Lessons from the Nativity

"They looked at, contemplated and admired the Christ child. That is all they did. They were in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament exposed on the altar of the manger. They blessed and thanked God who gave us his Son out of His love for us. Nobody will ever be able to understand or explain what went on inside Mary at that time."

From A Moment With Mary

What do we learn from the three main characters of the cave in Bethlehem?

"Jesus, Our Lady and St. Joseph -- incomparable teachers of every virtue-- offer us sublime examples of poverty, virginity and humility at the moment of the birth of the Divine Child.

St. Joseph teaches us to be poor, that is, to be lacking in everything, at times even in what is necessary. Indeed, he chose the poverty of a cave, not having the means to provide for a better and more dignified childbirth.

Our Lady, in her virginal childbirth, teaches us to be pure: chaste in soul and in body, in thoughts, desires and actions.

Finally, great is the lesson in humility that the Baby Jesus bestows upon us from His poor cradle. The Creator of the universe humbles Himself to the point of desiring to be born in a cave and to be laid in a manger -- in reality, a box for which horses and cattle eat -- hidden from all, in a small town of Palestine."

Who is Mary? (Academy of the Immaculate: 2001), 46.

Join the MaryVitamin for "nourishment" like this...and, in +JMJ+,  MERRY CHRISTMAS!!