CHRISTMAS TONIGHT

CHRISTMAS TONIGHT

This meditation (guided prayer) was given on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the 12th of December in the year of the Lord 2020. A few days earlier, Pope Francis declared that the year of 2020 would be dedicated to Saint Joseph. Fr. Joe Babendreier reads a story titled “Christmas Tonight.” In this story, he tries to catch a glimpse of the mystery Saint John Paul II examined in the document Redemptoris Custos , Guardian of the Redeemer. That document was published on August 15th, 1985. It declares the Church's teaching on the marriage of Saint Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary, how they came to be husband and wife. And it also describes how Saint Joseph became a father to Jesus because of that marriage. The story Fr. Joe reads speaks of the night when Jesus was born. It contains a lengthy flashback where the Virgin Mary recalls the events that led to her marriage with St. Joseph and their journey to Bethlehem. The book is filled with color illustrations depicting the scenes described making it suitable for children as well as for people of all ages.