Jesus, Mercy Incarnate

the same Jesus who was in the manger of Bethlehem is not only in our arms, but in our breasts. He was born for this pur- pose, to give himself entirely to us:Achild is born to us, a son is given to us. At Christmastime, when we are seeking to draw nearer to the merciful Christ Child, we can do so, as always, by medi- tating on the gospel lessons, and on the Christmas hymns, and in our minds and hearts, in our meditations and inspired imaginations, we will indeed be nearer to Him, and will be refreshed by His grace. But as we have seen, St. Faustina, St. Alphonsus, and St. Francis all teach us that the Child Jesus can not only be present for us “in our mind’s eye,” so to speak, in our meditations; He is also present for us in a more wonder- ful, more objective, and even miraculous manner in His Blessed Sacrament. He is present, in fact, in this uniquely immediate and intimate way in every tabernacle in every Catholic Church throughout the world, available to us night and day. If we want to draw near to the Christ Child at Christmastime or any time, therefore, and come and adore Him, and even hold Him in our arms and cradle Him in our hearts, then we need journey no further than this: the Holy Child, the Babe in the manger, is present for us in every Eucharist, and there for us in every time of Eucharistic Adoration; He is the Child whose love for us is eternally now. 34 Jesus, Mercy Incarnate