Merry Christmas!

The Birth

When the time had come

for him to be born,

he went forth like the bridegroom

from his bridal chamber,

embracing his bride,

holding her in his arms,

whom the gracious Mother

laid in a manger

among some animals

that were there at that time.

Men sang songs

and angels melodies

celebrating the marriage

of Two such as these.

But God there in the manger

cried and moaned;

and these tears were jewels

the bride brought to the wedding.

The Mother gazed in sheer wonder

on such an exchange:

in God, man’s weeping,

and in man, gladness,

to the one and the other things so strange.

                          --St. John of the Cross

Feast of St. John of the Cross

The Dark Night

1. One dark night,
fired with love's urgent longings
- ah, the sheer grace! -
I went out unseen,
my house being now all stilled.

2. In darkness, and secure,
by the secret ladder, disguised,
- ah, the sheer grace! -
in darkness and concealment,
my house being now all stilled.

3. On that glad night,
in secret, for no one saw me,
nor did I look at anything,
with no other light or guide
than the one that burned in my heart.

4. This guided me
more surely than the light of noon
to where he was awaiting me
- him I knew so well -
there in a place where no one appeared.

5. O guiding night!
O night more lovely than the dawn!
O night that has united
the Lover with his beloved,
transforming the beloved in her Lover.

6. Upon my flowering breast
which I kept wholly for him alone,
there he lay sleeping,
and I caressing him
there in a breeze from the fanning cedars.

7. When the breeze blew from the turret,
as I parted his hair,
it wounded my neck
with its gentle hand,
suspending all my senses.

8. I abandoned and forgot myself,
laying my face on my Beloved;
all things ceased; I went out from myself,
leaving my cares
forgotten among the lilies.

             - St. John of the Cross

"Whenever my enemy provokes me to combat, I try to behave like a soldier."

St. Therese, the Little Flower

Feast of St Andrew

Today is the day to start this Christmas Novena:

Hail and blessed be the hour and the moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Savior, Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.

Advent: New Beginnings

New beginnings; new life; two new grandchildren; fresh outpourings of the Holy Spirit – an invitation to grow in faith.  That’s what is being said from all sides: pray, pray daily, pray for an increase in faith, pray for faith for the miraculous.  Do not be complacent.  Do not be limited by the past.  Step out in faith and do not be afraid.  God is with you.

In this season of waiting, of watchfulness, the Lord is inviting His people to throw themselves in wholeheartedly; to plunge into the graces He offers – not to hold back, but to trust that He will do what He has promised. 

How do we prepare our hearts to receive Him, to welcome Him, to be awake and watchful for His coming – eager for His return?

Pray.  Pray daily.  Ask for an increase in faith.  Seek Him with all your heart.  And when you feel nothing, feel alone, feel like giving up, choose to believe that His word to you will be fulfilled.

Forgiveness

Engraft yourself onto the tree of the cross. Bind yourself by love, by measureless, infinite charity, to the slain lamb who pours out his blood from every part of his body. Let these hearts of ours be broken open! No more hardness, no more carelessness -- for time does not sleep but runs its course relentlessly! Let us make our dwelling place with him in love and holy desire, and we need never be afraid again.
This is what I want for you: to see you bound fast in that firm yet gentle bond...and this is one of the chief signs we have to show that we are disciples bound to Christ -- if we are returning good for evil...Saint Catherine of Siena
Magnificat, Monday, November 7th, pg 106.

Eternal Rest Grant Unto Them

“As human beings, we have a natural fear of death and we rebel against its apparent finality,” Pope Benedict said to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the weekly general audience.

“Faith teaches us that the fear of death is lightened by a great hope, the hope of eternity, which gives our lives their fullest meaning. The God who is love offers us the promise of eternal life through the death and resurrection of His Son.”

Therefore, said the Pope, “in Christ, death no longer appears as an abyss of emptiness, but rather a path to life which will never end.” --Pope Benedict XVI