persecution. Such is the Christian’s lofty and divinely appointed function, from which he is not permitted to excuse himself."     Father of all holiness, guide our hearts to you. Keep in the light of your truth all those you have freed from the darkness of unbelief. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Prepared by the Spiritual Theology Department  of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross  The Letter to Diognetus, written during the second century, is a brilliant defence of the  Christian faith. It is one of the most eloquent writings we have from the early period of the Christian  church.