From Archbishop E. Milingo: "Advent Jesus is born in us to remain in us"
My fellow married priests and Bishops.
Advent Jesus is born in us to remain in us.
Learning from a married woman: from ST. Elizabeth Ann Seton: 1774: new York.
The presence of God in us.
She was married for nine years when her husband died, leaving her with five children. What spiritually sustained her was the awareness of the presence of god in her.
Let us see how she puts it. “how happy should we be,” she says, “ if every morning our eyes were open to this truth- the invisible presence of God – if we saw by faith, within and without us the three persons of the adorable trinity with their divine attributes! What would be the dangers and events of his life to us in his presence to whom earth and hell are subjected?”
This is the simple truth. Jesus is born for us, and born to live in us. More than that he simplified his life by becoming our food and drink in the sacrament of the Eucharist. More than that we should be asking too much. A simple truth which we should easily extend, when we speak of the birth of Jesus, that is born in us any time we receive him in the blessed sacrament of the Eucharist.
One day, at the consecration, I said the consecration of the host with my full awareness of my personhood. As I raised the Eucharist, bringing it down, there cause a distraction. I went on to consecrate the wine. The usual bowing of my head at the pronouncing: ”this is the cup of my blood“ did not happen. Then I knew that the wine was not consecrated. So I began again.” When supper was ended he took the cup. Again he gave you thanks and praise, gave the cup to his disciples and said: take this all of you and drink from it…. Then followed the words of the consecration of the wine. The presence of Jesus filled the chalice, and bent my head for adoration of the wine. The presence of Jesus filled the chalice, and bent my head for adoration. I don’t remember why I was distracted at such a short distance of the two consecrations. What I don’t know is that I clarify my intensions in the mass. I speak to Jesus. This conversation between the two consecrations way on that day over prolonged. Of course I had to ask pardon, though I was still in prayer. I learnt a big lesson. It is good as one raised the Host and the chalice to share with Jesus intimate conversations. But to repent the words of Jesus at the conversation a priest should truly become “alter Christus,” another Christ in a human form. But I got no blame from Jesus for my short moment of distraction. Because I reacted immediately when I noticed that the wine was not consecrated, and I knew the reason why it was not consecrated, a prolonged dialogue with Jesus in the host, who was still waiting for his other part: “the consecrated wine into his blood.”
Coming back to our married woman Saint, Elizabeth Seton of New York, she is telling us how insensitive we are of God’s presence, particularly when we commit sin. “what most striking,” she says, “in this is that when we sin, we not only sin in the presence of god, but in god himself to offend and sin against him, turning the means of life: health, time, the powers of nature, and space to this horrid perversion and abuse against their almighty Giver.”
The psalmist confirms what St. Elizabeth has previously said.” God shaped us and moulded us in our mother’s womb.” Then the fact:” He cannot leave us alone not even for a second.” Then the saying: “that God is closer to you, than you are to yourself.”
The fish cannot separate itself from water though the fish is not water. So is our dependence on God, without him we are nobodies.
Merry Christmas and a prosperous happy New Year 2012
God Bless,
Yours Sincerely,
Archbishop E. Milingo