Intimacy

NATIVITY

25 DECEMBER

J.M.J.

Dear Father Thomas:

Merry Christmas! "Silent night, Silent Night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright. Round yon virgin mother and child..." We all know this inspired hymn because in a rural church in Germany, one hundred years ago, an organ broke.

The parish priest of that small church said that without the pipe organ the Christmas Night would be 'a silent night, a night of peace'. Then, for the midnight mass, the organist will compose a melody, the priest will write the lyrics, and choir will sing the soft praises of this hymn.

This was the intention when composing the hymn: to make a simple hymn, song one time, and to throw it into oblivion. Days after Christmas Eve, a snow storm prevented that the man who was to repair the pipe organ arrived, so he had to go in the spring, when the snow thawed. When the pipe organ was fixed, he realized that over it laid the music sheet from that Christmas Eve. He took it, and brought it with him to Munich. The rest is history. 'Silent Night' has reverberated through the years. Its soft accords for love and of peace had inspired millions and millions, moving the life of innumerable people.

The same happens with a single holy hour. We left it in the chapel like the music score of 'Silent Night', and God transform our hour of prayer in a flow of infinite graces for His people. A single holy hour moves more hearts for the grace of God, than all the people that had moved with 'Silent Night'. From a single holy hour, God's graces reverberate through the world until the end of times and ill continue for all eternity.

This is due to the divine appreciation that God has for those who love His Son in the Holy Sacrament. Father God will spend all eternity thanking you and loving you in heaven, because you has honored to His Son on earth in the Holy sacrament. The Holy Sacrament is the continuation of the incarnation of Christ on earth.

When we visit the Holy Sacrament, we find the same humility and tenderness that the shepherds found when they visited 'the child laid in the manger' (Lk 2:16)

The hanger in the heart of God for the love of man is expressed in the profound humility of these two words; Child Jesus.

How big is God's desire of having a profound intimacy with man! Jesus came as an infant, because no one ever have had fear to get near a baby. A baby is loved because is helpless. A baby asking for love with his open little arms is irresistible.

The Holy Host personifies the divine tenderness of the incarnation. So meek and humble, so adorable and so little and vulnerable, the Holy Sacrament of Jesus saying: 'Come to me, that I am meek and humble of heart.' (Mt 11: 28-29)

Only the humble hear His voice. Only those with a child's heart look for His heart in the Holy Sacrament. For this reason Jesus says: 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.' (Mtt 19:14)

At that time, the apostles discouraged the children to get near Jesus, in the same way as now some priests discourage people to get near the Holy sacrament, to the exposure, or to the perpetual adoration. This reminds me to the film called 'Golden Child'. The fate of a child was the salvation of the world since everything that he touched, it got cured, and perfected. The devil locks him in a cell and set him apart from people. The mission consisted in releasing the child.

Saint Joseph had to protect the child Jesus with the flight to Egypt. A furious Herod ordered a massacre (Mtt 2:16). The Pope compares this with the abortion of human beings. But also exists the abortion of the divine life. This who destroy the adoration isolate the faithful from the torrent of the divine life.

At the Eucharistic Congress of Sevilla, in Spain, meditating about the writings of of bishop Manuel Gonzalez, the Holy father made an exhortation to the perpetual adoration in every chapel of the whole world. Bishop Gonzalez inspired bishop Felix zafra and bishop Zafra inspired the Missionaries of the Holy sacrament.

Bishop Gonzalez compares the visit to the Holy sacrament with the approach to the warm light of the sun, with the drinking of the water of a refreshing fountain that gives life, and with the self-absorption by the sweet fragrance of a flower. But like the sun, the fountain, and the flower do not have hearts, if we do not get near to them, they don't get sad.

The Heart of Jesus do get sad, if we do not get near to Him, because his heart is the most sensible and tender of all hearts. 'I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them' (Hosea 11:4)

Similar to the star over Bethlehem, the Pope has placed the point of attention in the Holy sacrament like the one who 'cures' all our ills. The solution to all confusion and promiscuity of the world is the intimacy with Jesus in the Holy Sacrament. To avoid his call to this intimacy, is the cause of all promiscuity.

Tonight, in the same mass of Christmas Eve, Joseph Skelton, Keith Poupard, George Wilson, and Lou Vernon sang 'Just a Closer Walk With Thee'. And is so simple. The prolongation of the incarnation of Christ in the Holy Sacrament, is Jesus himself that intimately comes to our side for us to reach more intimately to him.

"Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it". (Mk 10:15)

This is perpetual adoration, Thomas. The Holy Sacrament is Emmanuel. "God with us", that He has 'reduced' himself with infinite humbleness, and love for Him to continue embracing, blessing, and healing to all his children today, as He has done in the gospel's times.

The church never pretended to be so excessively institutional, bureaucratic, nor legalist, but warm, personal, and intimate. People is attracted to is amicable and adorable. Perpetual adoration is Jesus that says to His people: 'My house is your house'. A closed door leaves out people and that is a signal of this institutionalism that all find unpleasant.

Perpetual adoration is a door always open. It is a sign of the open arms of Christ in the Holy Sacrament, always inviting, giving way and embracing to each and everyone that comes near Him. A door always open with the arms of a waiting Christ, that inspires everyone with a sense of personal belonging. A door always open exposing the light of the divine heart in the monstrance, defines the true significance of the incarnation. The Holy Sacrament, the Verb, continues to become flesh and dwelling between us. Just as we see the child lying down in the manger, so we can see in the Holy Host the same '...glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.' (Jn 1:14).

For this, Mother Therese said that when look at the Holy Host we see how Jesus loves us NOW. This enduring love is His eternal love for you. This enduring love tells us "trust all your worries, because he cares for you." (1 Ph 5:7)

With entire trust, lay all your fears and anxieties in His heart and in exchange, you'll receive His peace. The only sound that He wants you to hear in your mind and your heart is the permanent sound of His love. Every holy hour should be like this song:

'There's a kind of hush all over the world tonight All over the world you can hear the sounds of lovers in love You know what I mean Just the two of us and nobody else in sight There's nobody else and I'm feeling good just holding you tight. So listen very carefully Closer now and you will see what I mean It isn't a dream The only sound that you will hear Is when I whisper in your ear I love you forever and ever'.

Thanks to the permanent love of Jesus in the Holy Sacrament is that we still can sing: 'Silent night, Silent Night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright. Sleep the heavenly..."

This enduring love is the reason for we should be encouraged to have a chapel of perpetual adoration, as it was the angel when proclaiming the good news for the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the first chapel, of perpetual adoration. Dear Thomas, be that angel, that messenger, and say to people with the same joy that your parish will have perpetual adoration in where the same Jesus, born in Bethlehem, will be waiting for them with His open arms. “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people". (Lk 2:10)

Fraternally yours in His Eucharistic Love,

Mgr. Pepe