Sharing Christ with the "little"

Each year at CCC -Cross Christmas Camp - there is a tradition of the little ones getting in their Christmas best so that they can be radiant in the family picture, and sitting in the lap of Santa Claus.  But this year they had a bigger reason to get dressed for Christmas - we celebrated mass in celebration of our 40th anniversary becoming Catholic, and thanks to Fr Trinka putting out a major effort it was right there at camp!  Great grandpa was admiring Ruth's 3 kids, and how they looked so nice and matched each other - like a beautiful bouquet of flowers!  This is reminding me of a wonderful letter that we just received this morning from the Little Sisters in Kansas City... it is full of beautiful stories of their lives as a "lighthouse" in the midst of a poor and gang riddled neighborhood.  They begin this year sharing that people say to them..."Why is everything always 'little' with you?"  They speak of the way their community "was born in the light of the Gospel: 'I give you praise Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, you have revealed them to the childlike.'  Mt 11:25  Then they launch into wonderful stories of how the children in the neighborhood touch, and heal, and reveal the Truth to them and their parents...

Little Gus was blowing bubbles and talking during mass... he made many of us laugh with joy... but daddy tries to quiet him at the moment that heaven comes down to earth.  There were many comments about the reverence shown Jesus on the altar, and even the baby noises could only make it more special!  Little sisters speak of the wisdom and littleness of the children in their lives here in Kansas City..."Jose Manuel is a very small boy... at the table, sitting on two phone books and a cushion, his chin reaches just about the height of his plate!  Upset by violence, he sometimes wakes up his mother at night in order to have her pray with him the "Mysteries."  They pray, he goes back to sleep... the mother finishes their rosary.

  Today, he gave the little sisters quite a bit of help in their work, and now, he rests in the chapel, near Jesus, his friend.  We have given him a drawing to color: it represents Jesus welcoming the little children... He immediately grasps a large red pencil and starts covering almost entirely the drawing with this color.  And I hear him repeating non-stop "La sangre de Dios (The blood of God)... La Sangre de Dios..."  Apparently, he likes  this expression a lot; he repeats it over and over to himself with solemnity and delight.  "La Sangre de Dios"...  Then he grasps another pencil, a blue one!  He covers the rest of the sheet, except for a little strip that he starts coloring with all the colors!  Orange!  Green!  Purple!  Yellow!  And later on, he explains his drawing:

"You see, this red is la Sangre de Dios!  But now, look, the blue, it is the blood which falls upon the earth, it is water!  And in the ground, there are hidden little seeds!  And they are growing!  Flowers!  Of all colors!" 

Mary was drawn to the baby Jesus and wanted to reach out and touch Him... then to hold him in her arms.  What a special gift to cradle the Christ Child!  After just completing the letter sent out by the Little sisters in KC and how they see Jesus in the children  - the "little" of their neighborhood.  "The soil of the heart of the children in our neighborhood, there are, hidden away. little seeds of the Kingdom!  And we witness, wonderstruck, the mystery of this Presence in what is the weakest, poorest... the most "LITTLE"

Little like this child who is coming

to fill us with Light!"

Today the Gospel is a repeat of Sunday... as Fr Trinka said at mass - one of the most amazing readings that we need to hear over and over... being humble and taking the Word into our lives to direct and change us!  "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.  Be it done to me according to your word."  Luke 1: 26-38  We need to all make our hearts clean to invite Christ in to spend every waking minute and sleeping minute with us for that matter!  The story they shared of the little boy, who woke his mother to pray if her was afraid!  "Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God."  Mt 5:8  "St Augustine said that Mary conceived Christ in her heart by faith before she conceived him in her womb.  As we look toward the celebration of his birth, let us pray that he may come to dwell through faith in every heart purified by the search for God."  see http://www.magnificat.com/

Jesus, there is so much beauty and light and life in all those that are in our lives.  WE are so uplifted and blessed by our daughter, Hallel's, call to be your spouse.  The amazing Community of the Lamb to which she has been called are now our extended family!  We are forever changed and grateful for the humble ways that they live their lives and embrace the beauty of "littleness."  Come to us today - dwell within our hearts that have been swept clean by laying all our burdens at your feet in the confessional... may we leave behind all of the our selfish thoughts and desires and humbly turn to you - we are your handmaids - "be it done to me according to your Word."  May you dwell within us - Word/Jesus- may we take your Truth shared with us daily in your True Church as we listen to YOU !   As my dad, deacon Robert, reminded us at morning prayer on Sunday... "Even if you are not really in communion in the Church, but still call yourself a Catholic...don't stop going to mass... for at a Catholic mass you hear more of the Word of God - the scriptures - than you do anywhere else!  There is a reading from the OT or the Epistles, a psalm and a reading from the Gospel every day!"  My dad is a true testament to the taking of the Word as Jesus speaking to us and guiding us on this journey - Catholicjourney/amazing!  Jesus, we trust in you!  Amen and Halleluia!

Bless-bless, Barb

"On Sunday in Fall, we were going from door to door to ask for our daily bread.  A young couple welcomes us with great generosity.  A little girl appears, frail, very blond.  She is the oldest of their two daughters.  Her face lights up when she discovers us on the porch of their house, settled with a good sandwich prepared by her mother.  She immediately decides to stay with us, perches herself on a piece of furniture to look down upon us and declares with a beautiful smile:  'I love Jesus!'  And she goes on:  'At night, when I am afraid, I pray to GOD!'  And how can we tell you he magnificent emphasis on the Name, and the trust, immense!

We become acquainted with the family: the father goes and gets his Bibles.  Having shared bread, we share the prayer.  The little family has already suffered a lot:  they give to us a memory of an even more difficult time in their lives, a time of seperation and sadness - the father being in prison...  This trial could not kill love.  Here they are today, all together... The sun is shining, the two little girls play in front of the house, the 'big one' takes very good care of her cute little sister, they laugh and kiss a lot.

And we are blessed to live with them in this poverty and this love.

The little girl has come back, she confides to us: 'When I am grown up, I will be like you!'  And she repeats: "I love Jesus!"

Snuggled up to her father, her face lifted up to him and beaming, she adds:

'My Dad also loves.... GOD!"

from the Christmas letter from the little sisters of the Lamb in Kansas City 2011!  Wow!  Lord, help me to be "little"!

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=OExXItDyWEY&vq=medium.. a song inspired by a boy, who saw the line of children to see Santa and asked:  "Where's the line to see Jesus?"