21. The divine Infant of Bethlehem
No-one ever doubted that the presence of a
small baby is one of the strongest joys of earth, which brings great happiness.
At the sight of the innocent infant and his angelic smile, even hard-hearted
people soften and their hearts become peaceful.
A baby does not distinguish between good
and bad people. He smiles at all of them innocently and honestly. He spreads
out his little hands to everybody in order to enjoy their love and hugs.
No-one is ever afraid of an innocent
infant. Infants never harm anyone. Inadvertently, the only feeling they may
provoke is the sense of the wide gap between their innocence and the cunning
that older people have. That's why when you look at them, you remember the lost
greatness of innocence which you also once had. Really, how many times have we
wished we were innocent like them!
Man was once like that in Paradise. Adam and Eve were
like babies, innocent, pure and holy. However, they lost all these things when
sin came into their lives. They lost serenity from their hearts and the peace
of God from their souls. Pain, grief, sadness and a myriad of evils made their
appearance.
For many, countless
years, man was walking the dark streets of sin alone, recollecting the lost
glory of his humanity.
Who could change
this wicked world? Various wise men and philosophers were wondering over the
centuries. Which philosopher or conqueror would manage to influence this
destroyed world so effectively? A world that had lost every trace of morality
and had not respected anything!
The reply was given
by God, sending His only-begotten Son,
to change the whole world. To be born as an Infant from an insignificant young girl according to others, but very important for heaven. The absolutely pure and innocent, Virgin Mary, who would become the moral role model to all people.
to change the whole world. To be born as an Infant from an insignificant young girl according to others, but very important for heaven. The absolutely pure and innocent, Virgin Mary, who would become the moral role model to all people.
This young girl had
all the qualities that God had given as precious gifts to the first human being
that He created. The gifts of purity, innocence, simplicity, humility, absolute
obedience and trust in the Creator God and so many more. Gifts, however, that
the first man lost that day when he was shown unworthy of the trust of his
Creator God. On that bleak day when he had given his trust to the words of the
devil and disputed the love of his Creator.
From that time
onwards, after man left Paradise, he had never been able to restore the first
innocence and holiness of his soul. All people were born and died with the
stains of sin intensely painted on their souls.
So the years went
by, endless centuries, until a simple and humble girl called Mary appeared and
who was adorned with all those gifts, that the first humans had, before they
sinned.
Her pure life, free
from sin, was shining with simplicity, innocence and the absolute obedience and trust she had in her God the Father.
Her great humility
and devotion to God, made even the holy angels admire her.
God chose that
young girl to be the beginning of the salvation of the whole world and to her
He trusted His only-begotten Son. With the power of the Holy Spirit she carried
in her womb God Himself and she was the first person, who fit within her womb
the One, who did not fit into the whole of Creation.
The miracle of
miracles had started! From the womb of this wonderful young girl was born
absolute joy and happiness. The small Infant was born that would change, with
the power of His love and compassion, all the world.
The Son of God
became the Son of man. There was never a
greater miracle than this and never will be.
While one would
think that this miracle happened only once, with the main person being the
immaculate Holy Virgin Mary, however, God continues this miracle in another
form today. The unapproachable God becomes a small Infant, in order to fit into
any motherly and fatherly embrace of whoever would love Him like their Holy
Infant. The first people who lived the miracle thereafter were the simple
shepherds.
When the angel
appeared to the shepherds and announced the good news to them, that is, that
the Saviour of the whole world was born and told them where to go to see Him,
they believed with simplicity and immediately went to the cave where the
newborn Christ was. Serenity and divine joy flooded their hearts and after
kneeling down before Him, worshipped the Holy Infant. So everything the angel
said was true! The Saviour of Israel was born, the promised Messiah, and they
were the first who were worthy to worship Him. Despite their unworthiness, they
asked the mother if they could hold the little angelic Holy Infant for a little
while and she did not deny anyone this joy.
If the first
miracle was for the Son of God to be born from a virgin and for God to become
man, certainly the second great miracle was that any man, even the most sinful,
can embrace the Holy Infant with fatherly and motherly love.To be able to love,
like the elder Joseph and the Virgin Mary, the Son of God as his own child and
cover Him with caresses and kisses of love.To be able to look at Him without
fear, despite his unworthiness, and to tell Him: "From today onwards, my
sweet baby, I will try to be for You the sweetest motherly and fatherly heart,
who will love You and will adore You with all the strength of my soul. Forgive
me, my sweet baby, for the many mistakes and sins that I have committed and help
me with Your divine power to change and become as You want. From Your
innocence, give me innocence. From Your simplicity, give me simplicity. From
Your mercy, give me a compassionate heart to love all the people of the world
and not to judge any man. Let Your childish breath warm my existence and Your
presence in my life help me to become myself a small child in the hands of our
heavenly Father, God. "
Really, who is the
one who could hold the sweet Holy Infant of Bethlehem in his arms and in his
embrace, like the simple shepherds and the young shepherd boys and would not
have the desire to become a new man? A man full of love and compassion in his
heart and spiritual kindness in his actions?
All these things
can come true, because the Holy Infant of Bethlehem does not detest or reject
anyone. Rather, the Son of God, Who came to be born as a man, wants all people
to come to Him and be saved. His greatest joy is to be held, with much childish
love and adoration, in many fatherly and motherly embraces and be loved by
everyone, not only as God who He is, but also like a real man that He became. To be loved and worshipped by all people as
a God-man Who He is. Not only as God or just as a man, but as a God-man.
He wants us to
allow Him, like God to lead us on the paths of absolute happiness through the
law of love as He taught it through His holy Gospel, but at the same time, like
the little Infant of Bethlehem He wants us to let Him enjoy the supreme joy and
happiness of motherly and fatherly love that we humans give our children.
If we want as
adults to understand this mystery, we will find it very difficult. But if we
approach it with the simple faith of children, it will become a reality and we
will be worthy of the great honour to be like His holy Mother Mary and the holy
elder Joseph.We only need to have childish faith and trust in order to enable
the divine grace of the Holy Spirit to perform this miracle in our humble and
sinful souls. That is, for the Holy Spirit to do that, which it did on the
simple souls of the humble shepherds, who with childish simplicity accepted and
believed the words of the angels.
God is always
revealed to young children and that is what He asks us to become now.
He asks us like
small, simple children in our mind, heart and soul, to open our motherly and
fatherly hearts and let the Holy Spirit regenerate us and make us into angels.
Angels who will make up the angelic army of the Holy Infant Jesus, Who will be
invited to face the Antichrist one day, who will want to hurt our King Jesus
for the second time.
Will we accept the
call of God? Will we today let the humble Holy Infant be born in our hearts
like His sweet and loving mother Mary, to love Him with all the strength of our
soul?
For all those who want it with faith, it will surely
come true.