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!

Α Guide to Repentance

Α Guide to Repentance

A few words of introduction

Every man, my brother, is made up of:

-the mortal and material body and

-the immaterial, immortal and spiritual soul.

God created man in this way.

However, as the body needs to be cared for, to be cleansed, to be clothed, to be fed, in the same way the immortal soul has its own needs:

- ITS CLEANSING, that is confession, by which it will be cleansed of the various impurities of its sins.

- ITS CLOTHING, not to be naked and freezing, that is, all those works of love which our Christ commands us to do through His Gospel, and

- ITS FOOD, that is, Holy Communion, the all holy Body and Blood of the crucified sweetest Son of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.

If, however, we look after our material body with such great care, shouldn't we pay more attention to our immortal soul which is, as our beloved teacher Jesus says, more valuable than our body?

“Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:37-38)

In this little booklet, written for you with a lot of love, you will read some simple reflections on the great Sacrament of Repentance and of Confession, since that's why our Christ came to earth, to bring repentance to mankind, because without it no-one can truly love Christ and be saved.

20. The night of Christmas

It was slowly getting dark and the sun was disappearing behind the mountains of Bethlehem. The cold and frost made the inhabitants of this small village, as well as all those who came from distant places to be registered at the place of their birth, go inside their homes early. Soon the streets were deserted and no one was walking about outside.

To tell the truth not everyone, because just outside the village a pious man, leading a donkey with a young girl on its back, who looked like she was pregnant, was anxious to arrive at a house in time before it got too late.

Every now and then, he was trying to give her courage, because he saw that the time to give birth had come and the young girl was extremely tired from the trip which had taken several days.

Some hours ago he had given her his cloak and everything else he had to cover her and keep her warm, while in the twilight he was looking for the path leading to the village.