By Philip Kosloski —
While Christmas is principally focused on the birth of Jesus and the mystery of the Incarnation, it also brings up many beautiful connections to a sacrament that Jesus would later establish at the Last Supper. The sacrament of the Eucharist is often directly connected to the birth of Jesus, and the Mass compared to Christmas day.
Many saints saw these correlations clearly and expressed it in their writings. Below are five quotes from various holy men and women who teach us how to approach the Eucharist with a true “Christmas” spirit.
When we worship you in the form of bread … we always see you as an adult. But every year at Christmas, you reveal yourself to us as a child born in a crib. We stand in silent amazement … In silent adoration we stand before the mystery, like Mary when the shepherd came and told her what they had seen and heard: “She kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.” – Servant of God Chiara Lubich
Whoever really takes [the Eucharist] as his daily bread, experiences EACH DAY the mystery of Christmas, the Word made flesh. – St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
The Holy Eucharist is the continuation of Christ’s incarnation on earth. The mystery of the Eucharist gives us the joy of having Christmas every day. When we come to the Blessed Sacrament we come to Bethlehem, a name which means “house of bread.” Jesus chose to be born in Bethlehem because He would dwell with us forever as the “Living Bread” come down from heaven. When the shepherds and Magi came to adore Him, they brought Him so much joy with their humble visit to Bethlehem that their visit has been praised and retold down through the centuries. God has never stopped honoring them for honoring His Son in Bethlehem. So too, your humble visit to Jesus today in the Blessed Sacrament brings Him so much joy that it will be retold for all eternity and bring the world closer to His promise of peace on earth. – St. Teresa of Calcutta
What is the fact of the Eucharist? It is that the same Jesus Who was born on earth not only became man but remains man. He not only came into the world, He is in the world. In a word, He came to stay. The Eucharist is Christmas prolonged, because faith tells us that once God became man, He decided to remain man. From all the reaches of past eternity, God had only been God. But having once taken on human flesh, into now the future reaches of eternity, God will always remain man. And this God-Man is here; Bethlehem is wherever there is a Catholic Church or chapel in which Christ is present. These are the two facts that we commemorate on Christmas day. – Servant of God John Hardon
Bethlehem! The city where Jesus was born in fulfillment of the Scriptures, in Hebrew means “house of bread.” It was there that the Messiah was to be born, the One who would say of himself: “I am the bread of life” (Jn 6:35, 48). In Bethehem was born the One who, under the sign of broken bread, would leave us the memorial of his Pasch. On this Holy Night, adoration of the Child Jesus becomes Eucharistic adoration. We adore you, Lord, truly present in the Sacrament of the Altar, the living Bread which gives life to humanity. We acknowledge you as our one God, a little Child lying helpless in the manger! – St. John Paul II
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Philip Kosloski is a husband and father of five, and staff writer at Aleteia. He also writes for The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer).