187- The Deep Meaning of Christmas

Now, when we talk about the second coming of Jesus in our heart (see previous post), a hidden coming, this gives us the deepest insight on the Grace of Christmas.

The Lord alludes to his mysterious coming in our heart during the last supper:

“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them." (John 14:21)

“Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” (John 14:23)

The message is clear and all Spiritual Masters dedicated their life to this endeavour: to receive Jesus during this lifetime in their heart in fullness (as much as it is possible here on earth). Many called it: "Union with God" or "Union with Christ", others: "Spiritual Marriage".

(One can read what St Thomas Aquinas says in the Summa Theologica about the invisible Missions of the Son and the Holy Spirit, in the first part of the Summa, q. 43.)

Now, more precisely, liturgically God gives us every year a powerful grace for Christmas, a grace that manifests in the most clear way His Mercy for each one of us. Because through Christ's birth, the Incarnation (which Christmas celebrates) is the decision that God the Father took, out of an immense and unique personalised love for each one of us, to get closer to us, to the point of uniting himself not only to our nature but also to specifically each one of us.

The Birth of the Messiah, King and Saviour of each one us manifests in a most pure way the Mercy of God! We were sinners, we were walking (and still are) in the land of the dead and of Darkness (Isaiah 9:2), and we didn’t even know what Light is, and The Eternal Light, because of His very nature who is Tender Love, decided that it was time to come and unite himself to each one of us.

Each year, we celebrate this unique event in History, and it is Christmas. God continues to offer us this same grace he already gave us 2000 years ago, and he showers every year amazing graces of conversions, of liberation for various types of “slaveries”, addictions, darkness, sins, mortal sins,…

The last two centuries saw many big conversions happening during Christmas Eve Mass. Remember Paul Claudel, the French poet: he entered at midnight Mass at Notre Dame's Cathedral, in Paris, he entered atheist and came out after the Midnight Mass a fully Catholic Believer. You can still visit the spot where he was standing, following the right nave, quite ahead. This is just an example of the power of the Grace of God.

Historic floor plaque, site of Paul Claudel conversion, Notre Dame

St. Therese of the Child Jesus had a powerful healing from a very painful deep crisis of scruple: she was pre-adolescent. It was during Christmas.

Each one of us should be totally convinced that the Lord has an amazing Present for him every Christmas, a powerful and beautiful grace to receive. Not necessarily visible to others, but “visible” to ourselves. It is something along the line of the mysterious coming of Jesus in our heart. Some spiritual masters even consider that Christmas is the most appropriate liturgical time to mark the spiritual turning points (think for instance the end of the purification, or the Grace of Union with God (Spiritual Marriage)).

Now do we only think about ourselves?

It is important to join Mary in her understanding and perception of what is happening: the meaning of the Coming of our Saviour. The reason why he comes is to save us, to take us from the Darkness to his Light, to unite us to him! Mary today is aware of all the persons who need her Son, the Holy Spirit working in her heart freely, deeply totally and powerfully, moves her to Desire the Salvation of the World, the Salvation of each person, especially the ones who need most God’s Mercy. This is the Prayer that the Holy Spirit generates in the depths of Our Lady.

We need to joint into this prayer and make space in us for Our Lady and the Holy Spirit in our heart, so we participate this way to the coming of the Saviour for our brothers and sisters who are in need of Him (and they don’t know it).

It is by offering sacrifices, little ones, not ostentatious ones, just visible to God, offering them to God, to the Holy Spirit so we can help in the work of Salvation of our Brothers and Sisters. Prayer and Sacrifice offered to the Fire of the Holy Spirit are a very important contribution to Christmas Grace!

A sacrifice of patience, of forgiveness, of offering what pains us, of offering even our joys, so the Lord Holy Spirit takes all this and transforms it in his Power of Salvation for the benefit of our Bothers and Sisters.

Not only we can contribute in the salvation of the World, we should be worried and busy with it, having it at the centre of our heart! Our brothers and sisters are Jesus' body. The ones who are far, and live in the darkness are the ones who generate most Mercy and humble compassion in our heart, we are moved by seeing their state, being far from God, we suffer because of this, we want things to change! We offer all of this to the Fire of the Holy Spirit acting in Mary, waiting for Jesus to be Born giving a grace to our brothers, a Salvation Grace, a Grace of Mercy.

Let us contribute to the salvation of Jesus’ Body, our brothers and sisters!

Prayer and Sacrifice, real love of our “enemies”, of what is “unpleasant”, of what contradicts us… offering it to the Fire of the Holy Spirit, to Our Lady… this is the most important contribution we can give for Christmas! This is to love Jesus.

(See also: Post 65: Jesus is born in our heart
and Post 66: This Little Child is Our Temple)