Jesus, show me your hands, hands of forgiveness and compassion, hands of healing and mercy, hands of anointing and blessing, which impelled you to give yourself into the hands of your brothers. Open to the events and accepting the difficulties you encountered on your way, Lord, you allowed yourself to be chiseled by the Will of God, carrying on your shoulders all the consequences of the Gospel, until you saw your own hands full of love, full of forgiveness: “Look at my hands,” you said to Thomas (Jn 20:27), and you are saying it to each one of us.

Jesus’ wounded hands are stretched out and never cease to offer themselves, so that you may know the love that God has for you and believe in him (cf. 1 Jn 4:16). “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit;” this is the invitation and the program of life that Jesus whispers and wants to offer to you; he wants to mold you like a potter molds a clay vessel (cf. Is 29:16); to put in you the heart of a shepherd, until you share the same sentiments of Christ Jesus (cf. Phil 2:5), until your heart and his Heart beat in unison.

Jesus, help me to give an apostolic meaning to my life, becoming like a pool of clear water, from which a river flows to irrigate the fields, but not like a stagnant pool, a swamp of egoism. Help me to be your hands.

 

Christmas is over; a time that ended with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Many families who still keep the Christmas decorations at home, will be able to keep them in the key of faith with this simple prayer.

"Lord, we thank You for accompanying us to live the Advent and Christmas time.

Now we entrust ourselves to You for the rest of the year."

Lord Jesus,

after decorating our homes with colored lights and various objects that remind us of the joy of your birth,

the time has come to put them away.

And we do so full of hope

that next year,

when we take them out of their boxes again,

they will once again fill our Christmas season

with peace and tenderness.

In the meantime, give us strength and courage

to listen to your Word and live the Sacraments,

and to communicate to all

that You are with us always,

in every time and circumstance.

Through Christ Our Lord. Amen."

 

If the Christian vocation comes first, if the star shines ahead to start us along the path of God's love, it is illogical that we should begin to doubt if it chances to disappear from view. It might happen at certain moments in our interior life – and we are nearly always to blame – that the star disappears, just as it did to the wise kings on their journey.

The Magi did not yield to the temptation of thinking that no one would understand their difficulty. Instead, they asked for advice, trustingly and without worrying whether anyone might be surprised at their inquiries. They had got as far as they had because they had a great supernatural outlook.

But they also displayed a lot of common sense. They did all that was humanly possible to find their way again. It would have been childish at this juncture to abandon their project, and to cause the best hours of their lives, those spent following the star, to be wasted. It would have been unjust, even to themselves, to have returned home simply because they had lost that guiding star. And they were right; for God was at hand.

When they saw the star again, they rejoiced exceedingly, with great joy. They rejoice with that immense joy because they did what they were supposed to do. And they rejoiced because they were certain that they were on their way to the King who had just been born. And this is what you and I are doing now.

Painting by Hugo van der Goes (c. 1430/1440 – 1482) Flemish artist

 

As they neared Jerusalem, the star mysteriously disappeared, leaving the Magi in a quandary. Yet we see no trace of discouragement in them. These were men who were used to overcoming adversity. The long journey would have steeled their resolve, teaching them the value of patience. They may also have realized that God, who had shown them the star, could just as easily hide it.

Whatever the case, the whole of the Gospel narrative transmits a sense of calm. The Magi's serenity is a good lesson to us. Calm in the face of difficulties, faith in our vocation, and common sense, are all factors we need each day. We know very well that when God invites a soul to lead a life fully in accordance with the faith, he does not take in account one’s measure of fortune, nobility, blood, or learning. God's call precedes all our merits ...

Christian vocation comes first; God loves us before we even know how to go toward him, and he places in us the love with which we can correspond to his call. God's fatherly goodness comes out to meet us. Our Lord is not only just; He is much more; He is compassionate and merciful; He does not wait for us to go to him. He takes the initiative, with the unmistakable signs of paternal affection.

 

Yesterday, in the Epiphany, the Magi met a Child, in need to be wrapped in swaddling clothes. His Mother, Our Lady was always there because she gave birth to him. There is a transition, from her most pure womb to this material world; from being still hidden to being visible in the manger.

Today is the Baptism of Our Lord. In his Baptism, the Blessed Trinity declares that he is God, the Son of God, “my Beloved Son…”. Our Lady is not there, because Jesus is God, was God, and will be God forever. He proceeds from the Father, uncreated, not made, consubstantial with the Father. There is no transition from not being to being, but continuity. He, simply, IS.

Two feasts form a single story. The Epiphany tells us that he has a human nature. The Baptism tells us that he is God. God and Man in a single Person.

Let us go to the cave of Bethlehem and, with faith and simplicity, and from the depths of our hearts, let us adore Jesus, promising him that we will always follow his star.

Let us trust that Jesus is the true light that will bring us that happiness we seek in the things of this world. For only Christ alone will fill the longing for happiness that we seek.

 The way to approach Jesus

I AM MOVED BY THIS ANGEL WHO CRAWLS "ON ALL FOURS" TO APPROACH THE NEWBORN JESUS.

A SPIRITUAL BEING WITH PERFECT INTELLIGENCE, LOVE, WILL AND FREEDOM UNDERSTANDS THAT HE CAN ONLY APPROACH THE MYSTERY OF THE INFANT GOD BY CRAWLING ALONG THE WISE PATH OF HUMILITY.

 

 

In the apostle, the features of dedication consist of a grateful dedication of service to the Lord and to his people. This is born of having accepted a totally gratuitous gift: “You belong to me... you belong to them,” the Lord declares; “you are under the protection of my hands, under the protection of my Heart. Stay in the hollow of my hands and give me your heart.”

Prayerful dedication, and the invitation entrusted to feed the flock, silently shape and refine the apostle, amid the crossroads and contradictions that he must face (cf. 1 Pet 1:6-7). Like the Master, the apostle carries on his shoulders the burden of his people. The apostle allows himself to be chiseled by the Will of God.

 

As I contemplate Mary in the stable where Jesus was born, I ask myself: What language did the Holy Virgin use to speak to Jesus? How did Mary speak?

When I observe the scene, I note that Mary does not speak. Mary does not speak, ... she welcomes.

She welcomes the mystery; she is experiencing it with awe, she cherishes everything in her heart, and, above all, she is concerned about the Child whom, as the Gospel says, was “laid in a manger” (cf. Luke 2:16).

This verb “to lay” means to carefully place, and this tells us that the language proper to Mary is maternal: she tenderly takes care of the Child. This is Mary’s greatness.

As the angels celebrate, the shepherds come running and everyone praises God with a loud voice for what has happened, Mary does not speak, she does not entertain her guests explaining everything that had happened to her, she does not steal the show — to us who like to steal the show! — she does not steal the show.

On the contrary, she puts the Child in the center, she lovingly takes care of Him. A poet once wrote that Mary “even knew how to be solemnly mute, […] because she did not want to lose sight of her God.”

What can I learn from her for this year that is dawning? I can say, “My Mother, my Lady, teach me what I need to do this year …”

Mother, teach me to listen to you, to listen to Jesus.

 

"Faced with the greatness of God or with a person who has made up his mind - with a decision both deeply human and profoundly Christian - to live up to the demands of his faith, there are people who find it strange, and; in their surprise, they even get scandalized. It seems they are unable to countenance a way of life which does not fit into their limited earthly horizons. They smirk at the generous actions of those who have heard God's call.

Some people think that our Lord ought to ask their permission before choosing others for his service. Apparently they believe man is not free to say an unequivocal yes or no to this proposal of Love. To people who think that way, the supernatural life of each soul is something secondary. They do believe it has to be reckoned with, but only after petty comforts and human selfishness have been accommodated. If this were the case, what would be left of Christianity? Are the loving but demanding words of Jesus only to be heard? Or are they rather to be heard and put into practice?

Our Lord asks all men to come out to meet him, to become saints. He calls not only the Magi, the wise and powerful. Before that he had sent, not a star, but one of his angels to the shepherds in Bethlehem. Rich or poor, wise or less so, all of us have to foster in our hearts a humble disposition that will allow us to listen to the word of God.” St Josemaria

Lord, right now, I want to meet you, in this prayer.

I really want to seek you, Lord. Drive away all distractions and worries that confuse me.

Help me to have a real personal encounter with your Love.

 

Of all those who saw the star, only the Magi discovered its deep meaning. Promptly, with faith, "Stella duce", led by the star, they set out on the road. What for others was nothing more than a marvel in the sky, for them held a clear-cut message. Undoubtedly God himself opened their eyes. But we can still admire their great faith and their promptness in setting out on their journey.

The wise men did not content themselves with just contemplating the star. They decided to follow it, and that was what really mattered, and called for their effort. They left behind their families, their ease, and their comfort, and set out on their way, carrying their finest possessions.

God reminds us that we belong to him by virtue a new title: that of our specific vocation as Christians. “We need a strong life of faith to appreciate the wonder God’s providence has entrusted to us. We need a faith like that of the Magi, a conviction that neither the desert, nor the storms, nor the quiet of the oases will keep us from reaching our destination in the eternal Bethlehem: our definitive life with God.

“My child, thank God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Thank the Blessed Virgin through whom all the graces of heaven reach us, as through a divine channel. Give thanks for the grace of our calling which, next to the faith, is the greatest gift God could have granted a human being.” St Josemaría.

 

Everything dies out, everything passes away. And yet, what I desire is to remain forever. Where can I find what is really permanent?

God has left us free to choose. We can either refuse to carry out his Will or, with the help of his grace, we can surrender to his most lovable wishes. These two alternatives are mutually exclusive. The first is more comfortable, but it does not lead to happiness. As St Josemaría writes: “This is the key to open the door to the kingdom of heaven and enter: He who does the will of my Father, he shall enter!”

As the New Year begins, on the day of his Holy Name, we behold Jesus, suffering with pain, and loving with deeds, even though he is still an infant. He needs no words to ask us to prepare our hearts and put aside everything that does not accord with God's Will and hence hinders our sanctity and our happiness.

Jesus, may my heart be fully converted to You. May You be the only goal of my intentions and the sole object of my affections. May my heart show no hesitation in the face of hardship, but burn ever more ardently, consumed by love for God, and live forever.

 

Lord, I thank you for the gift of life and the gift of faith you have given me.

I thank you also for the love you have for me, for us; for the immense and undeserved grace of being your apostle on earth.

Show me the way to please you.

Help me to share your love with others, a true and deep love like yours.

Give me the strength to fight every day against the senselessness of living apart from you.

Thank you, Lord, for all that you have given me.

The Adoration of the Shepherds by El Greco