“And thou, Bethlehem Ephrata, art little among the thousands of Juda: out of thee shall He come that is to be the ruler of Israel” (Mich. 5, 2).
First Prelude: Picture the insignificant city of Bethlehem, which the Saviour chose for His birthplace.
Second Prelude: O my Jesus, Thou true Bread of Life, give me grace to make preparations becoming the worthy reception of Thy Divine Majesty, that I may participate in the glorious fruits of union with Thee.
First Point
BETHLEHEM SIGNIFIES “HOUSE OF BREAD”
From Bethlehem the mysterious Bread was to come which should save the world from starvation and impart new life to all peoples. Of old, the city had been called “Ephrata” that is, “fruitful” because it had been destined in the divine plan of Eternal Wisdom to give to mankind the most precious fruit, the Saviour of the world.
The surrounding country was especially rich in cereals and wine. Here, even in His very Birth, Jesus willed to foreshadow the Sacrament of His Love in which, beneath the species of bread and wine, He wills to nourish His elect. David, who prefigured the Messiah, was also born in Bethlehem; on these blessed plains, he tended his father’s sheep. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, the true King of Israel, pastures his lambkins on the fertile plains of Holy Church.
Oh, the adorable designs of the infinite wisdom of God! In all the dispositions of Divine Providence, do we not behold the most tender love for us, His creatures?
One glance into our own lives proves this beyond doubt. What we deemed insignificant, was ordained by God’s all-wise decree to lead us to our eternal destiny. Oh, how shall we one day adore the inscrutable ways of God and reverently thank Him for all that His paternal Heart has done for us!
Let us then abandon ourselves confidently to the direction of the all-wise and omnipotent God, Who with inexpressible mildness guides the destinies of the weak.
Second Point
JESUS THE TRUE BREAD OF LIFE
In infinite love, Jesus has given Himself under the form of bread and wine to be the food of our souls. Oh, the ineffable wisdom of Jesus, to conceal His Sacred Body and Blood under the form of bread in the Sacrament of His Love! Bread constitutes the chief food of man, can be easily procured and never excites disgust. O blessed Bread, heavenly Food, which contains in itself all sweetness! The worthy reception of this Bread of Life produces in our souls all the effects that earthly bread produces in the body. It preserves, strengthens, invigorates, refreshes, and delights the soul. This is, verily, the bread of love, which is more indispensable to the soul than earthly bread to the body. Sad to say, many are more solicitous to preserve bodily life than to secure an increase of grace and their salvation. What sacrifices are not made cheerfully when there is even the faintest hope of thereby lengthening one’s earthly life only a few years!
Though the bread the Saviour gives is the pledge of everlasting life, of future glory, still the majority of men make little or no effort to partake of this bread. Had Jesus deposited in Holy Communion the power to lengthen this mortal life for only a hundred years, how eagerly should all these lukewarm and indifferent Christians hasten to the Table of the Lord! Oh! the blindness of these poor creatures buried in earthly concerns!
Oh, that we at least should in some measure comprehend the infinite love of Jesus! We should then approach His Table with a holy eagerness and gladly impose some sacrifices upon ourselves, that we may receive this heavenly Food worthily and that it may preserve us to life everlasting. During this holy season, we will examine ourselves as to our preparation for Holy Communion, and renew ourselves in this all-important action.
Affections: O my Jesus, Thou didst not despise the little town of Bethlehem, but didst choose it for Thy birthplace. Thou dost, likewise, not disdain to take up Thy abode in a poor unworthy heart, provided it is free from sin and adorned with virtues. I realize full well how much there is yet lacking before I can truly say that my heart is a worthy resting place for Thee. To whom shall I have recourse in my poverty and need but to Thee, O Jesus, Thou truly Good Shepherd of my soul, Who dost so lovingly invite the burdened and the heavily laden, in order to refresh them? Thou gavest me all when Thou gavest Thyself in this Sacrament of Love. I, too, offer myself entirely to Thee, with all that I have and am. Oh, grant that through Thy all-powerful grace, I may remain most intimately united with Thee in life and in death! With the universal Church, we cry to Thee today: “O King of the Gentiles and their desired one, the cornerstone that joinest two walls; come and save man, whom Thou didst form out of slime.”
Resolution: By fervor in the practice of virtue, I will strive to prepare my heart ever better for Holy Communion.
Spiritual Bouquet: “I am the living Bread; if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever.”
Prayer: O Jesus, living in Mary . . .
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