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The Redemption was decided in the eternal silence of the divine life and in the hiddenness of the tranquil dwelling of Nazareth; the power of the Holy Spirit overshadowed the Virgin while she was praying alone, and it brought about the Incarnation of the Redeemer.

In order to allow an entire human existence to be pervaded with divine life, it is not enough to kneel down once a year in front of the manger and allow oneself to be taken in by the spell of the Holy Night. One must be actively engaged with God one's entire life long, listen to the word which He spoke, which have been handed down to us, and then comply with these words. Above all, one must pray as the Savior himself has taught...

Our knowledge is piecemeal. When our will and action build on it alone, they cannot achieve a perfect structure. Nor can that knowledge, because it does not have complete power over the self and often collapses before reaching the goal. And so this inner shaping power that is in bondage strains toward a light that will guide more surely, and a power that will free it and give it space. This is the light and the power of divine grace.

Be careful never to waste an occasion for mortification by complaining.

"To watch in prayer"- this is to say the same thing that Elijah said with the words, "to stand before the face of God." Prayer is looking up into the face of the Eternal. We can do this only when the spirit is awake in its inmost depths, freed from all earthly occupations and pleasures that benumb it. Being awake in body does not guarantee this consciousness, nor does rest required by nature interfere.

To obtain the granting of requests that we have at heart, there is no better means than that of directing the energy of our prayer to asking for what is most pleasing to God.

The Savior hangs naked and destitute before you on the cross because he has chosen poverty...Gratefully receive what God's providence sends you. Joyfully do without what He may let you to do without.

Even the poorest and the one most bowed down under the weight of sins can stand before the Lord and pray for someone else. First, because the Lord is not only just but merciful. And second, because there can be nothing more pleasing to God than a sincere prayer.

We can assume that the prospect of the faithful who would follow Him on His way of the cross strengthened the Savior during His night on the Mount of Olives. And the strength of these cross-bearers helps Him after each of His falls.

It is easier to have oneself nailed to the cross with Christ, than to become a stammering babe with Him.

The divine life which is enkindled in the soul is the Light that came into the darkness-the mystery of the Holy Night. The one who bears it within himself understands its meaning...God is in us and we in Him; that is our portion of the kingdom of God, established by the Incarnation.

The title of Mary as our mother is not merely symbolic. Mary is our mother in the most real and lofty sense, a sense which surpasses that of earthly maternity. She begot our life of grace for us because she offered up her entire being, body and soul, as the Mother of God. That is why an intimate bond exists between Mary and ourselves.