The best and the most luminous night of our history

The last 18^th of the year 2006 A few days from Christmas

El Santuario Original, el 18 de diciembre The Original Shrine on December 18 Das Urheiligtum am 18. Dezember
Misa de Alianza en la Iglesia de Peregrinos Holy Mass in the Pilgrims Church Heilige Messe in der Pilgerkirche
Renovacion de la Alianza Covenant Renewal Bündniserneuerung
Peregrinos de Brasil Pilgrims from Brazil Pilger aus Brasilien Fotos: Tomás Garzón © 2006
Visita con la Auxiliar: Pehuajó, Argentina Visit with the Auxiliary: Pehuajó, Argentina Besuch mit der Auxiliar: Pehuajó, Argentinien Foto: Hernandez © 2006

SCHOENSTATT, mkf. "May this 18^th, like all the others, be a most blessed day; may we go on pilgrimage to our Shrine and once more say Yes Mother", writes Viviana Mera, from Ecuador, on this last 18^th of the year. With only a few days until Christmas Eve, in the midst of the last preparations, everyone turns their gaze to the original source and cradle of the Covenant of Love – the Original Shrine – to which many spiritually unite through the hundreds of Shrines and wayside shrines spread throughout the world.

As usual, all those present in Schoenstatt renewed the Covenant of Love; united to those they represent in this place of grace. The Covenant Mass was celebrated by Monsignor Hermann Zimmerer, General Director of the Institute of the Sisters of Mary accompanied by nine Schoenstatt Fathers and Diocesan Priests. "I did not imagine such an international congregation at this time of the year", commented Tomas Garzon de la Roza, from Argentina, a volunteer at the Press Office. And he is right: There were pilgrimsfrom Texas, USA, Argentina and Brazil, in addition to the youth from Argentina, Mexico, India, Chile…After Mass, everyone went to the Original Shrine with candles in their hands to renew the Covenant of Love.

Stars have truly poured on Schoenstatt

Everything is a preparation for Christmas; in many places, the Schoenstatt Family promotes live mangers, a Christmas novena, "searches for shelter", One Thousand Hail Mary’s…The missionaries of the Rosary Campaign offer the visit of the Auxiliary. Susana Hernandez from Pehuajo, Argentina relates: "We are going to the different neighborhoods with the Auxiliary, at the invitation of the neighbors, the pastor, announcements in the newspaper and on television. We prepared for Christmas with a star for the manger. The rosary is prayed, the names are written on the stars, that we will take to the manger of the parish, we give out a holy card with an Advent message and we share something sweet at the end. The missionaries and the people participate with joy".

Once more, during this Christmas, everyone is invited to send the names of the people that they want to make present in the Schoenstatt manger on Christmas Eve, the names will be written on stars that will be taken to the Original Shrine on December 24^th, later during the Midnight Mass, they will be placed on Father’s tomb. The stars can be sent via Internet or also by email ((hermana.kornelia@gmail.com)

By the end of the week after starting the sending of "stars" to schoenstatt.de there has already been a "downpour of stars": hundreds of them arrive each day, from 30 countries so far – including Russia, Romania, and India. And also from monasteries, schools, and people who do not belong to the Movement.

Everything invites us to prepare for Christmas

The texts and the songs during the time of Advent remind us that the Lord is coming, that the Child God will come – if we have everything ready, everything in order, all the decorations hung, all the food prepared and all the Christmas cards sent…or not. It is the Blessed Mother who prepares our hearts, our houses, our churches and our world, just as she did in Bethlehem long ago.

Father Javier Arteaga, Director of the Movement in Argentina, sent this on December 18th and it can illuminate our way during these last days before Christmas:

During these days of Advent everything invites us to prepare ourselves for Christmas: very beautiful decorations and luminous trees on television, in the newspapers, in the streets and in the shopping centers. But not withstanding these "Christmas sales, there is still something in us that is dissatisfied. In this way Christmas is not truly Christmas. We are like the traveler who is on the way Home, and he searches with expectant eyes, that are full of hope.

There is a story about a traveler who was returning home. He had seen and learned a lot on his long trip, and the desire of re-encountering those he loved illuminated his open, clear vision that was full of hope. One morning he arrived at a town looking for work and a place to stay for a few days. At one of the many houses where he asked to stay he was received by three children, they were siblings, that came out to meet him and they invited him to enter. The parents of the children invited the traveler to stay with them. The traveler learned to knead bread, to work the land, to milk the cows, but there was something that he did not understand: some days and on some days on several occasions, the parents and the children would approach a little table where they had placed the figures of Mary and Joseph, a little brown donkey and a cow. Slowly they would leave a straw between Mary and Joseph. As the days passed the little mattress of straw was getting larger and softer. When it was time for the traveler to depart the family gave him some warm bread and fruit for the road, they hugged him and they bid him farewell. He was ready to leave when he turned said to them: "There is one thing that I would like to take from this beautiful moment". "Of course", they answered. "What else can we give you for the road?" Then the traveler asked: "Why were you putting those pieces of straw at the feet of Mary and Joseph?’ They smiled and the youngest child answered: "Each time we do something for love of someone, we look for some straw and we take it to the manger. In this way we are preparing for the arrival of the Child Jesus so Mary will have a place to lay him. If we love a little, the mattress will be a thin mattress and it will be cold, but if we love a lot, Jesus will be more comfortable and warm." The traveler understood everything. He felt like staying with this family until Christmas Eve, but his inner voice invited him to continue on the road and to share this immense gift that he had received with others.

This story shows us three attitudes that can help us to prepare for and to truly live Christmas:

Christmas is the celebration of God with man

God comes to meet us, he is the promised "Emmanuel", God is with us (Is. 7, 13-15). He brings us salvation that we have searched for through varied and erratic roads. A salvation that is full of life in Love and that only he can give. The invasion of the media Santa Clauses and the compulsive consumerism want to displace and take the place of the Child God in our hearts. It is strange that everywhere there is talk about the feast, but the honoree is never mentioned. Isn’t that discrimination?

• For it to truly be Christmas let us try to have a profound religious spirit and let us receive the Child God, Jesus, the Redeemer with love, and celebrate Him because it is his "birthday"

Christmas is a family celebration

When God came to us he did it by being born in the bosom of a family, by this he wanted to stress how important the family is for Him: it is the cradle and the monstrance of human and divine life; it is the school where man learns to love and to transcend. Before so much loneliness and grief, before so much bitterness and disunity, Christmas invites us to look at the small Child at Mary and Joseph and to come closer to each other.

• For it to be truly Christmas let us encounter each other as brothers, poor children of the same Father, rich in mercy, by trying to have a better dialogue, to reconcile and to unite our hearts

Christmas is the celebration of a generous Love of solidarity

"God so loved the world that he sent his only Son" (Jn. 3, 16). The birth and the life of Christ among man is the biggest testimony of generous love in solidarity of God with us. As a great preacher said: "What did he gain by coming to us?" What did he owe us? Nothing, he only wanted to give himself completely so that we would have his Life, Life in God the Father, Eternal Life. Christmas is the celebration of Love that gives itself with total generosity, without deserving it and without conditions. But that is not all: He also told us "love one another as I have loved you". (Jn. 13,34).

• For it to truly be Christmas let us try to grow in a generous love in solidarity with he who is sad and degraded, sharing our time, our sweet bread or our heart. Let us get out of ourselves to go to others without counting the cost, do it for love, as God did it for us.

We eagerly wait with Mary for Christ, our Redeemer, growing in a fraternal love in solidarity. Let us rejoice: soon it will be Christmas Eve, the best and most luminous night in our history!

Christmas Photos in Schoenstatt

Videos, audios

Translation: Celina Garza, Harlingen, TX, USA