Harvesting The Fruits of Contemplation

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons ) "Christ's body on earth at Bethlehem was the same body which is now on earth in our tabernacles all over the world. The only difference is that now He is veiled beneath the species of bread and wine. The Blessed Sacrament is the continuation of Christmas; we cannot think of Christ's first personal visit two thousand years ago without instinctively thinking of His constant visit at every present moment. We owe the Blessed Sacrament to Bethlehem.  Each recurring Christmas Day should refresh in your mind the magnificent import of the bodily presence of God among us. As you receive Holy Communion on each occasion, the story of Bethlehem is being renewed and continued in your heart, for the cave was the first tabernacle and the manger was the first ciborium. You have the opportunity of 'wrapping the Child in swaddling clothes and laying Him in the manger' of your own heart every day if you wish.  In the Blessed Sacramen

(This image of Our Lady (used with permission) graces the entrance to the Abbey of the Genesee in Piffard, NY)