Novena of Christmas: Meditations for December 16 to 24

DECEMBER 16.

The Love that God has shown to us in becoming Man.

Let us consider the immense love which God showed us in becoming man in order to procure us eternal life.

Our first parent, Adam, having sinned and rebelled against God, was driven out of paradise and condemned to everlasting death with all his descendants. But behold the Son of God, who, seeing man thus lost, in order to deliver him from death offers to take upon himself human flesh, and to die condemned as a malefactor upon the cross. But, my Son, we may suppose the Father saying to him: Consider what a life of humiliation and suffering Thou wilt have to lead upon earth. Thou wilt have to be born in a cold cave, and to be laid in a manger for beasts. Thou wilt have to fly as an infant into Egypt to escape from the hands of Herod. On Thy return from Egypt Thou wilt have to live in a shop as an humble servant, poor and despised. And, finally, worn out by sufferings, Thou wilt have to give up Thy life upon a cross, insulted and forsaken by all.—Father, all this matters not, replies the Son; I am content with enduring all, provided man is saved.

What should we say if a prince were to take compassion upon a dead worm, and were to choose to become a worm himself, and to make, as it were, a bath of his own blood, to die in order to restore the worm to life? But the eternal Word has done even more than this for us; for, being God, he has chosen to become a worm like us, and to die for us, in order to purchase for us the life of divine grace which we had lost. When he saw that all the gifts he had bestowed upon us could not secure to him our love, what did he do? He became man, and he gave himself entirely to us: “The Word was made flesh, and gave Himself for us.” ¹

Man by despising God, says St. Fulgentius, separated himself from God; but God, through his love for man, came from heaven to seek him. And why did he come? He came in order that man might know how much God loved him, and that thus, out of gratitude at least, he might love him in return. Even the beasts, when they approach themselves to us, make us love them; and why, then, are we so ungrateful towards a God who descends from heaven to earth to make us love him?

One day, when a priest was saying these words in Mass, Et verbum caro factum est—“And the Word was made flesh”—a man who was present neglected to make an act of reverence; upon which the devil gave him a blow, saying, “Ah, ungrateful man! if God had done as much for me as he has done for thee, I should remain with my face always bent down to the ground returning thanks to him.”

Affections and Prayers.

O great Son of God! Thou hast become man in order to make Thyself loved by men; but where is the love that men bear to Thee? Thou hast given Thy blood and Thy life to save our souls; and why are we so ungrateful to Thee, that, instead of loving Thee, we despise with such ingratitude? Alas! I myself, Lord, have been one of those who more than others have thus illtreated Thee. But Thy Passion is my hope. Oh, for the sake of that love that induced Thee to assume human flesh, and to die for me upon the cross, forgive me all the offences I have committed against Thee. I love Thee, O Incarnate Word; I love Thee, O my God; I love Thee, O Infinite Goodness; and I repent of all the injuries I have done Thee. Would that I could die of sorrow for Thee! O my Jesus! grant me the gift of Thy love; let me not live any longer ungrateful for the affliction Thou hast borne me. I am determined to love Thee always. Give me holy perseverance. O Mary, Mother of God, and my Mother, obtain for me from thy Son the grace to love him always even unto death.

DECEMBER 17.

The Love of God in being born an Infant.

The Son of God, in becoming man for our sake, might have appeared in the world at the age of a perfect man, as Adam appeared when he was created; but, as children generally attract to themselves greater love from those who take care of them, therefore he chose to appear upon earth as an infant; and as the poorest and most abject infant that ever was born. St. Peter Chrysologus writes: “Thus did our God choose to be born; because thus did he wish to be loved.” The prophet Isaias had already predicted that the Son of God was to be born an infant, and thus to give himself entirely to us through the love that he bore us: A Child is born to us, a Son is given to us. ²

O my Jesus, my supreme and true God! what can have attracted Thee from heaven to be born in a cave, if it be not the love that Thou bearest to man? What has drawn Thee from the bosom of Thy Father to lay Thyself down in a manger? What has brought Thee down from Thy throne above the stars, to stretch Thyself on a little straw? What, from the midst of the nine choirs of angels, has placed Thee between two animals? Thou dost inflame the seraphim with holy fire, and lo, Thou art trembling with cold in this stable! Thou dost give motion to the heavens and the sun, and now Thou canst not move without being carried in some one's arms! Thou dost provide with food both man and beast, and dost Thou now require a little milk to sustain Thy life? Thou art the delight of heaven, and now how is it that I hear Thee weep and moan? Tell me who hath reduced Thee to such misery? “Who hath done this? Love hath done it,” ³ says St. Bernard; the love that Thou bearest to man hath done it.

Affections and Prayers.

O dearest Infant! tell me what Thou camest on earth to do? Tell me whom Thou art seeking? Ah, I understand Thee now; Thou art come in order to die for me, to deliver me from hell. Thou art come to seek me, a lost sheep, in order that I may no more fly from Thee, but love Thee. Ah, my Jesus, my treasure, my life, my love, my all; if I do not love Thee, whom then shall I love? Where can I find a father, a friend, a spouse more amiable than Thou, and who has loved me more than Thou hast done? I am sorry to have been so many years in the world, and yet not to have loved Thee; yea, rather to have offended and despised Thee. Forgive me, O my beloved Redeemer; for I repent of having treated Thee thus; I am sorry for it with all my heart. Pardon me, and give me Thy grace, that I may never again separate myself from Thee, and that I may love Thee constantly during the years that remain to me in this life. My love, I give myself entirely to Thee; accept me, and do not reject me, though I deserve it. O Mary, thou art my advocate; thou dost obtain by thy prayers whatever thou wilt from thy Son; beg of him to forgive me, and to give me holy perseverance unto death.

DECEMBER 18.

The Life of Poverty which Jesus led even from His Birth.

It was ordained by God that at the time when his Son was born on this earth the decree of the emperor should be promulgated, obliging every one to go and enroll himself in the place of his birth. And thus it happened that Joseph had to go with his spouse to Bethlehem to enroll himself according to the decree of Cæsar. And now, the time of her delivery having arrived, Mary, having been driven from the other houses, and even from the common asylum for the poor, was obliged to remain that night in a cave, and there brought forth the King of Heaven. It is true that, if Jesus had been born in Nazareth, he would equally have been born in a state of poverty; but then he would at least have had a dry room, a little fire, warm clothes, and a more comfortable cradle. But no, he chose to be born in this cold cavern without a fire to warm him; he chose to have a manger for a cradle, and a little prickly straw for a bed, in order that he might suffer more.

Let us, then, enter into the cave of Bethlehem; but let us enter there with faith. If we go there without faith, we shall see nothing but a poor infant, who moves us to compassion at beholding him so beautiful, shivering and crying with cold, and with the prickling of the straw on which he lies. But if we enter in with faith, and consider that this Child is the Son of God, who for the love of us has come down to this earth and suffered so much to pay the penalty of our sins, how can it be possible not to thank him and love him?

Affections and Prayers.

O my sweet Infant! how is it possible that, knowing how much Thou hast suffered for me, I can have been so ungrateful to Thee, and offended Thee so often? But these tears which Thou sheddest, this poverty which Thou hast chosen for the love of me, make me hope for the pardon of all the offences that I have committed against Thee. I repent, my Jesus, of having so often turned my back upon Thee; and I love Thee above all things, “my God and my All.” ⁴ My God, from this day forth Thou shalt be my only treasure and my only good. I will say to Thee, with St. Ignatius of Loyola, “Give me Thy love, give me Thy grace, and I am sufficiently rich.” I wish for, I desire nothing else. Thou alone art sufficient for me, my Jesus, my life, my love.

DECEMBER 19.

The Life of Humility which Jesus led even from His Infancy.

All the marks that the angel gave to the shepherds to find the Saviour, who was just born, were marks of humility: And this shall be a sign unto you; you shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling-clothes, and laid in a manger. ⁵ This shall be the sign, said the angel, to find the newborn Messias: you will find him an infant, wrapped in poor ragged clothes, in a stable, lying on straw in a manger for animals. Thus would the King of Heaven, the Son of God, be born, because he came to destroy the pride which had been the cause of man's ruin.

The prophets had already foretold that our Redeemer should be treated as the vilest man upon earth, and overwhelmed with insults. How much contempt had not Jesus to suffer from men! He was treated as a drunkard, as a magician, as a blasphemer, and a heretic. How many affronts did he endure during his Passion! He was forsaken by his own disciples; even one of them sold him for thirty pieces of silver, and another denied having ever known him. He was led through the streets bound like a criminal, scourged like a slave, treated like a madman, as a mock king; struck, spit upon in the face; and at length he was put to death on a cross, suspended between two thieves, as the greatest malefactor in the world.

Thus, says St. Bernard, the noblest of men is treated like the vilest of all. “But, my Jesus,” adds the saint, “the viler Thou art, the dearer art Thou to me.” ⁶ The more Thou appearest to me humbled and despised, the more dear and worthy of love dost Thou become to me.

Affections and Prayers.

O my sweet Saviour! Thou hast embraced so much contempt for the love of me, and I have not been able to bear a word of insult without thinking immediately of revenging myself of it,—I who so often have deserved to be trodden underfoot by the devils in hell! I am ashamed of appearing before Thee, a proud sinner that I am. O Lord! do not drive me from Thy presence, as I deserve. Thou hast said that Thou couldst not despise a heart that repents and humbles itself: I repent of all the offences I have committed against Thee. Forgive me, my Jesus; for I will not offend Thee any more. Thou hast suffered so many injuries for my sake, I will for Thy sake bear with all the injuries that may be offered me. I love Thee, my Jesus, despised for my sake; I love Thee, my Good, above every other good. Give me Thy help, that I may always love Thee, and suffer every insult for the love of Thee. O Mary! recommend me to thy Son; pray to Jesus for me.

DECEMBER 20.

The Life of Sorrow which Jesus led even from His Birth.

Jesus Christ could have saved man without suffering and without dying; but no, he chose a life full of tribulations, in order to make us know how much he loved us. Therefore the prophet Isaias called him the Man of sorrows, ⁷ because the life of Jesus Christ was to be a life full of sorrows. His Passion did not commence at the time of his death, but from the commencement of his life.

Behold him, as soon as he is born, laid in a stable, where for Jesus everything is a torment. His sight is tormented by seeing nothing else in this cave but black rough walls. His sense of smelling is tormented by the stench of the dung of the beasts that are lying there. His sense of touch is tormented by the pricking of the straw that serves him for a bed. Soon after his birth he is obliged to fly into Egypt, where he passed several years of his childhood poor and despised; the life which he led afterwards in Nazareth was not much better. Behold him at length terminating his life in Jerusalem, dying on a cross by dint of torments.

Thus, then, the life of Jesus was one continual suffering, and indeed a double suffering; for he had constantly before his eyes all the sorrows that would afflict him until the day of his death. Sister Mary Magdalene Orsini, complaining one day before the crucifix, said to him: “O Lord, Thou didst remain on the cross for three hours, but I have suffered this pain for several years.” But Jesus answered her: “Oh, ignorant that thou art, what dost thou say? I suffered even from my Mother's womb all the pains of my life and my death.” But all these sufferings did not so much afflict Jesus Christ— because he chose voluntarily to suffer them—as did the sight of our sins and our ingratitude for his great love. St. Margaret of Cortona was never satisfied with lamenting over the offences committed against God; wherefore her confessor said to her one day: “Margaret, cease crying, because God has already forgiven thee.” But she replied: “Ah, Father, how can I cease crying, when I know that my sins kept Jesus Christ in a state of affliction all his life?”

Affections and Prayers.

O my sweet Love, have I then by my sins kept Thee in a state of affliction all Thy life long? Oh, tell me, then, what I can do, in order that Thou mayest forgive me; for I will leave nothing undone. I repent, O sovereign Good, of all the offences I have committed against Thee; I repent, and love Thee more than myself. I feel a great desire to love Thee; it is Thou that givest me this desire; give me, therefore, strength to love Thee ardently. It is only just that I, who have offended Thee so much, should also love Thee much. Oh, remind me constantly of the love Thou hast borne me, in order that my soul may always burn with the love of Thee; that it may think of Thee alone, desire Thee alone, and strive to please Thee alone. O God of love, I, who once was the slave of hell, now give myself entirely to Thee. Accept me in Thy mercy, and bind me with Thy love, my Jesus, from this day forth. I will love Thee in life; and in loving Thee I will die. O Mary, my Mother and my hope, help me to love thy dear Jesus and mine; this favor alone I desire and hope from thee.

DECEMBER 21.

The Mercy of God in coming down from Heaven to save Us by His Death.

St. Paul says, The goodness and kindness of God our Saviour appeared. ⁸ When, therefore, the Son of God made Man appeared upon earth, then was seen how great the goodness of God was towards us. St. Bernard writes that the power of God appeared first in the creation of the world, and his wisdom in sustaining it; but his mercy appeared to a still greater degree when he took human flesh to save lost man by his sufferings and death. And what greater mercy could the Son of God show us than to take upon him the pains we have deserved?

Behold him a new-born infant, weak, and wrapped in swaddling-clothes in a manger; not able either to move or feed himself, he requires for his sustenance that Mary should feed him with a little milk. Behold him afterwards in the judgment-hall of Pilate, bound to a column by cords from which he cannot loosen himself, and there scourged from head to foot. Behold him in the journey to Calvary, falling down as he goes along the road through weakness and the weight of the cross that he carries. Behold him finally nailed to that infamous tree, whereon he finishes his life by dint of suffering.

Jesus Christ wished to gain all the affections of our hearts by his love for us, and therefore he would not send an angel to redeem us, but he would come himself to save us by his Passion. If an angel had been our redeemer, man must have divided his heart, loving God as his Creator, and the angel as his redeemer; but God, who desired the whole heart of man, as he was his Creator, chose also to be his Redeemer.

Affections and Prayers.

Ah, my dear Redeemer, where should I be now, if Thou hadst not borne with me with so much patience, but hadst condemned me to death whilst I was yet in sin? Since, then, Thou hast hitherto waited for me, my Jesus, forgive me speedily, before death surprises me whilst I am guilty of so many offences against Thee. I repent, O sovereign Good, of having thus despised Thee; I should like to die of sorrow for my sins. Thou canst not forsake a soul that seeks Thee; if I have hitherto neglected Thee, I will henceforth seek Thee and love Thee. Yes, O my God! I love Thee above all things; I love Thee more than myself. Help me, Lord, to love Thee always during the remainder of my life; I ask nothing more; I ask this, and I hope it of Thee. Mary, my hope, do thou pray for me; if thou prayest for me, I am sure of grace.

DECEMBER 22.

The Journey of the Infant Jesus to Egypt.

The Son of God came from heaven to save mankind; but as soon as he was born, they began to persecute him even until death. Herod, fearing that this Infant would deprive him of his kingdom, tried to put him to death; wherefore St. Joseph was advised by the angel in a dream to take Jesus with his Mother and to fly into Egypt. Joseph promptly obeyed, and informed Mary of it; so he took the few implements of his trade that he possessed, in order that they might serve him to gain a livelihood in Egypt for himself and his poor family. Mary, on her part, added a small packet of clothes that were to serve for the Holy Infant; and then, drawing near to the crib, she said with tears to her sleeping child, “O my Son and my God, Thou art come down from heaven to save men, and hardly art Thou born when they seek Thee to take away Thy life.” She then took him, and, continuing to weep, in the same night she and Joseph set off on their journey.

Let us consider how much these holy pilgrims must have suffered whilst they were making so long a journey, deprived of every comfort. The Infant was not yet able to walk; therefore first Mary and then Joseph were obliged by turns to carry him in their arms. During their journey through the desert of Egypt, their only bed at night was the bare earth in the open air. The Infant weeps with the cold, and Joseph and Mary weep also from compassion. And who would not weep, in seeing the Son of God, poor and persecuted, wandering about on the earth, that he may not be killed by his enemies?

Affections and Prayers.

Ah, dearest Infant, Thou dost weep; and well mayest Thou weep, in seeing Thyself so persecuted by those men whom Thou hast so much loved. Alas, my God, I also have persecuted Thee by my sins; but now I love Thee more than myself; and there is no sorrow that afflicts me more than the remembrance that I have despised Thee, my sovereign Good. Oh, forgive me, my Jesus, and permit me to carry Thee with me in my heart in all the journey of life that I have yet to make, and then to enter together with Thee into eternity. I have so often driven Thee from my soul by offending Thee; but now I love Thee above everything, and I repent above every other evil of having offended Thee. My beloved Lord, I will never leave Thee more; but do Thou give me strength to resist temptations; permit me not to separate myself any more from Thee; let me rather die than ever again lose Thy favor. O Mary, my hope, make me always live and die in the love of God.

DECEMBER 23.

The Sojourn of the Infant Jesus in Egypt and in Nazareth.

Our blessed Redeemer passed his first infancy in Egypt, leading there for seven years a life of poverty and contempt. Joseph and Mary were both strangers and unknown there, having there neither relatives nor friends; and they could hardly earn their daily bread by the labor of their hands. Their cottage was poor, their bed was poor, and their food was poor. In this miserable hut Mary weaned Jesus. First she had fed him from her breast; and afterwards with her hands she took from the porringer a little bread soaked in water, and then she put it in the sacred mouth of her Son. In this cottage she made him his first little garment; she took off his swaddling-clothes and began to dress him. In this cottage the Child Jesus began to take his first steps; but he kept falling many times and trembling, as it happens to other children. Here he began to utter his first words, but in stammering. O wonder! to what has not a God reduced himself for the love of us! A God trembling and falling as he walks! a God stammering whilst he speaks!

Not unlike this was the poor and abject life that Jesus led on his return from Egypt to the house of Nazareth. Until the age of thirty he held no other office than that of a simple shop-boy, being obedient to Joseph and Mary. And he was subject to them. ⁹ Jesus went to fetch the water; Jesus opened and shut up the shop; Jesus swept the house; he collected the fragments of wood for the fire, and worked all day, helping Joseph in his labors. O wonder! A God serving as a boy! a God sweeping the house! a God working and sweating to plane a piece of wood! And who is this? The omnipotent God, who by a nod created the world, and can destroy it when he pleases! Ought not the mere thought of this to move our hearts to love him? How sweet it must have been to observe the devotion with which Jesus said his prayers, the patience with which he labored, the promptitude with which he obeyed, the modesty with which he took his food, and the sweetness and affability with which he spoke and conversed! Oh, every word, every action of Jesus was so holy that it filled every one with love for him; but especially Mary and Joseph, who were constantly observing him!

DECEMBER 24.

The Birth of the Infant Jesus in the Cave of Bethlehem.

The edict of the Roman emperor having gone forth, by which every one was to go and enroll himself in his own country, Joseph and his spouse Mary departed, to go and enroll themselves in Bethlehem. O God! how much must the Blessed Virgin have suffered in this journey, which was of four days, over mountainous roads, and in the winter, with cold, wind, and rain!

As soon as they arrived there, the time of her delivery was at hand; wherefore Joseph went about the town looking for a lodging, where Mary could bring forth her child. But, because they are poor, they are driven away by every one; they are even driven from the inn where the other poor had been received. They went away therefore from the town in the night; and having found a cave, Mary entered in there. But Joseph said to her: “My spouse, how can you pass the night in this damp, cold place? Do you not see that this is a stable for animals?” But Mary answered: “O my Joseph! it is nevertheless true that this shed is the royal palace in which the Son of God chooses to be born.”

And behold, the hour of the birth being come, whilst the Holy Virgin was kneeling in prayer, she saw all at once the cave illuminated by a brilliant light; she cast her eyes upon the ground, and beheld the Son of God already born, a tender infant, crying and trembling with cold: whereupon she first adores him as her God; she then places him in her bosom, and wraps him in the poor swaddling-clothes which she had with her; and, finally, she lays him on a little straw in the manger. Behold, how the Son of the eternal Father chose to be born for the love of us.

St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi says that the souls enamoured of Jesus Christ ought to kneel in spirit at the feet of the Holy Child, and perform for him the same office that the beasts of the stable of Bethlehem did, which warmed Jesus with their breath; they should, therefore, warm him also with the sighs of love.

Affections and Prayers.

O my adorable Infant! I should not have the boldness to prostrate myself at Thy feet, if I did not know that Thou Thyself invitest me to approach Thee. I am he who by my sins have caused Thee to shed so many tears in the stable of Bethlehem. But since Thou camest upon earth to forgive repentant sinners, forgive me also; for I repent with all my heart of having despised Thee, my Saviour, my God, who art so good, and hast loved me so much. Thou dost dispense great graces to so many souls during this sacred night; do Thou, therefore, console my soul also. The grace I desire is the grace to love Thee from this day forth with my whole heart. Oh, inflame me wholly with Thy holy love! I love Thee, my God, become a child for me. Oh, permit me not ever to cease from loving Thee. O Mary, my Mother, thou canst do all things by thy prayers; I ask thee only this, to pray to Jesus for me.