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Saturday, December 25, 2010

Bethlehem -the House of Bread-

Midnight Mass offered for our families, friends
and those who oppose us.

In a letter that I have often needed to quote
Blessed Charles de Foucauld excused himself to his niece by saying:
"The silence of the cloister
is not the silence of forgetfulness".

This year has not been a year for Christmas cards
please excuse us.
Our silence
has not been a silence of forgetfulness.

Last night's Midnight Mass was especially offered
for our families, friends and all
who have been in contact with us over the last year.

In the joy of this Holy Night and Holy Day
of
Christmas
we have offered the Midnight Mass for you
asking the Holy Virgin's Infant to bless you from our altar
where He was born for us all.
What can Christmas be without Christ in our hearts?
Where else does He come in His own Flesh and Blood except in the Mass?
O wonderful feast of Christ's-Mass!

In the darkness of this Christmas night His light dawned for us;
A Light the darkness cannot overpower;
He shines in the stable of Bethlehem.

Every Catholic church is Bethlehem,
(for Bethlehem means the House of Bread)
where, under the form of Bread,
in ever Mass,
Jesus Christ is born on our altars
and day and night dwells amongst us in the tabernacle.


Christ, by highest Heaven adored,
Christ the everlasting Lord.
Late in time behold Him come,
Offspring of a Virgin's womb!
Veiled as Bread the Godhead see,
Hail the Incarnate Deity!

Pleased as Bread with man to dwell,
Jesus our Emmanuel.
Hark ! the herald Angels sing
Glory to the the new born King.

We wish you a Blessed and Merry feast of Christmas!

7 comments:

Inkstain said...

Merry Christmas, dear Brothers and Fathers! I thought of you during the Midnight Mass here, especially when seeing Baby Jesus atop the Tabernacle.

Merry Christmas also to all the other readers of this blog!

Michelle Therese said...

Merry Blessed Christmas!!

St. Jude Pray For Me said...

Dear Rev. Fr. Michael Mary, F.SS.R.

Thank you for your Christmas Statement, the reflection of Papa Stronsay's lighthouse
has lit up our hearts by Your Silence, Your Prayers and Your Blessing.

Again, thank you for this journal which allow us to stay unite.

With Gratitude
A.B.

Anonymous said...

Thank you. and a Blessed Christmas to you. kevin Hannis

Cheryl said...

May Our Loving Lord and His Sweet Mother always be a comfort to the holy priests and brothers of papa stronsay! You are all in my thoughts and prayers!

Richard said...

Happy Christmas & New Year to you all and all your readers.


Father, I would be interested in your thoughts on Assisi II. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12103186]

God bless,
Richard

Cordelia at Catholic Phoenix said...

Thank you for this post and the picture. I have it as my title picture and inspiration for my most recent post on Catholic Phoenix( http://catholicphoenix.com/ ). Here's the link to the post: http://catholicphoenix.com/2011/01/14/the-ox-knows-his-owner-and-the-ass-his-master%e2%80%99s-crib-isaiah-13-part-ii-salvific-paradoxes-the-bread-of-bethlehem-whose-yoke-is-sweet-and-whose-burden-is-light/
I hope you had a beautiful Christmastide and Epiphany! If you don't mind, I plan on writing about monastic life with your site and pictures as well other monastic communities. Please pray for us here in Phoenix, Arizona as my family now has you all in our prayers.


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