Because of the Incarnation, our natural life has been super-naturalized. Love has become incarnate: God has become human. Because of Christ’s birth, a new stream of goodness is flowing. Holiness has become the completion of nature: the fulfilling of the law.

satan has not the power to incarnate himself in our nature, to make himself man, to be born of a woman. He must always work from outside; he is rabid because he is hate, and hate can never be incarnate as love is incarnate in the world. Hate can never be born in generation after generation as love is.

It may look as if evil is triumphant. But in reality there is always, from every outset of the devil, an element of frustration. It is a tormenting thing, literally the torment of the damned, for satan to be compelled to witness the indwelling of divine love, of Jesus Christ, in the dust that we are made of, and to see the substance of earthly things endowed by the touch of the human hands and the warmth of his breath, with life-giving power and these the most simple of substances possessed by the holy poverty that makes then such fitting mediums of grace: water and fire and chrism and oil and wine and bread and salt.

Only love is incarnate. Goodness is natural because the Divine Child, who submitted Himself to the law of His Father’s love has made it so.

Carol Houselander (Wood of the Cradle: Wood of the Cross)

The post Love Incarnate first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Notice the situation Jesus chooses for His Incarnation and Nativity. He chooses utter poverty, so His path in life is going to be poor: not just material poverty but above all, spiritual poverty. His Heart is detached from all riches from the first moment of His earthly life. This poor birthplace is a sign of His detachment.

During His public ministry we will find Him wining and dining with the recently converted Matthew the tax collector, but His Heart is fully detached from these things. He even prefers the most abject of things. He does all of this for us, to atone for our sinful attachment, but also to teach us…

We all need a greater detachment from material things, even from the things we truly need and must use. We have to be free from addictions, from worries, from bad habits. Only Christ can supply this power for us… We worry about many, many things and sometimes we feel very helpless because in most cases we can’t do anything about it. This is when our minds and hearts should go back to Bethlehem, always to Bethlehem.

Jesus didn’t have anything and He chose it that way. Of the thousands of choices He had, He chose poverty in order to empower us, as Saint Paul reminds us: For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: that being rich He became poor, for your sake; that through His poverty you might be rich. (2 Cor 8:9).

Jesus is born in the filthiest place on earth: a stable, a dwelling place for animals with all the unpleasant sights, sounds, and smells that go along with it. It was no doubt an unexpected turn of events for Mary and Joseph, a virgin birth in this filthy stable. In the filthiest place of all, Purity is born, total Purity: the sinless Jesus, the poorest of the poor. He does not have just fleshly purity but also purity of heart and intention.

Fr. Jeffery Jambon (Ignatian Meditations)

The post The Poverty of Jesus first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Following a beautiful and firmly rooted tradition, many families set up their crib immediately after the feast of the Immaculate Conception, as if to relive with Mary those days full of trepidation that preceded the birth of Jesus. Putting up the crib at home can be a simple but effective way of presenting faith, to pass it onto one’s children.

The crib helps us contemplate the mystery of God’s love that was revealed in the poverty and simplicity of the Bethlehem grotto. Saint Francis of Assisi was so taken by the mystery of the Incarnation that he wanted to present it a new at Greccio in the living Nativity scene, just beginning an old, popular tradition that still retains its value for evangelization today.

Indeed, the crib can help us understand the secret of the true Christmas because it speaks of the humility and merciful goodness of Christ, who “though He was rich, He made Himself poor” for us (2Cor 8:9). His poverty is riches those who embrace it and Christmas brings joy and peace to those who, like the shepherds in Bethlehem, accept the Angel’s words: “Let this be a sign to you: in a manger you will find an Infant wrapped in swaddling clothes” (Lk 2:12). This is still the sign for us too, men and women of the third millennium.

Pope Benedict XVI

The post Christmas Creche first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Luke 2:11: For Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord

As I was putting up my nativity set these three words sprung out at me “For unto you”. Yes, Lord, how I need Your holy Nativity. Look how low the Son of God stoops to make our salvation possible. A cave and a manger for the Lord of glory to visit this sin-cursed world. A cave that only allows me to bow before His presence to enter in. I held the twig-twisted manger that was to be the Lord’s bed. Even for me, divested of all this world holds dear, is welcome to kneel and adore Jesus.

The two little lambs pointed their faces at the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. Our Jesus offers us the sacrifice of the Mass so that we will never forget the high cost of our redemption. The donkey in the corner of the manger gladly bore the weight of the Blessed Mother to carry her to Bethlehem that means “House of bread”. Yes, Jesus is our living Bread that came down from Heaven to heal our sinful souls and prepare us to enter heaven.

There is Joseph who suffered much to see God’s holy will fulfilled in the birth of God’s Son. Our life, like Joseph, is mixed with buffeting and blessings. God gave Joseph great graces to carry life’s challenges and that grace and mercy is renewed to us each day. There is the Blessed Mother dressed in blue; God graced her to be the door that will open God’s Heaven to those that love her Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray the joyful mysteries before the manger and I felt my sorrows fly away like little birds.

There was a little boy kneeling before the baby Jesus and the wonder of the angel song still fills the air. The angel announces, “Glory to God in the highest” and indeed the glory of the only begotten Son of the Father shines brightly in the dark of night.

There is the cow providing much-needed heat for the newborn Christ Child. To the left are three camels and the three wise kings with their gifts, kneeling and worshiping before the Savior. To the right are the shepherds, the common working men who labor to provide for their family’s needs. They saw the heavens light up with the angels from the throne room of God’s Heaven and heard the gospel proclaimed. God’s love was wrapped in the Babe of Bethlehem for people of every kindred, tongue and nation of the world.

Glory to God in the highest!

+Fr. Joseph B.

The post Meditating Upon Setting up the Manger Scene first appeared on AirMaria.com.

God’s greatest work, the Incarnation of the Word, destined to enlighten and save the whole world, takes place in obscurity and silence, and under the most humble and most human conditions. Caesar’s edict obliges Mary and Joseph to leave their little home in Nazareth and undertake a journey. They travel on foot like the poor, in spite of the discomfort of Mary’s condition. They do not think of objecting to the trip; they make no complaint but obey with promptness and simplicity.

And they go, trusting in God’s providence: God knows, God will provide. In Bethlehem there is no room for them; they are obliged to take shelter in a hillside cave. The poverty of this refuge for animals does not dismay or scandalize them. They know that the Child about to be born is the Son of God; but they also know that God’s works are entirely different from man’s. And if God wishes His greatest work to be accomplished here in this wretched stable in utter poverty, Mary and Joseph embrace His will…

Mary and Joseph are extremely humble; hence they are docile and filled with faith in God.  And God, as is His custom, made use of what is humble and despicable in the eyes of the world to accomplish the greatest of His works: the Incarnation of the Word.

+Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen

The post Journey to Bethlehem first appeared on AirMaria.com.

  Jesus, once “hidden” in a manger; now “hidden” in the Holy Eucharist.   Let us adore Him!   

     A Blessed Christmas to you!

Hail and blessed be the hour and a moment at which the son of God was born of the most pure Virgin at a stable at midnight in Bethlehem in the piercing cold. At that hour vouchsafe, we beseech You, to hear our prayers and grant our petitions.

Blessed infant Jesus, come into our lives and our homes in the same way You came into the world on that most glorious night of Your birth. Give us the grace to prepare room in our hearts, our homes, and our lives for Your precious presence. We pray that by that presence, we may forgive everyone who has hurt us and be healed of all of the instances, occurrences, things, and elements of this world which limit a relationship with You.

Give us the grace to never be separated from You. Grant that we may always think first of You; second, of others; and last, of ourselves. Grant that we may always turn to the manger in times of trouble.

Through Jesus Christ and His most blessed Mother. Amen.

From the opening prayer of the Novena to the Christ Child

The post Jesus: Then and Now first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Prayer for Joy:
Lord Jesus, Your light shines through the darkness even in this penitential season. Although we try to imagine a time when You were not yet known to all, we cannot help but rejoice as Saint Paul commands us because we know You are close. Even the prophet of the desert, John the Baptist, said that his ministry needs to be brief, because the Savior is already among us, though hidden. O True Light, who enlightens everyone coming into this world, listen as the whole world cries to You: come! Amen

The post Advent Prayer Fourth Sunday first appeared on AirMaria.com.

The post Joy to the World! first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Prayer for Holy Innocents:

We remember today, O God, the slaughter of the Holy Innocents of Bethlehem by King Herod. Receive, we pray, into the arms of your mercy all innocent victims; and by your great might frustrate the designs of evil tyrants and establish your rule of justice, love and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the union of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

The post Remembering all Holy Innocents first appeared on AirMaria.com.

The heart of every Christian should respond to this invitation and exalt the most Holy Name of Our Savior, that is, His very Person, for the Name of Jesus expresses what  He is: Savior, Redeemer. This sacred Name, announced by the Angel to both Mary and Joseph, was given to Our Lord by God Himself. “Thou shalt call His Name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins” (Mt 1:21).

This Name expresses and synthesizes the great mysteries of the Incarnation and the Redemption; it is at the center of the universe like a point of contact, like a bridge between God and all mankind. Man can reach God only by means of Jesus and in the Name of Jesus: “for there is other Name under heaven whereby we must be saved”.

O glorious Name! Gracious Name! Name full of love and virtue! Through You, sins are forgiven, enemies overcome, the sick healed, and sufferers strengthened in adversity! You are the honor of believers, the Master of preachers, the comfort of those who toil, the support of the weak. Holy desires are nourished by the ardor of Your fire; and by it, necessary suffrages are obtained, contemplative souls are inebriated, and the triumphant are glorified in heavenly glory! By Your most Holy Name, O sweet Jesus, You make us reign with the Blessed, You, their glory, You who triumph gloriously with the Father and the Holy Spirit, in perfect Unity and Trinity, forever and ever.

O Name of Jesus, exalted above every other Name! O triumphant Name! O joy of Angels! O terror of hell! All hope of pardon, of grace and of glory is found in You! O sweetest Name, You pardon the guilty, You reform evil habits, You fill the timid with divine sweetness and drive away terrifying visions! O glorious Name! By You, the mysteries of eternal life are revealed, souls are inflamed with divine love, strengthened in time of struggle, and freed from all dangers. O desirable Name! Delightful Name! Admirable Name! Venerable Name! Little by little You raise the souls of the faithful by Your gifts and graces to the heights of heaven. All to whom You communicate Your ineffable grandeur, by Your power attain to salvation and glory!”

(St. Bernardine of Siena).

The post On the Most Holy Name of Jesus first appeared on AirMaria.com.