Saint John Baptist de La Salle, founder of the De La Salle Christian Brothers, wrote these words over 300 years ago in his Meditation for the Vigil of the Nativity of Jesus Christ:
The Most Blessed Virgin, the Mother of Jesus, not finding anyone willing to offer her lodging in Bethlehem, was obliged to withdraw to a stable. While she was there, it happened that the time of her pregnancy was completed, and she brought forth her firstborn child into the world. This is why she found it necessary to lay Jesus Christ, her Son, in a manger for a bed.
Because we know that Jesus Christ is going to come into us today and we recognize him for what he is, let us prepare for him a dwelling place worthy of him. Let us dispose our hearts to receive him in such a way that he may be pleased to make his home there!
