Our abiding Bethlehem...

Behold, when the fullness of time had come,

God sent his Son into the world. – Gal 4:4

“Above all else, 

this is what Christmas bids us to do: 

give glory to God, for He is good, He is faithful, He is merciful. 

...Let us allow ourselves to be warmed by the tenderness of God; 

we need His caress. God’s caresses do not harm us. 

They give us peace and strength. We need His caresses. 

God is full of love: to Him be praise and glory forever! - Pope Francis

"The Bethlehem of that night … 

has never passed away.  

…It lives a real, unbroken, unsuspended life, not in history only, 
or in art, or in poetry, or even in the energetic 

fertile worship and fleshly hearts of the faithful, 

but in the worshipful reality of the Blessed Sacrament. 

Round the Tabernacle, which is our abiding Bethlehem, 
goes on the same world of beautiful devotion 
 which surrounded the new-born Babe, real, out of real hearts, 
and realized by God’s acceptance. "

Fr Frederick W Faber

Bethlehem

 

"The mystery of Bethlehem is renewed upon the altar,

and the cry goes forth:

'Christ is born to us.  Come, let us adore!' "

Fr Karl Adam

Seeking tenderness, living tenderness...

"We must pray to Jesus to give us that tenderness of the Eucharist."

- St Teresa of Calcutta

 

"Each one of us is a co-worker of Christ...

we must labor hard to carry Him to the hearts

where He has not yet been known and love...

But, unless we have Jesus, we cannot give Him;

that is why we need the Eucharist. 

Spend as much time as possible in front of the Blessed Sacrament

and He will fill you with His strength and His power."

St Teresa of Calcutta

Canonized 04 Sept 2016

Homily for the Canonization of Mother Teresa: Full text | Catholic News Live

 " Mother Teresa loved to say, 'Perhaps I don’t speak their language, but I can smile'.  Let us carry her smile in our hearts and give it to those whom we meet along our journey, especially those who suffer.  In this way, we will open up opportunities of joy and hope for our many brothers and sisters who are discouraged and who stand in need of understanding and tenderness."

From today's homily for Canonization of Mother Teresa - Pope Francis

 

Photo credit: Peter Canclini

"Our lives must be woven around the Eucharist...

fix your eyes on Him who is the light;

bring your hearts close to His Divine Heart;

ask Him to grant you the grace of knowing Him,

the love of loving Him, the courage to serve Him.

Seek Him fervently." - St Teresa of Calcutta

Official Canonization portrait - artist: Charles Fagan

St Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us!

Stripped of everything...

 "In His risen life on earth Christ often made Himself 
recognized only by the characteristic
of His unmistakable love, 
by showing His wounds, by His infinite courtesy,
by the breaking of bread.

He would not allow the sensible beauty
and dearness of His human personality,
His familiar appearance, to hide the essential Self
that He had come back to give.

 

Wholly consistent with this
is Christ's return to us in the Host.
We know that in it He is wholly present:
body, blood, soul, and divinity. 

But all this is hidden;
even His human appearance is hidden.
Because this is the way of absolute love, 
He insists on coming to us 
stripped of everything but Himself."

Caryll Houselander

Clearly Jesus

And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance,

so that you may always have enough of everything and

may provide in abundance for every good work. - II Cor 9:8

“Jesus has said very clearly:

I am the love to be loved. I am the life to be lived.

I am the joy to be shared. I am the bread to be eaten.

I am the blood to be drunk. I am the truth to be told.

I am the light to be lit. I am the peace to be given.

Jesus is everything.”

Bl. Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Who do you say that I am?

  

"Every time I start thinking seriously about Jesus, I always come to the same conclusion: I don't know him anywhere near as well as I should. ...

All of human history revolves around him. It is impossible to measure his impact on the world. And your life will never really make sense until you place Jesus at the center of it. 

...The more I get to know Jesus, the more I get to know my true self. And what I discover is this:

I am the lame that he makes to walk.
I am the simple person that he patiently teaches.
I am the captive that he wants to set free.
I am the blind to whom he wants to give sight.
I am the hungry that he wants to feed.
I am the sick and he wants to heal me.
I am the afflicted who he wants to comfort.
And, at other times, I am the comfortable that he wants to afflict.
He is the healer of my soul, and my soul needs healing. 

...Who is Jesus? ... I suggest you find yourself a quiet church, sit in front of the tabernacle, and talk to him about what is happening in your life. 

He is the friend you have been yearning for your whole life."

 

Matthew Kelly - The Jesus Question (article) in The Catholic Spirit - 

Archdiocese of Mpls-St Paul - April 10, 2013 issue.

For full text... Click here: The Jesus question | Rediscover: