"One Thing is Necessary"

"One thing is necessary: to be near Jesus. You know well that at the birth of our Lord the shepherds heard the angelic and divine chants of the heavenly spirits. The Scriptures say so. But they do not say that his Virgin Mother and St. Joseph, who were nearer to the Child, heard the voices of angels or saw those miracles of splendor. On the contrary, they heard the Child weeping and saw by the light of a poor lantern the eyes of the Divine Child all bathed in tears, in sighs and shivering with cold. Now I ask you: would you not have preferred to be in the dark stable filled with the cries of the little Child, than with the shepherds, beside yourself with joy over those sweet melodies from heaven and the beauties of this wonderful splendor!" St. Pio of Pietrelcina

This quote has often given me so much peace in times of suffering and trial. As much as I would love to hear the angels singing and see "those miracles or splendor," how much greater it would be to be at the side of the Christchild...to be like Mary, seeing His every affliction from birth to death, and joyfully loving through all their sufferings. As much as I would like to have my children here to hold and care for, I would rather be close to Christ, which means I must graciously accept all that God wills for my life, including their death. As much as I would love to hear my childrens' first cries, and warm them when they are cold, instead I must embrace the suffering Christ, just as Mary, our Mother, did and have great hope for the eternal joys of heaven.