"Christ is at the door."

I just wept at this beautiful story in the Magnificat this morning called "When I was hungry.." by Servant of God Catherine de Hueck Doherty addressing the Gospel for today from Matthew 25:

"When I was growing up in Russia, my father was a diplomat.   One time he and my mother gave a big,fancy tea party at our home for several hundred ambassadors and dignitaries.  We were in the middle of having a formal tea,with everyone using nice china and so forth.  I was about nine years old and carrying little cakes and being polite.  Suddenly, the butler opened the door and announced to my father, 'Christ is at the door.'  Well, the French ambassador's wife dropped her expensive tea cup on the rug.  She was not used to such interrruptions!

Father excused himself, mother excused herself and off they went.   And whom did they welcome?  A hobo who had come to the door begging. 

And what did they do?  My mother and father served him themselves, even though we had fourteen servants in the house.  My mother laid out the best linen, the most expensive silver and the best china and so forth, and she served a hobo.  My father did likewise.  I saw all of this and I wanted to serve the hobo too, but Mother said, 'Oh no.  You were not obedient this week; you cannot serve Christ unless you are obedient."  So in my little mind, to serve the poor was a great honor and a great joy.

Now that's Christianity.  You don't have to have catechism lessons when you see that sort of thing.  That was how my parents treated the poor, so that was what my brother and I learned from growing up in that kind of a household, thanks be to God.

Of course, I was like any other kid too.  I would say, 'Well, do we live in a monastery or something like that?'  My parents would say, 'No.  We live in a family, of which Christ is the head.'  So, in the end,it all seemed quite natural to me to serve the poor.  Christ was in the poor and we must serve HIM." 

So beautiful to watch little 6 year old follow the lead of the Community of Lamb at the mass - the incense are raised to Christ as our prayers are rising to HIM.  The Community of the Lamb must be mentioned here as they represent Christ knocking on the door of the Poor!  They take the Word/Gospel with them, and go begging for their food at the door of the poor!  Today's Gospel spells out what we are all asked to do when Christ knocks..."Come, you who are blessed by my Father.  Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, in prison and you visited me."  Matthew 25  The stories Hallel and the Community are most powerful especially in the LIGHT of this His glorious Word... there is one where a hardened gang member finally gave the little sisters at her door a drink of water.  I think you can see why Little Sister Alma praised Him, and beamed ear to ear in this gesture!  In Hallel's latest letter - she was saddened when they discovered on their mission that all those they spoke to and prayed with shared that they had left The Church, and were unbelieving.  Dear Lord, may the words and prayers shared by the Community as well as the prayers prayed each day at mass and Adoration bring LIGHT into their dark world.

Hallel's life is centered on Christ, her Spouse! 

Jesus, so many beautiful lessons to us!  What a different world this would be... if only we could truly LOVE and serve you, without counting the cost, in the poor in our midst!  May we start in our domestic Church/family seeing YOU in those that we have surrounding us!  May we take YOU with us as we go forth this day... giving no thought to our selfish needs and desires, rather considering those of all that are around us.  We are weak and that is how we need to be to turn to YOU.  We embrace our weakness and ask for the humility to be yours alone.  The motto to live by in the Community of the Lamb - "Wounded, I will not cease to LOVE."  So much what the Cross teaches us in our journey - Through death to self we find LIFE and LOVE and become LIGHTS to the world!  Jesus, may we embrace our Most Cherished Cross and follow after YOU.  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen and Halleluia

Bless-bless, Barb

Mary learning to set up for mass from Hallel... reverencing the beauty and Truth of the Eucharistic Jesus

"You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the greatest and the first commandment.  The second is like it:  You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  The whole law and the prophets depend on these  two commandments."  Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:36-40

Come to Jesus - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PANiveIKVX0  Little Rose Ida... Jesus is where you will find your happiness! 

"We cannot keep to ourselves the words of eternal life given to us in our encounter with Jesus Christ: they are meant for everyone, for every man and woman. ... It is our responsibility to pass on what, by God's grace, we ourselves have received."

- Pope Benedict XVI, Verbum Domini, 2010



October 2009 Prayer Intention--Mission: "That the entire People of God, to whom Christ entrusted the mandate to go and preach the Gospel to every creature, may eagerly assume their own missionary responsibility and consider it the highest service they can offer humanity."

- Pope Benedict XVI, October 2009 prayer intentions.