Heaven is Sweet – Heaven is Near – Heaven is Mine

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Some of the members of our Congregation had the privilege of knowing Sr Judith  Meisner, an elderly Norwegian Sister of St Joseph, who lived out the final years of her life in the Zaitzkofen seminary in Bavaria. She often told the story of an event that had made a profound impression on her as young nun. Sister, who had received the gift of the Faith as schoolgirl with her future Congregation, while a novice and not yet 20 years of age, recalled that a Redemptorist Missioner had come to their convent. The priest preached a profound retreat which affected all, and on one of the days he gave a conference which ended with the words – and Sister would say them very slowly and solemnly – “Heaven is Sweet, Heaven is Near, Heaven is Mine”. “Heaven is Sweet, Heaven is…” she would repeat a few times making sure you understood the import of those words. 
Like the ending of every retreat conference the nuns went their way to their cells for the night, moved at what  the priest had said, but thinking no more about it than that. Early the next morning after the usual common prayers they were awaiting the appearance of the Missioner in the Convent Church to celebrate the Holy Mass when a nun burst into the choir and quite excitedly told them that
 Father had died in his sleep during the night… “Heaven is Sweet, Heaven is Near, Heaven is Mine,” Sister would repeat again solemnly… “those were his last words!” 
For us who remain in this Valley of Shadows, perhaps those words are no more appropriate than
 in this time of Advent. For now Salvation at Hand, 
now amidst the Winter Darkness we await that Heaven on Earth Who is Sweet, and Near, and Who can be Mine if only I will open my heart to Him,if perhaps I make that good and holy confession that I need to make,if I forgive that soul who is most in need of my mercy,if I give up that person, that place, that object, that amusementwhich is causing my darkness and unhappiness through sin. On Christmas Night Heaven will bow down to Earth and let drop the Sweet Dew of Our God and Saviour, Our Little Lord Jesus Christ.Would it not be so SWEET if then He would be NEAR,
 if He would be MINE?

It is not certain that the “Way of Bethlehem” was written by Our Holy Father St Alphonsus; but tradition has always ascribed it to him, and in our most small
 Congregation of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer the devotion has always held a special place of honour. 
This year in order to help our Friends know
 and love these beautiful prayers we have arranged the 12 stations as little images for the 12 days preceding Christmas. Each image shows a “Bambino” or “Niño” which in some way expresses the mystery
 described in the station. Some of them bear very lovely names “Infant of Great-Sorrow”, “Infant Nazarene”, “Infant of the Four-Winds” etc.
Most of all we hope that they remind you each day thatHeaven is SweetHeaven in NearAnd … may Jesus Bambino be your Heaven this coming Christmas.
Veni Domine et noli tardare!Come O Lord, and tarry not!