RU 51/2008 - HOLY LAND, XMAS 2008

- HOLY LAND. There was once a wolf. He lived in the area of Bethlehem. The shepherds knew his ferocity and took care to bring their sheep in the evening to a safe place. Each time one of theirs was to ensure the guard, because the wolf was known as a hungry, astucious and malicious one.

Came the Holy Night. Presently the song of the angels was heard. A baby was to be born, a little boy. The wolf was much astonished that the sober shepherds were all going to see the baby. “For a newborn so much trouble?” the wolf was asking himself. But taken by curiosity, and hungry as he was, he followed secretly the shepherds. Arrived at the cattle shed, he kept out of the place and waited. When the shepherds, after their homage to Jesus, took leave from Mary and Joseph, the wolf decided that it was his turn. He still waited until Mary and Joseph fell asleep, since the concern and the joy about the baby had fatigued them a lot. “All the better”, said the wolf, “I’ll start with the baby.” On his legs he slipped into the cattle shed. Nobody saw him, except for the Child. This one looked full of love towards the wolf who advanced silently, step by step, and approached to the crib. His mouth was largely opened, and his tongue hung out, a dreadful aspect. Now he was very near to the crib. “That will be an easy mouthful!” the wolf thought, licking eagerly his flews. He was on the point of jumping. In this moment, the hand of the Child Jesus touched him gently and tenderly. For the first time in his life someone cherished his ugly and scrubby fur, and with a voice as he had never heard in his life, the Child said: “Wolf, I love you.”

There, something incredible occurred: in the obscure cattle shed of Bethlehem the skin of the wolf burst, and a man got out of it, a true man. This one fell on his knees, embraced the hands of the Child and adored it. Then he left the cattle shed, silently as he had come before as a wolf, and walked towards the world to announce to everyone: this divine Child can save you by touching you! - (ru; Bavarian story, translated by S.O.S MOTHERS/UNEC)

- CHRISTMAS 2008. In front of the crib of the Divine Child, we can only incline ourselves, red of shame of our poor Christian performances. Here is this marvellous God who became a baby, and this Baby redeemed the world from its sins, led millions of hearts to Heaven, and continues to announce the Good News of the eternal Salvation to which He invites us near His Father. And what are we doing with these marvellous News? Nothing, except some sterile agitations! Let’s consider only one sector of our Christian activity, the defence of human life created by God, or concretely the rescue of the babies who are massacred in masses by the present culture of death. How many millions of human beings, tenderly loved by God, did we save from violently imposed death? How many abortion laws did we make cancel? No one, on the contrary: the number of abortions increases every day, and the legal limitations of abortion move back always more. In America, Obama wants to free abortion from all conditions and restrictions (Freedom of Choice Act); in Europe they started already to kill the human life at the earliest cellular stage (embryonic selection in vitro); in China they propose embryonic meat on the menu of certain restaurants (cf RU of Feb. 4, 2008)… However one billion baptized people are living in the world. How did we work with this treasure?

All our pro-life strategies prove to be vain, useless, if not counter-productive. We are on the wrong way with our illusory investments, hyper-intelligent marketing, noisy pro-life marches and fearful political programs. Worse, we worsen the evil by our far too human agitation.

And here, prostrated in front of this divine Baby, disillusioned and fatigued, let us adore the divine Wisdom, and in front of the crib let’s find the courage to put ourselves totally in question, to revise all our doing according to the divine criteria of the crib: poverty, humility, peace and love. If we conform to that, millions of human lives will be saved, not by us, but by ONE SINGLE BABY, the one in the crib. AMEN! Merry Christmas! - (ru)

 - - O.A.M.D.G. - -