December 24, 2023

“They Had Each Other”: A Meditation on Christmas

25 minutes

In this meditation for Christmas Day: Fr. Leo Austin helps us to contemplate the first nativity scene. Entering into Bethlehem and the stable, he invites us to look first of all to Mary and Joseph and to learn from them. All they had were each other (unity), poverty and happiness.

In their simplicity, Mary and Joseph are telling us that we don't need anything but each other. We don’t need anything else but to look at the baby Jesus and focus on him. Look at Jesus-- this is what all the saints have done throughout history. He will clean our eyes and our hearts. He will make us simple in a good way. This also makes it possible for us to just stop and look at each other as human beings.

Bethlehem, the city of bread. Bethlehem, the place where Jesus was born. The Eucharist is Jesus coming to us, the person of Jesus Christ taking possession of our hearts and the Blessed Trinity dwelling in our souls. And then, after realizing the love that we have received, looking at each other and at every single human being throughout history, with different eyes, with the eyes that are cleansed and purified by contemplating Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

In Jesus, we have a brother. In the Holy Family, we have a family. In Bethlehem, we have a home and we are always welcome.

As Fr. Leo says, "Mary, Joseph, Jesus, I want to be always with the three of you. I don't want to leave Bethlehem. I don't want to get complicated. I don't want to grow up in a bad way. I want to just take advantage of my family, of my home in Bethlehem, to be more simple, to be more poor, in order to bring the simplicity of a heart made clean to the rest of the world."

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