Jesus Christ came to save sinners, and that by the shedding of His Precious Blood. It may be difficult to remember this each year at Christmas time, since the Christ Child is so small and tender, but it is the truth. The same Child in the manger scene will one day die a painful, bloody death upon the Cross, and in both places, at both extremes of His life, He is working out our salvation by His redeeming Presence.

Today’s prayer—the familiar Angelus prayer—speaks to this reality. In just a few short lines we have summed up the whole of Christ’s earthly pilgrimage, from the Annunciation to the Resurrection with glory always in the midst. This reminds us that the mission of the Son of God, from His Incarnation to His Paschal Mystery, was singular: the salvation of the human race and the reconciliation of mankind to God, all for the glory of His Father.

The famous words of Venerable Fulton Sheen (may he soon be beatified!) come to mind here.

[E]very other person who ever came into this world came into it to live. He came into it to die. Death was a stumbling block to Socrates – it interrupted his teaching. But to Christ, death was the goal and fulfillment of His life, the gold that He was seeking. Few of His words or actions are intelligible without reference to His Cross.

He presented Himself as a Savior rather than merely as a Teacher. It meant nothing to teach men to be good unless He also gave them the power to be good, after rescuing them from the frustration of guilt.

The story of every human life begins with birth and ends with death. In the Person of Christ, however, it was His death that was first and His life that was last. The scripture describes Him as “the Lamb slain as it were, from the beginning of the world.” He was slain in intention by the first sin and rebellion against God.

It was not so much that His birth cast a shadow on His life and thus led to His death; it was rather that the Cross was first, and cast its shadow back to His birth. His has been the only life in the world that was ever lived backward. As the flower in the crannied wall tells the poet of nature, and as the atom is the miniature of the solar system, so too, His birth tells the mystery of the gibbet. He went from the known to the known, from the reason of His coming manifested by His name “Jesus” or “Savior” to the fulfillment of His coming, namely, His death on the Cross.  (Life of Christ, 18-20).

From the moment of the Annunciation and its manifestation in the Nativity, we begin to move to the Cross of Good Friday. All the while, Jesus will be saving us. Let us prepare with Him, not only for His Birth, but for His glorious Death and Resurrection, made present daily on our altars, that we might be born, die, and live with Him forever. Jesus, soon to be born, Savior of the world: save us!

Reflection Questions

• Do I reflect upon the unity of Christ’s mission, and its purpose to glorify God and save souls? Do I seek to do the same in all the endeavors of my life?
• Do I recognize that Christ is already saving us in the Annunciation and Nativity?
• Is Christmas the beginning of my preparation for Easter? Are the two united in my heart and mind, as they were in Christ’s?

The Cristeros Rule of Life

As Cristeros, we dedicate ourselves to a a life of true devotion to Jesus through Mary, particularly in the form of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pray for Us.

We begin our days with a Morning Offering dedicating our day:

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the remission of my sins, for the intentions of my family and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.

At a high or low point during the day, we pray to the Holy Spirit, handing over our accomplishments or sufferings:

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle in us the fire of thy love, send forth thy spirit and we shall be created, and though shall renew the face of the earth. Amen.

At some point each day, on our own or with our family or friends, we pray to our Mother Mary in the form of Guadalupe, giving all that we have and are to Jesus through Mary by reciting one of the following:

• A daily Rosary, focusing on the Fruits of the Mystery.
• The Hail Holy Queen

Every night before we go to sleep, by ourselves or with our wife, we pray a nightly examine using the ACTS formula:

• Adoration: We adore you and Christ and we bless You, because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
• Contrition: Ask God for forgiveness for all the times you have sinned or fallen short that day,
• Thanksgiving: Thank God for all the gifts he has given you that day, including the grace for those moments you have acted virtuously and towards the Good.
• Supplication: We ask God for his blessings that night and the next day, either with particular requests or in general, and end with a prayer dedicating ourselves to Him through Our Lady of Guadalupe: All that we have and all that we are, we give to your hands Jesus, through the heart of Mary, your blessed mother. Amen. Our Lady of Gudalupe, Pray For us.