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THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT ~ PREPARATION FOR THE COMING OF CHRIST

(Read Luke iii, 1-6.)

CONSIDER FIRSTLY that St. John, as the precursor of Christ, makes clear the way for you and teaches you how to prepare well for the birth of our Lord. Prepare ye the way of the Lord. This preparation may be reduced to three things, namely, penance, humility and a pure intention. And first of all as to penance: Preaching the baptism of penance. (Mark i, 4.)

APPLICATION: It is in vain for you to hope that Jesus will come an d be born spiritually in your heart, if you do not remove from it all obstacles of sin and of faults. By such exercises of interior and exterior penance you will suitably dispose your heart for the birth of Christ. This penance must not only be interior and consist in true sorrow for all the sins you have committed, and for the ingratitude you have hitherto shown towards the divine goodness. It must also be exterior by the mortification of your senses, and especially of those you have most failed to guard.

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: My tears have been my bread day and night (Ps. xli, 5-6)

CONSIDER SECONDLY that you must join humility to penance: Every mountain and every hill shall be made low. (Isa. xl, 4) You will never be able by penance alone perfectly to cleanse your heart so as to make it worthy of receiving the Holy Infant. It is humility alone that can supply for all.

APPLICATION: Acknowledge then your lack of all good. Confess your unworthiness, and beg of Him that as for love of you He has condescended to be born in a poor wretched stable, which by His divine presence He has transformed as it were into an antechamber of heaven, so He may deign be born in your heart, which till now has been an abode of unworthy faults, and changed into a dwelling place of virtues pleasing both to God and man.

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: Do thou deliver me, for I am poor and needy. (Ps. cviii, 21-22.)

CONSIDER THIRDLY that you must aim also at having a pure intention. Make straight His paths, which is as much as to say, that all the preparation on your part must be made purely to please and do honour to the Divine Infant. Be not of the number of those who prepare for the holy Birth of Christ, only to spend the feast with greater joy and in mere merriment. Make it rather your intention to give yourself wholly to the Divine Infant, and to devote yourself entirely to His divine service.

APPLICATION: If the Jesus Christ condescends to be born in the cave of Bethlehem only that He may offer all His labours and all His fatigues, His Blood and His life, for your good, with no thought whatever of Himself, do you also prepare to receive Him with the firm resolution of spending for Him all your fatigues and all your labours together with your whole self, having no other aim in view than to serve Him the better and to love Him the more.

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: I cried onto thee, O Lord, and said : thou art my hope, my portion in the land of the living. (Ps. cxli, 6.) 

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MONDAY AFTER THE 4TH SUNDAY OF ADVENT ~ ARRIVAL IN BETHLEHEM

There was no room for them in the inn. (Luke ii, 7.)

CONSIDER FIRSTLY how the Blessed Virgin together with her husband St. Joseph, having arrived at Bethlehem, where on account of Caesar’s edict there was a great concourse of people, wearied as she was with the journey, went from door to door begging a poor lodging where to rest and to give birth to her first-born. This then is the preparation made for the birth of the Messiah promised so long before by heaven, and so ardently sighed for by His people : no bed whereon to lie nor roof to shelter Him! The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests ; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head. (Luke ix, 58.)

APPLICATION: And you who make profession of following Christ made poor for us, are you not ashamed to be enamoured of comforts and on the look out for superfluities both in dress and in food? And when everything is not to your liking, you never cease to complain. Oh, what reason here for confusion!

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: I had rather be despised in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of sinners. (Ps. lxxxiiii, 11.)

CONSIDER SECONDLY how the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph long continued their search, begging in charity the shelter of some poor house wherein the King of glory and the Monarch of the universe might be born and laid, but they found every door shut against them and every convenience refused. What feeling think you, arose in the Blessed Virgin’s heart at such rejection? She was not troubled, she did not complain as you do when you meet with any refusal. She did but grieve at the sad blindness of her people, who gave no welcome to the Son of God so long expected and long desired: He came unto his own and his own received him not. (John i, 11.)  And yet those people had some excuse, as they knew not who it was who sought a lodging, nor for whom it was asked.

APPLICATION: But you, who know well Who it is Who comes with His inspirations to ask an abode in your heart, in order to make it more holy, what excuse can you hope to have for the refusals you have so often, alas! Given Him?

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: My heart had said to thee: my face had sought thee; thy face, O Lord, will I seek. (Ps. xxvi, 8.)

CONSIDER THIRDLY how the Blessed Virgin, to whom none would open their doors was obliged to turn with St Joseph into a poor shelter for cattle. Entirely did she resign herself to the dispositions of Divine Providence, that the Incarnate Word should be born n a stable, deprived of all conveniences and exposed to the bitter cold of winter, so as to give to us all an example of despising the comforts and display of this world, as well also as of being despised by the world itself.

APPLICATION: How far do you correspond with such perfect virtue? How far do you strive to imitate these examples of despising the world and of being in turn despised by it?

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: I have had delight in the way of thy testimonies even as in all riches. (Ps. cxviii, 14.) 

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CHRISTMAS DAY. DECEMBER 25 ~ THE BIRTH OF OUR BLESSED LORD

(Read Luke ii, 6-14.)

CONSIDER FIRSTLY how the Blessed Virgin, knowing that the time of her delivery was now at hand, withdrew herself apart and being wrapt in the most sublime contemplation, without any pain or detriment, beheld lying before her the Divine Infant Jesus, by Whom she was at once enriched with immense treasures of grace, and inundated with ineffable and most heavenly joy, like the Divine Father exclaimed: Amidst the splendours of the saints I have brought thee forth. (Ps. cix, 4.)

APPLICATION: Rejoice with the Blessed Virgin in having so joyfully given to the world the fruit of her womb. Strive to profit all that you can by this day which  brought such joy to heaven and happiness to earth, for it is indeed a day of the most abundant graces.

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: Blessed be the name of His Majesty for ever; and the whole earth shall be filled with His Majesty. (Ps. lxxi, 19.)

CONSIDER SECONDLY how the Virgin Mary, recognising the holy Babe as her own, and also as the Son of the Heavenly Father, embraced Him with all a mother’s tenderness, and at the same time adored Him with divine worship. Here pause awhile, and think what were those acts of worship by which adored Him as her God and her Creator; what were those tender affections with which she thanked Him for having chosen her as His Mother, thanked Him too in the name of the whole human race, for having thus humbled Himself for the redemption of all. Observe too the love and the devotedness of St. Joseph, who together with the Holy Virgin offered and consecrated all his strength, and all his labours, to support and to serve the Divine Infant in this His state of utter destitution.

APPLICATION: Reflect upon yourself also, and then from the depths of your heart unite your worship, your affections, and your offering with those of the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph.

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: O Lord, our Lord, how admirable is thy name in the whole earth! (Ps. viii, 2.)

CONSIDER THIRDLY how St. Joseph placed a little straw in the manger, and then the Mother, after having wrapped her Divine Child in swaddling clothes, laid Him down therein between two animals, an ox and an ass.

APPLICATION: And you, as you see Him whose throne is above the Seraphim so abasing Himself for love of you as to lied down between two animals in such extreme poverty, will you not once for all resolve to bear gladly for love of Him those few hardships of poverty and of labour which your state of life may entail. Oh! How ought you not rather to long for the utmost degree of poverty in all things, in order so to conform yourself to the example of Jesus, Who from the first moment of His birth to the last hour of His life could say with truth, I am poor and in labours from my youth. (Ps. lxxxvii, 16.)

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS:“Thou that sittest upon the cherubim shine forth... stir up thy might and come to save us.” (Ps. lxxix, 1.)

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THE TWENTY-SIXTH DAY OF DECEMBER ~ THE DIVINE INFANT IN THE MANGER

(Read Heb. x, 4-10.)

CONSIDER FIRSTLY that the first act of the Divine Child, directly He was born, was to raise His mind and His heart to heaven. It was to thank His beloved Father that it had been His good pleasure that He Himself should be reduced to the state of utter abandonment and poverty in which He now found Himself: Yea, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. (Luke x, 21.)

APPLICATION: You do not find it difficult to conform yourself to the will of God, and to give Him thanks when He caresses you and treats you with His tenderness. But how hard it is to you to do so when you feel abandoned, afflicted, and without help. Learn from the Holy Babe to be resigned in times of tribulation, for this is the real milk of filial love for your Heavenly Father.

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God. (Ps. cxlii, 10.)

CONSIDER SECONDLY that His second act was to offer to the Divine Justice in satisfaction for your sins, and in payment of the penalties due to you, all the keen suffering which His delicate frame endured from the bitter cold of the season, the rawness of the night, the bareness of the stable, and the absolute lack of any kind of comfort at all.

APPLICATION: Will you not then thank Him from your heart for this great goodness? But in order that the sufferings of the Divine Infant may be of great profit to you, accustom yourself to offer all the little troubles which each day brings, whether they come to you from the inclemency of the season, from bodily weakness, or from mental sufferings, to the Divine Justice in union with the sufferings of Jesus. They will thus be much more acceptable to the Divine Father, and of much greater merit to yourself.

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: Behold, O God our protector, and look on the face of thy Christ. (Ps. lxxxiii, 10.)

CONSIDER THIRDLY that the third act of the Holy Infant was to express His readiness and desire for the death of the Cross, so far was He from resting content with His actual sufferings in the cave. He yearned to go forth with giant strides from Bethlehem to Calvary, in order to become thereon a victim of expiation for your sins.

APPLICATION: Every little suffering or small discomfort that you encounter in the place and office wherein you serve God and your neighbour, seems too heavy for you to bear, and you do your best to escape from them. Oh what coldness and ingratitude of heart! If only you thought seriously upon what Jesus Christ suffered for you, you would feel no suffering or weariness, but would only hunger and thirst to suffer still more, so as to correspond to the love of Jesus, Who was never weary of suffering for your good, so much so that when He was hanging on the Cross in an abyss of sufferings, He still cried, I thirst.

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: He hath rejoiced as a giant to run the way. (Ps. xviii, 6.)

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THE TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY OF DECEMBER

THE SCHOOL OF BETHLEHEM

The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests ; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head. (Matt. viii, 20.)

CONSIDER FIRSTLY that Jesus, in order to work out your salvation, had no necessity of being born in such poverty or of submitting to such humiliations or such sufferings, but chose to embrace all these painful circumstances in order to become your teacher, and to show you by His own example the way of perfection. Regard then the crib of Bethlehem as your school and the manger as the pulpit of so great a teacher. From the grotto there comes to you as heretofore from Mount Thabor the voice of the Eternal Father: This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him.

APPLICATION: See then that you frequent this school and are attentive to the lessons of so great a Master, Who alone can make you truly learned in that knowledge which alone is necessary to you.

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: I am poor and in labours from my youth. (Ps. lxxxvii, 16.)

CONSIDER SECONDLY how beholden you ought to be to God that you have been born in a time and place, where you can avail yourself of the teachings of this Master, so ardently longed for by the Fathers of old, and even now so little known by countless numbers of people who are outside the fold of Holy Church.

APPLICATION: How intensely ought you to thank Him for having called you to His true Church, the real school of Jesus Christ, wherein you alone can learn the science of the saints and evangelical perfection. How many there are, now living in the darkness of ignorance, who, if God had granted them the helps you have in attending the school, and hearing the lessons of this Divine Teacher, would have profited far more by them than you do! Are you not ashamed of your negligence? What will it avail you to have mounted the pulpits or the chairs for learning, or to have shone in other exulted positions, if you have not learned what alone can help you for eternity?

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: Come, ye children, hearken unto me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. (Ps. xxxiii, 12.)

CONSIDER THIRDLY what are the most important lessons which Jesus teaches you from the crib. They are reduced to two virtues, humility and meekness. Learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart. (Matt. xi, 29.)

APPLICATION: Ask yourself then why these two virtues are the most necessary. Because meekness you need in adversity, humility in prosperity; meekness in bearing the annoyances and trials that come to you, whether from God or from your neighbour, but which will never be comparable with those that Jesus put up with; humility in stripping yourself of all inclination to ambition or to pride, and in living utterly submissive to the will of others. It is in the school of the crib at Bethlehem that you must especially learn these two virtues.

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: The meek will He guide in judgment; the gentle He will teach His ways. (Ps. xxiv, 9.)

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THE TWENTY-EIGHTTH DAY OF DECEMBER ~ THE ANGELS ADORE THE DIVINE INFANT

(Read Luke ii, 8-14.)

CONSIDER FIRSTLY that directly the Holy Child was born in the cave, there came forth a command from the Heavenly Father that all the angelic hosts should adore and honour Him as their King, in order that He might be so much the more glorified and honoured by the Angels, as He had humbled Himself for the salvation of men. At once all those blessed spirits obeyed the command and descended with great joy to worship Him as their King and their Lord, albeit the beheld Him in such lowliness not for their good but for ours.

APPLICATION: Learn thou from these angelic spirits, how with far great fervour you ought to adore Him as you see Him humbling Himself in that manger, in order to open for you the kingdom of heaven. At least offer Him on your part the praises of those angelic choirs.

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: Adore Him, all ye His angels. (Ps. xcvi, 7.)

CONSIDER SECONDLY how the angels at once went forth on their mission of making known the birth of Christ, rejoicing to glorify their Lord and ours, and to co-operate in the salvation of men, which Jesus was to accomplish at the cost of such bitter sufferings.

APPLICATION: Doubtless in the quiet of your chamber and in the time of your prayer, you fail not to worship the Divine Infant and to offer to Him the tribute of your tenderest affections. But this is not enough. You must imitate the example of the Angels, and strive to promote His glory by inspiring in the hearts of others a true devotion to the Infant Jesus, by dious discourse and in every way that your state of life permits. For he who truly loves Jesus cannot but desire that He should be known and loved by all.

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: Praise the Lord, all ye nations; praise Him all ye people. (Ps. cxvi, 1.)

CONSIDER THIRDLY that the Angels bore such joyous tidings not to the learned, for they were proud, nor to the rich, because of their avarice, nor to the noble, as being lovers of their ease and of pleasures, but only to the poor and simple shepherds as they watched their sheep in the cold of the night. These were the ones who were favoured by the Angels and who were most dear to heaven. How different are God’s judgments from those of the world!

APPLICATION: Rejoice then to be numbered among the poor of Christ, and so be filled with pity for, not envy of, the prosperous ones of this world. If you also would be specially privileged and favoured by heaven, so also like those good shepherds, keep watch over your animal passions; for little will it avail us even to be poor in this world’s goods if we permit sensual and disorderly appetites to rule over us.

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: I had rather be despised in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of sinners. (Ps. lxxxiii, 11.)

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THE TWENTY-NINTH DAY OF DECEMBER ~ THE SHEPHERDS OF BETHLEHEM

(Read Luke ii, 8-14.)

CONSIDER FIRSTLY in what way the birth of Christ was made known to the shepherds by the Angels. First they were surrounded by a bright light and seized by a great fear: the brightness of God shone round about them, and they feared with a great fear. Such is the way in which Almighty God ordinarily prepares a soul to receive special favours. He illuminated their intellect with a bright light, and at the same time awakens in their heart a deep reverence and a salutary fear. In the next place, great joy was announced to the shepherds at the birth of the Saviour of the world.

APPLICATION: There is indeed great cause for joy when Jesus is born spiritual in a heart. What however will the joys of this solemnity avail you, unless the Holy Infant be born in your heart by love and by grace?

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: My heart shall rejoice in thy salvation; I will sing unto the Lord, who hath given me good things. (Ps. xii, 7.)

CONSIDER SECONDLY what the sign was that was given to the shepherds so that they might find the Divine Infant: You shall find the Infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger. You will find a child clad in the poorest garments, lying where is set the food of animals.

APPLICATION: Observe also you the safe way and the surest signs of finding Jesus, namely humility, poverty, mortification. If you seek Him by other ways, those of ambition, of comforts, of attachment, of this world’s goods, you need not hope ever to find Jesus. But if you exercise yourself in those virtues, there will be certain signs of the Holy Infant being born in you.

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: Turn away mine eyes lest they behold vanity. (Ps. cxviii, 37.)

CONSIDER THIRDLY the song the angels sang when they appeared to the shepherds: Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will. Thus they proclaimed the end which our Lord had set Himself in coming into the world, namely, the glory of God and the good of mankind.

APPLICATION: This too is the object you also should have in view of your life and all your work. All you do, and all you are, should be directed to the glory of God, reserving to yourself nothing of what belongs by right to God, To God alone be honour and glory. You should moreover seek for peace with God through the pardon of your sins, peace with yourself by the subjection of the flesh to the spirit, peace with your neighbour by unfeigned and real charity. Finally, this peace is not so much for men of great intellect, or natural gifts, as for men of good will who strive to conform themselves to the examples set them by Jesus, and to imitate the virtues taught us in His birth.

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us; but unto thy name give glory. (Ps. cxiii, 9.)

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