Infant Jesus painted by St. Therese of Lisieux

The dream of the Child Jesus. Painting of 1894, retouched by Céline. The painting, offered in 1895 to the Visitation of Mans, is found today in the Visitation of Moulins.  It was offered to Mother Agnès along with a letter explaining it

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/257338566181128250/

LT 156 From Thérèse to Mother Agnes of Jesus.
January 21, 1894
J.M.J.T.
Thérèse comments her painting The Dream of the Child Jesus.

The Dream of the Child Jesus
While playing in His crib with the flowers His dear spouse brought Him, Jesus is thinking of what He will do to thank her.... Up above, in the celestial gardens, the angels, servants of the divine Child, are already weaving crowns His Heart has reserved for His beloved.
However, the night has come. The moon sends out its silvery rays, and the gentle Child falls asleep.... His little hand does not let go the flowers that delighted Him during the day, and His Heart con­tinues dreaming about the happiness of His dear spouse.
Soon, He sees in the distance strange objects bearing no resemblance to the springtime flowers. A cross!... a lance!, a crown of thorns! And yet the divine Child does not tremble; this is what He chooses to show His spouse how much He loves her!.. But it is still not enough; His infant face is so beautiful. He sees it disfigured, covered with blood! ...unrecognizable!.. .Jesus knows that His spouse will always recognize Him, that she will be at His side when all others abandon Him, so the divine Child smiles at this bloodstained image, He smiles at the chalice filled with the wine giving birth to virgins. He knows that, in His Eucharist, the ungrateful will desert Him; but Jesus is thinking of His spouse's love, her attention He sees the flowers of her virtues as they scent the sanctuary and the Child Jesus continues to sleep on peacefully.... He waits the shadows to lengthen .. .the night of life to give way to the bright day of eternity!...
Then Jesus will give back to His beloved spouse the flowers she had given Him, consoling Him on earth.... Than He will lower His divine Face to her, radiant with glory, and He will allow His spouse to taste eternally the ineffable sweetness of His divine kiss!!!...


Dear Mother,
You have just read the dream that your child wanted to reproduce for your feast day. But, alas! only your artistic brush could paint such a sweet mystery!... I trust you will look only upon the good will of her who would be happy to please you.
It is you, Mother, these virtues are yours that I wanted to repre­sent by the little flowers that Jesus is pressing to His Heart. The flowers are really for Jesus alone! yes, my dear Mother's virtues will always remain hidden with the little Child in the crib; however, in spite of the humility that would like to hide them, the mysterious perfume coming from these flowers gives me a presentiment already of the marvels that I shall see one day in the eternal homeland when I shall be allowed to contemplate the treasures of love that you are now giving to Jesus.

http://www.archives-carmel-lisieux.fr/english/carmel/index.php/lt-151-a-160/1017-lt-156-a-mere-agnes-de-jesus

My Mother, my confidence.

       
Our Lady of Good Success appeared to Spanish-born Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres at her Conceptionist Royal Convent in Quito, Ecuador. She requested that a statue be made in her likeness and warned of diminishing faith and vocations in the 20th century.

Jan 16, 1611

The sculptor chosen by Our Lady, Francisco del Castillo, leaves town to purchase the final paints for the statue. At 3:00 AM, Our Lady of Good Success appears with the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael along with St. Francis to complete the statue.
The archangels bowed down to Mary and sang a prayer:
"Hail to Thee, Mary Most Holy Daughter of God the Father” (St. Michael)
"Hail to Thee, Mary Most Holy Mother of God the Son” (St. Gabriel)
”Hail to Thee, Mary Most Holy, Most Pure Spouse of the Holy Ghost” (St. Raphael)
“Hail to Thee, Mary Most Holy Temple and Sacrarium of the Most Holy Trinity” (All three Archangels)
With this, the statue of Our Lady was completed. The statue became animated as Mary walked into the statue itself. Our Lady of Good Success began to sing the “Magnificat”. A choir of heavenly spirits began to sing “Salve Sancta Parens” which awakened the rest of the convent. The sisters rushed to the choir loft and found the statue transformed and surrounded by a heavenly light.

The Child Jesus of the Cross on Pichincha Mountain                                                       
                                

This is one of the many apparitions granted to Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres (1563-1635). Favored with many singular gifts from heaven, this Conceptionist sister in Quito, Ecuador

The vision of the Christ Child crucified on Mount Pichincha in 1628 reveals the origin of a popular Spanish devotion. Christ, who appears as a mere child or adolescent in the various holy cards depicting the scene, embraces the Cross in anticipation of His future sacrifice and asks mankind this poignant question: “How can I do more to show My love for you?”

"Our Blessed Lady has deigned to grant me that everyone who gazes upon this picture with faith will receive true contrition for their sins, together with true sorrow and repentance, and will obtain from her Divine Son a full pardon for all his sins. Moreover, with a true Mother’s love, Our Lady has been pleased to assure me that to everyone who looks upon this, her picture, intently, she will grant a particular devotion to herself.’"
This was written by the venerable Sister Clara Isabella Fornari, to whom is usually attributed the origin of the devotion to the picture called today, ‘Our Lady of Confidence.’

Mater mea, fiducia mea - My Mother, my confidence.
With this small prayer, says a pamphlet published by the Lateran Seminary, Mary asks for nothing but offers everything.

Adoration - A Painting by Nellie Edwards

Two Books

by: Sister Emmanuel
Throughout time, man has been in quest of security, of peace, and of happiness; however, rare are those who divine that their quest is in reality a quest for God. In her new book, The Hidden Child of Medjugorje, Sister Emmanuel brings a precious contribution to the understanding of this aspiration. As the pages are turned, this book reveals itself to be a guide. It enables us to reach an end which is none other than the Hidden Child, the Child Jesus. In the apparitions of Medjugorje, this Divine Child hides Himself so well in His Mother that at first sight, one pays Him no attention. But whoever finds the Mother, finds the Son. Thus will it be for all who read this book.
http://spiritdaily.com/books.htm#Shrine Good Help

 This translation by Bishop Challoner, who revised the Douay-Rheims Bible in the 1740�s, is the most beautiful and edifying available. The Imitation of Christ speaks to the soul of every Christian, reminding him of the brevity of earthly joy compared to the eternity of happiness with God. This spiritual classic belongs to every Christian library.

'Who are we before the child Jesus?' Pope reflects in Bethlehem

The Holy Father celebrated the Eucharist in Bethlehem’s Manger Square, at the confluence of Milk Grotto Street (the site of a shrine situated in a grotto carved out of white tuff rock, where according to tradition Mary fed the baby Jesus) and Paul VI Street, named to commemorate Pope Montini’s visit on 6 January 1964.http://www.netnewsledger.com/2014/05/25/pope-francis-visits-manger-square/ -
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/who-are-we-before-the-child-jesus-pope-reflects-in-bethlehem/

Bethlehem, West Bank, May 25, 2014 / 04:04 am (CNA).- In his homily delivered in Bethlehem this morning, Pope Francis meditated on the role of the Christ child in the life of every person.

“The child Jesus, born in Bethlehem, every child who is born and grows up in every part of our world, is a diagnostic sign indicating the state of health of our families, our communities, our nation,” the Pope preached on May 25 in Manger Square in Bethlehem.

“And we have to ask ourselves: who are we, as we stand before the child Jesus? Who are we, standing as we stand before today’s children?”

Celebrating mass on the site of Jesus’ birth, Pope Francis delivered strong words in condemnation of every kind of violence and exploitation against children, including trafficking, slavery, and abortion.

Pope Francis was joined at mass by leaders of the Syro-Catholic, Coptic Catholic & Maronite Catholic Churches, as well as nearly 250 priests and 48 bishops.

In an Ignatian-style meditation, the Holy Father considered the different figures present in the nativity, and their response to the Christ child.

“Are we like Mary and Joseph, who welcomed Jesus and care for him with the love of a father and mother? Or are we like Herod, who wanted to eliminate him?” he queried the crowds gathered at the historic site.

The Pope went on to lament that “all too many children continue to be exploited, maltreated, enslaved, prey to violence and illicit trafficking.”

“Are we indifferent?” he asked. “Are we perhaps people who use fine and pious words, yet exploit pictures of poor children in order to make money?”

Just like the child Jesus in Bethlehem, every child “is vulnerable,” emphasized the Pontiff. “He needs to be accepted and protected. Today too, children need to be welcomed and defended, from the moment of their conception.”

Children are “a sign of hope, a sign of life,” he explained, but also “a ‘diagnostic’ sign, a marker indicating the health of families, society, and the entire world.”

Societies and families are more healthy “wherever children are accepted, loved, cared for and protected.”

Pope Francis mourned the numbers of children who are “hungry and suffering from easily curable diseases, who cry out in vain” in a world “which daily discards tons of food and medicine.”

He also repeated his frequent condemnation of the arms trade.

“In an age which insists on the protection of minors, there is a flourishing trade in weapons which end up in the hands of child-soldiers, there is a ready market for goods produced by the slave labor of small children. Their cry is stifled: they must fight, they must work, they cannot cry!”

These children deserve the world’s attention, he stressed.

“Are we ready to listen to them, to care for them, to pray for them and with them? Or do we ignore them because we are too caught up in our own affairs?”

The Pope closed his homily by reflecting on Mary’s response to Jesus as an example for all - a theme that he continued after mass in his Angelus remarks, also delivered in Manger Square.

“As we prepare to conclude our celebration, our thoughts turn to Mary Most Holy, who here, in Bethlehem, gave birth to Jesus her son. Our Lady is the one who, more than any other person, contemplated God in the human face of Jesus.”

He entrusted the Holy Land, its residents, and pilgrims, to Mary, asking for her intercession in watching over “our families, our young people and our elderly.”

“Watch over the Church’s pastors and the entire community of believers,” prayed the Holy Father.

Pope Francis then once again encouraged the leaders of the Middle East to work together for peace, offering a very concrete invitation to the leadership of Palestine and Israel.

“In this, the birthplace of the Prince of Peace, I wish to invite you, President Mahmoud Abbas, together with President Shimon Peres, to join me in heartfelt prayer to God for the gift of peace. I offer my home in the Vatican as a place for this encounter of prayer.”

He concluded, “building peace is difficult, but living without peace is a constant torment. The men and women of these lands, and of the entire world, all of them, ask us to bring before God their fervent hopes for peace.”

Michael Card - "Now that I've held Him in my arms" (+playlist)

Simeon's Moment, the moment of Revelation

'Simeon's Moment' by Ron DiCianni
http://www.christcenteredmall.com/stores/art/dicianni/simeons-moment.htm

Nunc Dimittis, also called the Song of Simeon, in the New Testament, a brief hymn of praise sung by the aged Simeon, who had been promised by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. Simeon was at the Temple in Jerusalem when Mary and Joseph came to present the infant Jesus for the rite of purification according to Jewish law and custom. Simeon recognized the baby as the promised Saviour, took him in his arms, and raised his hymn of praise. Found in Luke 2:29–32, it is called the Nunc Dimittis for its first words in the Latin of the Vulgate Bible: Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine, secundum verbum tuum, in pace, “Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace, just as you promised.” Because of its implications of fulfillment, peace, and rest, the early church viewed it as appropriate for the ending of the day. Since the 4th century it has been used in such evening worship services as Compline, Vespers, and Evensong.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/422490/Nunc-Dimittis

http://jesus.christ.org/166/witness-birth-of-jesus-christ

Here is an excerpt from St.Teresa of Avila' s Interior Castle Chapter 31. She speaks about how the old Prophet Simeon got the intuitive Knowledge about the Kingdom of God present in our midst, the moment he saw the Child Jesus.

This is a supernatural state, and, however hard we try, we cannot reach it for ourselves; for it is a state in which the soul enters into peace, or rather in which the Lord gives it peace through His presence, as He did to that just man Simeon. In this state all the faculties are stilled. The soul, in a way which has nothing to do with the outward senses, realizes that it is now very close to its God, and that, if it were but a little closer, it would become one with Him through union. This is not because it sees Him either with its bodily or with its spiritual eyes. The just man Simeon saw no more than the glorious Infant -- a poor little Child, Who, to judge from the swaddling-clothes in which He was wrapped and from the small number of the people whom He had as a retinue to take Him up to the Temple, might well have been the son of these poor people rather than the Son of his Heavenly Father. But the Child Himself revealed to him Who He was. Just so, though less clearly, does the soul know Who He is. It cannot understand how it knows Him, yet it sees that it is in the Kingdom (or at least is near to the King Who will give it the Kingdom), and it feels such reverence that it dares to ask nothing. It is, as it were, in a swoon, both inwardly and outwardly, so that the outward man (let me call it the "body", and then you will understand me better) does not wish to move, but rests, like one who has almost reached the end of his journey, so that it may the better start again upon its way, with redoubled strength for its task.

Saints and Infant Jesus

  

Quite a number of Saints have actually held the Infant Jesus in their arms during their visions- It is a heavenly grace which  brought them an  inconceivable joy! 
Here is a cute picture of St.Joseph and the crying Infant Jesus
                                                             http://www.pinterest.com/pin/140878294567750725/
St. Francis of Assisi

(1182–1226)

http://www.barnhardt.biz/2014/04/11/starting-friday-off-right-can-i-hold-your-baby-edition/

Saint Francis lived in almost constant communion with Christ. In 1219 Francis traveled to the Holy Land where he had his first vision of the infant Jesus. With four brother monks, he went to the crib in Bethlehem and spent Christmas night in the grotto where Christ was born. In a deep state of ecstasy, Francis relived the birth of Christ. A few years later on Christmas Eve, in the small town of Greccio, Italy, Francis built a replica of this manger scene, creating the first crèche scene in history. He then experienced a second vision in which he held the infant Jesus in his arms.

St. Anthony of Padua
1195–1231http://www.communityofhopeinc.org/Prayer%20Pages/Saints/Saint%20Anthony%20of%20Padua.html
Anthony secluded at a hermitage outside of Padua and arranged for a monk’s cell to be built high up in the branches of a walnut tree. There he spent his days in contemplation and prayer, returning to the hermitage in the evening. One night a follower approached Anthony’s hermitage room and, attracted by a bright light, through the window saw Anthony in ecstasy embracing the infant Jesus.

Here are a few women Saints who have held the Little Jesus :
St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582, Mystic & Stigmatic)

      http://thewindowshowsitall.blogspot.in/2008_10_01_archive.html

                                                          http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2012/12/child-jesus-cras-1of2.html

St. Teresa of Jesus (Teresa of Avila) often meditated upon the great humility of Jesus in His Incarnation, and she always traveled with her statue of the Infant Jesus when she was establishing new convents. She is believed to be responsible for an increased devotion to the Child Jesus in Spain during and after her holy lifetime.
Her devotion to the Infant Jesus was established after a very edifying incident. One day Teresa of Avila was coming down the steps of her convent when she saw a beautiful young boy. The Child spoke to her and said: "Who are you?"
So Teresa answered: "I am Teresa of Jesus and who are you?"
The Child answered with a play of words: "I am Jesus of Teresa!" and then He disappeared. But He would appear to her many, many times afterwards, but mostly as the suffering Jesus (in His adult manhood) to encourage her to sacrifice and suffer in union with Him on the Cross for the conversion of sinners.- 
See more at: http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2013/12/visions-of-child-jesus-in-lives-of.html#sthash.E1ACfAeC.dpuf

 

St.Rose of Lima. Child Jesus taught her to read and write and helped her perform many miracles through Him.

Marie Rose Ferron, better known as Little Rose,
               http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2013/12/visions-of-child-jesus-in-lives-of.html

At around age 5 Our Lord appeared to her in a vision for the first time. Later when asked about this vision Rose said, "I saw the Child Jesus carrying a cross and He looked at me with grief in His eyes."

From that time on Jesus visited Rose and spoke to her and she spoke to Him. - See more at: http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2011/12/marie-rose-ferron-photo-documentary.html#sthash.wgjFgIFn.dpuf


St. Catherine of Bologna, the Patron Saint of Artists.

1413–1463

As a young nun, Catherine de’ Vigri was beset by many visions, some of divine origin while others, induced by doubts, were very disconcerting. Ultimately, Catherine had a divine vision that revealed to her the deepest teachings of Christ and her doubts vanished forever.
One Christmas Eve, after praying for many hours, the Blessed Mary appeared to Catherine, holding the baby Jesus. Referring to herself in the third person, Catherine wrote: “This kind mother came to her and gave her Son to her… Trembling with respect, but still more overcome with joy, she took the liberty of caressing Him, of pressing Him against her heart and bringing His face to her lips… He disappeared, leaving her filled with joy.”
       

 St. Agnes of Montepulciano
1268–1317
St. Agnes’ life was one of quiet cloistered service to her fellow nuns whom she served both as an abbess and founder of convents. Her deep dedication and devotion found expression in deep prayer and inner communion. Agnes was often seen in ecstasy, levitating above the ground, and receiving Holy Communion from an angel. In other visions, she was allowed to hold the infant Jesus.

St. Therese of Lisieux
1873–1897
At a young age, St. Therese of Lisieux said that she didn’t want to be a “saint by halves.” She desired with her whole being to be taken up by God’s love and God’s work. On Christmas Eve, when she was 14 years old, Therese had a vision of the baby Jesus and “the darkness of her soul was filled with floods of light.” She felt that Christ had given her the inner strength that enabled her to “choose all” for God.

Thérèse refers to this Christmas eve experience as “my conversion.” She says, “On that blessed night the sweet infant Jesus, scarcely an hour old, filled the darkness of my soul with floods of light. By becoming weak and little, for love of me, He made me strong and brave: He put His own weapons into my hands so that I went on from strength to strength, beginning, if I may say so, ‘to run as a giant.’”

St Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938, Mystic) 
 
In her diary, St Faustina wrote on February 2, 1936, “…when Mass began, a strange silence and joy filled my heart. Just then I saw Our Lady with the Infant Jesus… The most holy Mother said to me, ‘Take my Dearest Treasure,’ and she handed me the Infant Jesus. When I took the Infant Jesus in my arms, the Mother of God and Saint Joseph disappeared. I was left alone with the Infant Jesus” (Diary, 608)


"...I suddenly saw the Infant Jesus standing by my kneeler and holding on to it with His two little hands. Although He was but a little Child, my soul was filled with awe and fear, for I see in Him my Judge, my Lord, and my Creator, before whose holiness the Angels tremble. At the same time, my soul was flooded with such unspeakable love that I thought I would die under its influence (Diary, 566).


".. I saw the Infant Jesus near my kneeler. He appeared to be about one year old, and He asked me to take Him in my arms. When I did take Him in my arms, He cuddled up close to my bosom and said, "It is good for Me to be close to your heart. ... Because I want to teach you spiritual childhood. I want you to be very little, because when you are little, I carry you close to My Heart, just as you are holding Me close to your heart right now" (Diary, 1481).

- See more at: http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2013/12/visions-of-child-jesus-in-lives-of.html#sthash.zqbdGCS7.dpuf

Fortitude - the "Staying Power"

                                      http://www.peterheck.com/libtree/liberty_tree/view/2120/the_crucifixion_of_jesus
Staying Power
I never knew there is an English phrase " staying power"!! It means fortitude, endurance, resilience, grit etc. etc. 
 I was reading about the desert fathers when I stumbled upon this phrase, and it struck a chord! 

And so the desert fathers began to speak of fortitude. Staying power. Fortitude was the willingness to just stay where God had put them until their goal of holiness was reached. Fortitude was the willingness to continue on the same path until the end was reached.  http://www.fumcwharton.org/sermons/2014/4/10/desert-fathers-fortitude.html

                 http://www.thekingspress.com/about.cfm
 In the Christian classic, Come Away My Beloved,  Frances J Roberts gives us an idea about what it means to have this staying power, this fortitude. The words seem to be coming from the Heavenly Father. It is just beautiful:

Through a multitude of tests, you will learn courage. It does not matter the price you pay, but at any cost you must obtain strength of character and the fortitude to endure. I would build your resources until you are able to carry unusully heavy loads and withstand intense pressures.
You will become an ambassador of the Kingdom of Heaven to whom I can assign critical missions, confident that you are equipped to fulfill them.
It will be in vain if you anticipate resting in a comfortable place. Zion is already filled with those who are at ease. No, you will find yourself put in a place of training and discipline, so that when the moments of crisis come you will not become fainthearted, and you will not be the victim of unwonted fear.
Trust My instruction in all of this, as you have in various past experiences. I am faithful and loving, and I am doing this so that you may meet the future days and not be found wanting.