Sunday withing the Octave of Christmas

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INSTRUCTION ON THE SUNDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS
Taken from Fr. Leonard Goffine's Explanations of the Epistles and Gospels for the Sundays, Holydays throughout the Ecclesiastical Year, 1880

INTROIT For while all things were in quiet silence, and the night came was in the midst of her course, Thy almighty Word, O Lord, down from heaven, from Thy royal throne (Wis. 18:14-15). The Lord hath reigned, he is clothed with beauty: the Lord is clothed with strength, and hath girded himself (Ps. 92:1). Glory be to the Father.

COLLECT Almighty and everlasting God, direct our actions according to Thy good pleasure; that in the name of Thy beloved Son we may deserve to abound in good works. Through our Lord.

EPISTLE (Gal. 4:1-7). Brethren, as long as the heir is a child, he differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all: but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed by the father: so we also, when we were children, were serving under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent his Son, made of a woman, made under the law: that he might redeem them who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because you are sons, God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying: Abba, Father. Therefore now he is not a servant, but a son; and if a son, an heir also through God.

EXPLANATION St. Paul desired to instruct the Galatians, many of whom still clung to the Mosaic law, that this was no longer necessary, because Christ had freed them from its hard bondage, which contained merely the rudiments, so to speak, of the one only saving faith, and had made them children and heirs of God, for which they should rejoice.

Ours is a far greater happiness than that which the Jews received, because we, through our ancestors, were converted by apostolic messengers of the faith from heathenism to the true, saving Catholic faith, and by this holy religion were changed from vassals of Satan, into children and heirs of God. What a great advantage is this! Must it not be dearer to us than all the kingdoms of the world? Let us thank the Lord for it, and be careful not to lose this prerogative of being a child of God, an heir to heaven, let us not by sin give ourselves anew, as voluntary slaves to Satan.

GOSPEL (Lk. 2:33-40). At that time, Joseph and Mary, the mother of Jesus, were wondering at those things which were spoken concerning him. And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary his mother: Behold, this child is set for the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted: and thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that out of many hearts thoughts may be revealed. And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser; she was far advanced in years, and had lived with her husband seven years from her virginity. And she was a widow until fourscore and four years; who departed not from the temple, by fastings and prayers serving night and day. Now she at the same hour coming in, confessed to the Lord; and spoke of him to all that looked for the redemption of Israel. And after they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. And the child grew and waxed strong, full of wisdom: and the grace of God was in him.


Why did Mary and Joseph wonder at the things which were spoken of the child Jesus?

They wondered, not because that which was said of the child Jesus by Simeon was new to them, for they already knew why He was sent from God, but because of the marvellous ways in which God revealed the mysteries of the new-born Savior to Simeon, the shepherds, and to other pious people.


How is Christ set for the fall of many?

Christ is set for the fall, that is, for the eternal damnation, of all those who either reject His doctrine, or live not according to its teachings. They themselves, not Christ, are the cause of their damnation on account of their perversity and hard-heartedness. "If I had not come and spoken to them," says Christ, "they would not have sin: but now they have no excuse for their sin" (Jn. 15:22).


For whom is Christ the resurrection?

For those who believe in Him, and live in accordance with the teachings of His doctrine. These, if they persevere will at the Last Day rise to eternal life.


Why is Christ a sign that shall be contradicted?

Because, by His birth from a virgin, by His life and death, and especially by His heavenly doctrine, which is entirely opposed to the carnal spirit of this world, Christ became an object of mockery and blasphemy. Even now, according to the saying of St. Bernard, Christ is a sign of contradiction for many Christians who contradict His humility by their pride, His poverty by their avarice, His fasting by their gluttony, His purity by their impurity, His zeal by their indolence, etc., thus denying by their actions that which they confess with their lips, proving thereby that they are Christians but in name, of whom it is written: "Thou hast the name of being alive, but thou art dead" (Apoc. 3:1).


What is meant by these words: Thy own soul a sword shall pierce?

It means that the greatest grief should cut like a sword through the inmost parts of the soul, which came to pass, when Mary heard the calumnies and blasphemies of the Jews against her Son, and when she saw Him die on the cross between two thieves. Meditating on this grief of the most loving mother Mary, St. Bonaventure exclaims: "Never was there grief so great, for never was there a Son so loved!"


What else do we learn from this gospel?

The widows should learn from Anna, who spent nearly all her life in the temple, to serve God by prayer and fasting; for a widow who prays not, but lives in pleasures, is dead, while she is living (I Tim. 5:6). Parents should learn from it, to be careful that their children not only increase in knowledge, but that they by a pious life advance in grace before God and man.


ASPIRATION O Jesus, Thou new-born Savior, do Thou move our hearts to the fulfillment of Thy precepts that Thou mayst be set for our fall; for it would be much better for us, not to have known the ways of righteousness, than having known them, to have departed from them.

INSTRUCTION ON BLESSING
"And Simeon blessed them "(Lk. 2: 34).

What is meant by a blessing?

A blessing on the part of God, means the giving to man some spiritual or temporal grace; a blessing on the part of an angel or a man, means the expression in prayer of a wish or desire that God would give to some particular person a corporal or spiritual grace. In the proper sense of the word, only God can give a blessing, because all spiritual and temporal good comes from Him; angels and men can only wish and ask of God that He would bestow His gifts.


Have we examples of blessing in the Bible?

Yes, for the angels blessed Jacob (Gen. 32:26), and Jacob blessed his sons and grandsons (Gen. 48:15), Melchisedech blessed Abraham (Gen. 14:19), and Rebecca was blessed by her brothers (Gen. 24:60).


Is it well for parents to bless their children?

Yes, for God frequently ratifies the blessings wished by the parents, as in the case of Isaac who blessed Jacob, and Jacob who blessed his own sons (Gen. 49). And, on the contrary, God permits the curses of parents to be fulfilled on their children as history shows. "The father's blessing establisheth the houses of the children; but the mother's curse rooteth up the foundation" (Ecclus. 3:11).


What power has the priest's blessing?

A very great one, because it is given by the priest, the vicar of Christ on earth, in the name of Jesus, and of the Church founded by Him, in which He has deposited the plenitude of His blessings. The Church expresses this, when the bishop, anointing the hands of the newly ordained, makes the sign of the cross over them. "All that they bless, is blessed; that they consecrate, is consecrated and sanctified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." The blessing of the priest is to be prized therefore, and an obstacle not set to it by a sinful life. Parents should ask his blessing for their children when he happens to visit them. Children were brought to Christ that He might lay His hands on them and bless them (Mt. 19:13).


What is the effect of God's blessing?

In spiritual life it gives great joy and strength to practice virtue; and in physical life it gives fruitful prosperity in our occupations and undertakings. Therefore, all is contained in the blessing of God, and he who receives it, is richer than if he possessed the whole world. We should endeavor by a pious life to secure this blessing, for it rests only on the head of the just (Prov. 10:6).

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"In What True Wisdom Consists"

Sermon for the Sunday Within the Octave of the Nativity

by St Alphonsus de Ligouri

“Behold, this Child is set for the fall and for the resurrection of many in Israel” – Luke, ii. 34.

Such was the language of holy Simeon when he had the consolation to hold in his hands the infant Jesus. Among other things which he then foretold, he declared that “this child was set for the fall and for the resurrection of many in Israel”. In these words he extols the lot of the saints, who, after this life, shall rise to a life of immortality in the kingdom of bliss, and he deplores the misfortune of sinners, who, for the transitory and miserable pleasures of this world, bring upon themselves eternal ruin and perdition. But, notwithstanding the greatness of his own misery, the unhappy sinner, reflecting only on the enjoyment of present goods calls the saints fools, because they seek to live in poverty, in humiliation, and self-denial. But a day will come when sinners shall see their errors, and shall say: “We fools esteemed their life madness, and their end without honour” – Wis. 5:4. We fools behold how they shall confess that they themselves have been truly fools. Let us examine in what true wisdom consists, and we shall see, in the first point, that sinners are truly foolish, and, in the second, that the saints are truly wise.

What greater folly can be conceived than to have the power of being the friends of God, and to wish to be His enemies? Their living in enmity with God makes the life of sinners unhappy in this world and purchases for them an eternity of misery hereafter. St Augustine relates that two courtiers of the emperor entered a monastery of hermits, and that one of them began to read the life of St Anthony. “He read”, says the saint, “and his heart was divested of the world”. He read, and in reading, his affections were detached from the earth. Turning to his companion, he exclaimed: “What do we seek? The friendship of the emperor is the most we can hope for. And through how many perils shall we arrive at still greater danger? Should we obtain his friendship, how long shall it last?” Friend, said he, fools that we are, what do we seek? Can we expect more in this life, by serving the emperor, than to gain his friendship? And should we, after many dangers, succeed in making him our friend, we shall expose ourselves to greater danger of eternal perdition. What difficulties must we encounter in order to becomes the friends of Caesar.” But, if I wish, I can in a moment become the friend of God”. I can acquire His friendship by endeavouring to recover His grace. His divine grace is that infinite treasure which makes us worthy of His friendship “For she is an infinite treasure to men, which they that use become the friends of God” – Wis. 7:14.

The Gentiles believed it impossible for a creature to become the friend of God; for, as St Jerome says, friendship makes friends equal. But Jesus Christ has declared, that if we observe His commands, we shall be His friends. “You are my friends if you do the things that I command” – John 15:14.

How great then is the folly of sinners, who, though they have it in their power to enjoy the friendship of God, wish to live in enmity with Him! The Lord does not hate any of His creatures: He does not hate the tiger, the viper, or the toad. “For thou lovest all things that are, and hatest none of the things which thou hast made” – Wis. 11:25. But He necessarily hates sinners. “thou hatest all the workers of iniquity” – Ps. 5:7. God cannot but hate sin, which is His enemy and diametrically opposed to His will; and therefore, in hating sin, He necessarily hates the sinner who is united with his sin. “But to God the wicked and his wickedness are hateful alike” – Wis. 14:9.

The sinner is guilty of folly in leading a life opposed to the end for which he was created. God has not created us, nor does He preserve our lives, that we may labour to acquire riches or earthly honours, or that we may indulge in amusements: but that we may love and serve Him in this world, in order to love and enjoy Him for eternity in the next. “And the end life everlasting” – Rom. 6:22. Thus the present life, as St Gregory says, is the way by which we must reach Paradise, our true country. “In the present life we are as it were on the road by which we journey to our country” – S. Greg. Hom. xi. In Evan.

But the misfortune of the greater part of mankind is, that, instead of following the way of salvation, they foolishly walk in the road to perdition. Some have a passion for earthly riches, and, for a vile interest, they lose the immense goods of Paradise: others have a passion for honours, and, for a momentary applause, they lose their right to be kings in Heaven: others have a passion for sensual pleasures, and, for transitory delights, they lose the grace of God, and are condemned to burn for ever in a prison of fire. Miserable souls! If, in punishment of a certain sin, their hand was to be burned with a red hot iron, or if they were to be shut up for ten years in a dark prison, they certainly would abstain from it. And do they not know that, in chastisement of their sins, they shall be condemned to remain for ever in Hell, where their bodies, buried in fire, shall burn for all eternity? Some, says St John Chrysostom (hom. de recup. laps), to save the body, choose to destroy the soul; but, do they not know that, in losing the soul, their bodies shall be condemned to eternal torments? “If we neglect the soul, we cannot save the body”.

In a word, sinners lose their reason, and imitate brute animals, that follow the instinct of nature, and seek carnal pleasures without ever reflecting on their lawfulness or unlawfulness. But to act in this manner is, according to St Chrysostom, to act not like a man, but like a beast. To be men we must be rational; that is we must act, not according to the sensual appetite, but according to the dictates of reason. If God gave to beasts the use of reason, and if they acted according to its rules, we should say that they acted like men. And it must, on the other hand, be said, that the man whose conduct is agreeable to the senses, but contrary to reason, acts like a beast. He who follows the dictates of reason, provides for the future. “Oh! That they would be wise and would understand, and would provide for the their last end” – Deut. 22:29. He looks to the future – that is, to the account he must render at the hour of death, after which he shall be doomed to Hell or to Heaven, according to his merits “One is not wise if one is not so towards one’s self,” says St Bernard – lib. de consid. One is not wise when one is not wise towards one’s self by taking special care to know and to assure one’s self of eternal happiness.

Sinners think only of the present, but regard not the end for which they were created. But what will it profit them to gain all things, if they lose their last end, which alone can make them happy? “But one thing is necessary” Luke 10:42. To attain our end is the only thing necessary for us: if we lose it, all is lost. What is this end? It is eternal life. During life, sinners care but little for the attainment of their end. Each day brings them nearer to death and to eternity; but they know not their destination. Should a pilot who is asked whither he is going, answer that he did not know, would not all, says St Augustine, cry out, that he was bringing the vessel to destruction? The saint then adds: “Such is the one that walks outside of the track.”

Such are the wise of the world, who know how to acquire wealth and honours, and to indulge in every kind of amusement; but know not how to save their souls. How miserable the rich glutton, who, though able to lay up riches, and to live splendidly, was, after death, buried in Hell! How miserable Alexander the Great, who, after gaining so many kingdoms, was condemned to eternal torments! How great the folly of Henry the Eighth, who rebelled against the Church, but seeing at the hour of death that his soul should be lost, cried out in despair: “Friends, we have lost all”! O God, how many others now weep in Hell, and exclaim: “What hath pride profited us? Or what advantage hath the boasting of riches brought us? All those things are passed away like a shadow” – Wis. 5:8. In the world we made a great figure – we enjoyed abundant riches and honours; but now all is passed away like a shadow, and nothing remains for us but to suffer and weep for eternity. St Augustine says, that the happiness which sinners enjoy in this life, is their greatest misfortune. “Nothing is more calamitous than the felicity of sinners, by which their perverse will, like an internal enemy, is strengthened: - Ep., v. ad Marcellin.

In fine, the words of Solomon are fulfilled, with regard to all who neglect their salvation: “Mourning taketh hold of the end of joy” – Prov. 14:13. All their pleasures, honours, and greatness end in eternal sorrow and wailing. “Whilst I was yet beginning, he cut me off” – Is. 38:12. Whilst they are laying the foundation of their hopes of realising a fortune, death comes, and, cutting the thread of life, deprives them of all their possessions, and sends them to Hell to burn forever in a pit of fire. What greater folly can be conceived, than to wish to be transformed from the friend of God into the slave of Lucifer, and from the heir of Paradise to become, by sin, doomed to Hell? For, the moment a Christian commits a mortal sin, his name is written among the number of the damned. St Francis de Sales said, that, if the angels were capable of weeping, they would do nothing else than shed tears at the sight of the destruction which a Christian who commits mortal sin brings upon himself.

Oh! how great is the folly of sinners, who, by living in sin, lead a life of misery and discontent! All the goods of this world cannot content the heart of man, which has been created to love God, and can find no peace out of God. What are all the grandeurs and all the pleasures of this world, but “vanity of vanities”? – Eccles. 1:2. What are they but “vanity and vexation of spirit”?- ibid., 4:16. Earthly goods are, according to Solomon, who had experience of them, vanity of vanities; that is, mere vanities, lies, and deceits. They are also a “vexation of spirit”: they not only do not content, but they even afflict the soul; and the more abundantly they are possessed, the greater the anguish which they produce. Sinners hope to find peace in their sins; but what peace can they enjoy? “There is no peace to the wicked, saith the Lord”- Is. 48:22. I abstain from saying more at present on the unhappy life of sinners: I shall speak of it in another place. At present, it is enough for you to know that God gives peace to the souls who love Him, and not to those who despise Him. Instead of seeking to be the friends of God, sinners wish to be the slaves of Satan, who is a cruel and merciless tyrant to all who submit to his yoke. And if he promises delights, he does it, as St Cyprian says, not for our welfare, but that we may be the companions of his torments in Hell.

Let us be persuaded that the truly wise are those who know how to love God, and to gain Heaven. Happy the man to whom God has given the science of the saints. Oh! how sublime the science which teaches us to know how to love God and to save our souls! Happy, says St Augustine, is the man. “who knows God, although he is ignorant of other things”. They who know God, the love which He merits, and how to love Him, stand not in need of any other knowledge. They are wiser than those who are masters of many sciences, but know not how to love God. Brother Egidius, of the order of St Francis, once said to St Bonaventure: Happy you, O Father Bonaventure, who are so learned, and who, by your learning, can become more holy than I can, who am a poor, ignorant man. Listen, replied the saint: if an old woman knows how to love God better than I do, she is more learned and more holy than I am. At hearing this, Brother Egidius exclaimed: O poor old woman! Poor old woman! Father Bonaventure says, that, if you love God more than he does, you can surpass him in sanctity.

This excited the envy of St Augustine, and made him ashamed of himself. He exclaimed, “The ignorant rise up, and bear away the kingdom of heaven,” and what are we, the learned of this world, doing? Oh! how many of the rude and illiterate are saved, because, though unable to read, they know how to love God; and how many of the wise of the world are damned! Oh! truly wise were St John of God, St Felix and St Paschal, who were poor lay Franciscans, and unacquainted with human sciences, but learned in the science of the saints. But the wonder is, that, though worldlings themselves are fully persuaded of this truth, and constantly extol the merit of those who retire from the world to live only to God, still they act as if they believe it not.

Tell me, brethren, to which class do you wish to belong – to the wise of the world, or to the wise of God? Before you make a choice, St Chrysostom advises you to go to the graves of the dead. Oh! how eloquently do the sepulchres of the dead teach us the science of the saints, and the vanity of all earthly goods! For my part, said the saint, “I see nothing but rottenness, bones, and worms”. As if he said: Among these skeletons, I cannot distinguish the noble, the rich, or the learned; I see that they have all become dust and rottenness: thus all their greatness and glory have passed away like a dream.

What then must we do? Behold the advice of St Paul. “This, therefore, I say, brethren: the time is short: it remaineth that… they that use this world BE as if they used it not; for the fashion of this world passeth away” – I Cor. 7:29 and 31. This world is a scene which shall pass away and end very soon: “The time is short”. During the days of life that remain, let us endeavour to live like men who are wise, not according to the world, but according to God, by attending to the sanctification of our souls, and by adopting the means of salvation; by flying dangerous occasions; by practising prayer; joining some pious sodality; frequenting the sacraments; reading every day a spiritual book; and by daily hearing Mass, if it be in our power; or, at least, by visiting Jesus in the Holy Sacrament of the altar, and some image of the most Holy Mary. Thus we shall be truly wise, and shall be happy for time and eternity.

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Sunday within the Octave of Christmas
Taken from The Liturgical Year authored by Dom Prosper Gueranger (1841-1875)

(When the 30th of December does not fall on a Sunday, it is called “the Sixth Day within the Octave,” and the 3rd Mass of Christmas Day is repeated; excepting only the Epistle and Gospel, which are taken from the 2nd Mass.)

This is the only day within the Christmas Octave which is not a Saint’s Feast. During the Octaves of the Epiphany, Easter, and Pentecost, the Church is so absorbed in the respective mysteries that she puts off everything that could share her attention; whereas during this of Christmas, there is only one day which does not celebrate the memory of some glorious Saint, and our Infant Jesus is surrounded by a choir of heroes who loved and served him. Thus, the Church—or, more correctly, God, for God is the first author of the Cycle of the Year—shows us how the Incarnate Word, who came to save mankind, desires to give mankind confidence by this his adorable familiarity.

We have already shown that the Birth of our Lord took place on a Sunday, the Day on which, in the beginning of the world, God created Light. We shall find, later on, that his Resurrection also was on a Sunday. This the first day of creation and the first day of the week was consecrated, by the old Pagans, to the Sun: with us Christians, it is most sacred and holy, on account of the two risings of our divine Sun of Justice—his Birth and his Resurrection. While the solemnity of Easter is always kept on a Sunday, that of Christmas falls, by turns, on each of the days of the week—we have already had this difference explained to us by the Holy Fathers: but the mystery of Jesus’ Birth is more aptly and strongly expressed when its anniversary falls on a Sunday. Other years, when the coincidence does not happen, the Faithful will at least be led by their Christian instincts to give especial honor to the Day within the Octave, which falls on the Sunday. The Church has honored it with a proper Mass and Office, and we of course insert them.

Mass

It was at Midnight that the Lord delivered his people from bondage by the Passage of his destroying Angel over the land of the Egyptians: so also was it in the still hour of midnight that Jesus, the Angel of the Great Counsel, came down from his royal throne, bringing mercy to our earth. It is just that while commemorating this second Passage, the Church should sing the praises of her Emmanuel, who comes, clad in his strength and beauty, to take possession of his Kingdom.

Introit

Dum medium silentium tenerent omnia, et nox in suo cursu medium iter haberet, omnipotens sermo tuus, Domine, de cœlis, a regalibus sedibus venit.
Ps.Dominus regnavit, decorem indutus est: indutus est Dominus fortitudinem, et præcinxit se.
℣.Gloria Patri. Dum medium.

While all things were in quiet silence, and the night was in the midst of her course, thy Almighty Word, O Lord, came down from thy royal throne.
Ps. The Lord hath reigned, he is clothed with beauty: the Lord is clothed with strength, and hath girded himself.
℣. Glory, &c. While all.


In the Collect, the Church prays to be directed by that divine rule which was taught us by our Savior, the Sun of Justice, who shone upon us in order to enlighten and guide our steps in the path of good works.

Collect

Omnipotens, sempiterne Deus, dirige actus nostros in beneplacito tuo: ut in nomine dilecti Filii tui mereamur bonis operibus abundare. Qui tecum.

O Almighty and Eternal God, regulate our actions according to thy divine will: that, in the name of thy beloved Son, we may abound in good works. Who liveth,&c.


The Commemorations of the Octaves of Christ, &c., are given in the Mass of the Holy Innocents.

Epistle

Lesson of the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle, to the Galatians. Ch. iv.

Brethren: As long as the heir is a child, he differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed by the father: So we also, when we were children, were serving under the elements of the world. But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent his Son, made of a woman, made under the law: That he might redeem them who were under the law: that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because you are sons, God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying: Abba, Father. Therefore now he is not a servant, but a son. And if a son, an heir also through God.

The Child that is born of Mary and is couched in the Crib at Bethlehem raises his feeble voice to the Eternal Father, and calls him, My Father! He turns towards us, and calls us, My Brethren! We, consequently, when we speak to his Father, may call him Our Father! This is the mystery of Adoption, revealed to us by the great event we are solemnizing. All things are changed, both in heaven and on earth. God has not only one Son, he has many Sons; henceforth, we stand before this our God, not merely creatures drawn out of nothing by his power, but Children that he fondly loves. Heaven is now not only the throne of his sovereign Majesty, it is become our inheritance, in which we are joint heirs with our Brother Jesus, the Son of Mary, Son of Eve, Son of Adam, according to his Human Nature, and (in the unity of Person) Son of God according to his Divine Nature. Let us turn our wondering and loving thoughts first to this sweet Babe that has brought us all these blessings, and then to the blessings themselves, to the dear inheritance made ours by Him. Let our mind be seized with astonishment at creatures having such a destiny! and then, let our heart pour out its thanks for the incomprehensible gift!

Gradual

Speciosa forma præ filiis hominum: diffusa est gratia in labiis tuia.
℣. Eeructavit cor meum verbum bonum; dico ego opera mea Regi: lingua mea calamus scribæ velociter scribentis.
Alleluia, alleluia.
℣. Dominus regnavit, decorem induit: induit Dominus fortitudinem, et præcinxit se virtute. Alleluia.

Thou art beautiful above the sons of men: grace is poured abroad in thy lips.
℣. My heart hath uttered a good word; I speak my works to the King: my tongue is the pen of a scrivener, that writeth swiftly.
Alleluia, alleluia.
℣. The Lord hath reigned: he hath clothed himself with beauty: he hath clothed himself with strength, and armed himself with might. Alleluia.

Gospel

Sequel of the holy Gospel according to St. Luke. Ch. ii.

At that time: Joseph, and Mary, the Mother of Jesus, were wondering at those things which were spoken concerning him. And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary his mother: Behold this child is set for the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted; And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed. And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser; she was far advanced in years, and had lived with her husband seven years from her virginity. And she was a widow until fourscore and four years; who departed not from the temple, by fastings and prayers serving night and day. Now she, at the same hour, coming in, confessed to the Lord; and spoke of him to all that looked for the redemption of Israel. And after they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their city Nazareth. And the child grew, and waxed strong, full of wisdom; and the grace of God was in him.

The passage of the Gospel selected for this Mass, though bearing on the Divine Infancy, yet gives us, and we may almost say prematurely, the terrible prophecy of Simeon regarding the dear Babe of Bethlehem. The heart of Mary that was overflowing with joy at the miraculous Birth of her Child is here made to feel the sword spoken of by the venerable Priest of the temple. Her Son, then, is to be but a sign that shall be contradicted! The mystery of man’s being adopted by God is to cost this Child of hers his life!—We that are the Redeemed in his Blood, we may not yet dwell on the fatigues and the Passion and Death of our Emmanuel; the time will come for that; at present, we are forbidden to think of Him other than the sweet Child that is born to us, and the source of all our happiness, by his having come among us. Let us catch up the words of Anna, who calls him the Redemption of Israel. Let our eye delight in the sight of the earth regenerated by the birth of its Savior. Let us admire and study well this Jesus newly born among us, and adore, in humble love, the wisdom and grace that are in him.

During the Offertory, the Church celebrates the wonderful renovation wrought in the world, a renovation which saved it from destruction. She sings the praises of the great God who came down into the poor Stable of Bethlehem, yet left not his eternal throne.

Offertory

Deus firmavit orbem terræ, qui non commovebitur; parata sedes tua, Deus, ex tunc: a seculo tu es.

God hath established the world, which shall not be moved; thy throne, O God, is prepared from of old; thou art from everlasting.

Secret

Concede, quæsumus, omnipotens Deus; ut oculis tuæ majestatis munus oblatum, et gratiam nobis piæ devotionis obtineat, et effectum beatæ perennitatis acquirat. Per Dominum.

Grant, we beseech thee, O Almighty God, that this sacrifice, offered to thy divine majesty, may obtain for us the grace of true devotion, and a happy eternity. Through, &c.

Commemoration of Christmas Day

Oblata, Domine, munera, nova Unigeniti tui Nativitate sanctifica, nosque a peccatorum nostrorum maculis emunda.

Sanctify, O Lord, our offerings by the new Birth of thine Only Begotten Son, and cleanse us from the stains of our sins.

Commemoration of St. Stephen

Suscipe, Domine, munera, pro tuorum commemoratione Sanctorum: ut sicut illos passio gloriosos effecit, ita nos devotio reddat innocuos.

Receive, O Lord, these offerings in memory of thy Saints: and as their sufferings have made them glorious, so may our devotion render us free from sin.

Commemoration of St. John

Suscipe, Domine, munera, quæ in ejus non tibi solmenitate deferimus, cujus nos confidimus patrocinio liberari. Per Dominum.

Receive, O Lord, the offerings we make to thee on this feast, by whose intercession, we hope to be delivered. Through, &c.


In the Communion-Anthem, we again hear the voice of Rachel’s lamentation. Now that the Church has been nourished by the mystery of divine charity, she could not forget the affliction of the mothers of her dear Innocents. She compassionates them all through her Office, and turns to Him who alone can comfort them that are in sorrow.

Communion

Vox in Rama audita est, ploratus et ululatus: Rachel plorans filios suos; et noluit consolari, quia non sunt.

A voice in Rama was heard, lamentation and great mourning: Rachel bewailing her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

Postcommunion

Votiva, Domina, dona percepimus: quæ Sanctorum nobis precibus, et præsentis quæsumus vitæ, pariter et æternæ tribue conferre subsidium. Per Dominum.

Now we have partaken, O Lord, of the votive offerings: grant, we beseech thee, that by the prayers of thy Saints, they may procure us the helps of this present life, and those of that which is to come. Through, &c.

Commemoration of Christmas Day

Præsta, quæsumus, omnipotens Deus: ut natus hodie Salvator mundi, sicut divinæ nobis generationis est auctor, ita et immortalitatis sit ipse largitor.

Grant, we beseech thee, O Almighty God, that as the Savior of the world, who was born this day, procured for us a divine birth, he may, also, bestow on us immortality.

Commemoration of St. Stephen

Auxilientur nobis, Domine, sumpta mysteria, et intercedente beato Stephano, Martyre tuo, sempiterna protectione confirment.

May the mysteries we have received, O Lord, be a help to us, and, by the intercession of the blessed Martyr Stephen, strengthen us with thy perpetual protection.

Commemoration of St. John

Refecti cibo potuque cœlesti, Deus noster, te supplices deprecamur, ut in cujus hæc commemoratione percepimus, ejus muniamur et precibus. Per Dominum.

Being refreshed, O Lord, with this heavenly meat and drink, we humbly beseech thee, that we may be assisted by his prayers, on whose feast we have received these sacred mysteries. Through, &c.


The words chanted by the Church at the Communion are those spoken by the Angel to St. Joseph. She has given this Divine Infant to her Faithful children in holy Communion, in order that they may carry him in their hearts, and bids them guard him against the snares laid for him by his and their enemies. Let the Christian, therefore, take heed lest Jesus should be taken from him. Let him, by strict watchfulness and by good works, crush the tyrant sin that seeks the life of the Divine Guest of his soul. It is for this reason that in the Postcommunion, the Church prays that our vices may be destroyed, and our desires for a virtuous life be blessed.

COMMUNION

Take the Child and his Mother, and go in to the land of Israel: for they are dead, who sought the life of the Child.

POSTCOMMUNION

May the efficacy of this sacrament, O Lord, cleanse us from our sins, and obtain for us the accomplishment of our just desires. Through, etc.

The Commemorations of the four Octaves are given in the Mass of the Holy Innocents.

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VESPERS

If December 30th be kept as the Sunday in the Octave of Christmas, Vespers are as follows:

The Antiphons and Psalms are those of Christmas Day; after which the Office is of St. Sylvester, Pope and Confessor.

CAPITULUM (Gal. iv)

Brethren: As long as the heir is a child, he differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all: but is under tutors and governors, until the time appointed by the father.

HYMN

Jesu Redemptor omnium.

℣. The Word was made flesh. Alleluia.
℟. And dwelt among us. Alleluia.

ANTIPHON OF THE MAGNIFICAT

ANT. The child Jesus increased in age and wisdom before God and men.

LET US PRAY

O Almighty and eternal God, regulate our actions according to they divine will: that in the name of thy beloved Son we may abound in good works. Who liveth, etc.

Commemoration of St Sylvester, Pope

ANT. Priest and Pontiff, and worker of virtuous deeds, good Shepherd of thy people, pray for us to the Lord.
℣. The Lord loved him and adorned him.
℟. And hath clothed him in a robe of glory.

LET US PRAY

Grant, we beseech thee, O Almighty God, that the venerable solemnity of blessed Sylvester, thy Confessor and Bishop, may improve our devotion, and strengthen in us the hopes of salvation. Through, etc.

Commemoration of Christmas Day

Ant. This day, Christ is born; this day, the Saviour hath appeared; this day, the Angels sing on earth; the Archangels rejoice; this day, the just exult, saying: Glory be to God in the highest, alleluia.

℣. The Lord hath made know, alleluia.
℟. His salvation, alleluia.

LET US PRAY

Grant, we beseech thee, O Almighty God, that we who groan under the old captivity of sin, may be freed therefrom by the new Birth of thine Only Begotten Son.

 

Commemoration of St Thomas of Canterbury

℣. The just man shall flourish like the palm-tree
℟. He shall grow up like the cedar of Libanus.

Ant. He that willeth to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

LET US PRAY

O God, in defence of whose Church, the glorious Prelate Thomas fell by the swords of wicked men; grant, we beseech thee, that all who implore his assistance, may find comfort in the grant of their petition. Through &c.

 

Commemoration of St Stephen

Ant. Devout men buried Stephen, and made great mourning over him.

LET US PRAY

Grant, O Lord, we beseech thee, that we may imitate him whose memory we celebrate, so as to learn to love even our enemies; because we now solemnise his martyrdom, who knew how to pray, even for his persecutors, to our Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son. Who liveth, &c.

 

Commemoration of St John

Ant. There went abroad among the brethren this saying, that that disciple should not die: and Jesus did not say to him: He should not die; but: So I will have him to remain till I come.

LET US PRAY

Mercifully, O Lord, enlighten thy Church; that being taught by blessed John, thine Apostle and Evangelist, she may come tothy eternal rewards. Through, &c.

Commemoration of Holy Innocents

Ant. Innocent Infants were slain for Christ; children at the breast were murdered by a wicked king: they follow the spotless Lamb himself, and say ever: Glory be to thee, O Lord.

℣. Beneath the throne of God, all the saints cry out:
℟. O God, avenge thou our blood.

LET US PRAY

O God, whose praise the holy Martyrs, the Innocents, published this day, not by speaking but by dying; mortify in us all our vicious inclinations: that we may show forth, in our actions, thy faith, which we profess with our lips.


 

But if the Sunday in the Octave be kept on December 31, Vespers are as above, except that the Antiphon to the Magnificat is Dum medium silentum; commemorations are made of St Sylvester and of the Octave of Christmas.

On this the sixth day since the Birth of our Emmanuel, let us consider how the Divine Infant lies in the Crib of a Stable, and is warmed by the breath of the Ox and the Ass, as Isaias had foretold: The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib; but Israel hath not known one. (Isaiah 1:3) Thus does the great God enter that world, which his own hands have created! The dwellings of men are refused him, for man has a hard heart for his God, and an indifference which is a real contempt. The only shelter he can find to be born in, is a stable; and that necessitates his coming into the world in the company of poor dumb brutes.

At all events, these animals are his own work. When he created the irrational world of living things, he subjected it, as the inferior part of creation, to Man; and Man was to ennoble it, by referring it to the Creator. When Adam sinned, this subjection, this harmony, was broken. The Apostle teaches us, that the brute creation is not insensible to the degradation thus forced upon it by sinful Man. (Romans 8:19-20) It obeys him with reluctance; it not unfrequently rebels against and deservedly punishes him; and on the day of judgment, it will take the side of its Creator, and avenge itself of that wickedness, of which Man has made it the unwilling instrument. (Wisdom 5:21)
In the mystery of his Birth, the Son of God visits this part of his creation; men refused to receive him, and he accepts the hospitality of the dwelling of brutes. It is from their dwelling that he begins the divine career of the Three-and-Thirty years. The first human beings he invites into the company of his blessed Mother and his dear St. Joseph, the first he admits into the Stable to see and adore himself, are Shepherds, who were busy watching their flocks, and whose simple hearts have not been corrupted by the atmosphere of cities.

The Ox — which, as we learn from Ezechiel (Ezekiel 1:10) and St. John, (Apocalypse 4:7) is one of the symbolic creatures standing round God’s throne — is the figure of the sacrifices of the Old Law. The blood of oxen has flowed in torrents upon the altar of the Temple: it was the imperfect and material offering prescribed to be made to God, until he should send the True Victim. The Infant Jesus, who lies in the Crib, is that Victim, and St. Paul tells us what he says to his Eternal Father: Sacrifices, and Oblations, and Holocausts for sin, thou wouldst not have, neither are they pleasing to thee; behold, I come! (Hebrews 10:8-9)

The Prophet Zachary, (Zacharias 9:9, Matthew 21:5) foretelling the peaceful triumph of the Meek King, says that he will make his entry into Sion riding upon an Ass. We shall assist, further on in the year, at the accomplishment of this prophecy. Now that we are at Bethlehem, in our Christmas mystery, let us observe how the heavenly Father places his Divine Son between the instrument of his peaceful triumph, and the symbol of his Sacrifice on Calvary.

Ah! dear Jesus! Creator of heaven and earth how strange is this thy entrance into thine own world! The whole universe should have given thee a welcome of love and adoration — and yet, what motionless indifference! Not one house to take thee in ! Men buried in sleep! And when Mary had placed thee in the Crib, thy first sight was that of two poor animals, the slaves of him who proudly rejected thee! Yet, this sight did not displease thee — for, thou dost not despise the work of thy hands. What afflicts thy loving Heart, is the presence of sin in our souls, the sight of that enemy of thine, which has so often caused thee to suffer. Oh! hateful sin! we renounce it, and wish, dear Jesus, to acknowledge thee for our Lord and Master, as did the Ox and the Ass. We will unite in that hymn of praise, which creation is ever sending up to thee, by henceforth adding to it the homage of our adoration and gratitude; nay, we will lend speech to nature, and give it soul, and sanctify it, by referring all creatures to thy service.

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The following Prose is the composition of Adam of Saint-Victor, and is one of the most mystical of the Sequences in the Missals of the Middle-Ages. It will serve us as a further tribute of praise to the Divine Infant.

SEQUENCE

He that is the brightness of the Father, and his figure, taking to himself the likeness and nature of man,
Gave fruitfulness to the Virgin, who became Mother, not by nature, but by his divine power.

The old Adam is at length made glad, and may sing a new canticle;
And he that was a fugitive and captive, may now come before the world.

Eve brought forth sadness to mankind; Mary, the glad Virgin, brought forth the Fruit of Life.
Neither did she thereby lose the treasure of virginity.

Hold a dew-wet crystal up to the sun; the spark glitters through,
Yet breaks not the crystal: so in the Birth of Jesus, it injured naught of the Mother’s purity.

Law and Nature stood wondering at that divine Birth, and reason was confounded.
Yea, the Birth of Christ is an ineffable mystery — so full of love, and so humble!

Aaron’s sapless branch yields leaf and flower and almond: so does the chaste Virgin her Child, the Son of God.
Gedeon’s fleece bears the dew from heaven; the creature bears the creature’s ransom — the Creator.

The leaf and flower, the almond and the dew, are mystic emblems of our Saviour’s love.
Jesus is the Leaf, that shades us; the sweet Flower, that regales us; the Almond-nut, that feeds us; the Dew, that waters us with heavenly grace.

Why is it, that the Virgin’s delivery should be a stumbling-block to the Jews? Have they forgotten the dry branch of Aaron, how it bore the almonds?
Let us once more contemplate the almond-nut; for, viewed in its true light, it is the mystic emblem of Him that is the Light.

It unites in itself three things, and all three it gives to man: unction, light, and food.
Jesus is the Almond-Nut. The rind is the cross and passion he endured in the Flesh: the shell is his Body — his Flesh and Bones.

The Divinity and the sweetness of Jesus, which are sheathed within the Flesh, are figured by the kernel.
Jesus is Light to the blind, and unction to the sick, and soothing to holy souls.

O how sweet a Sacrament! He changes his Flesh, that lies as hay in the manger, into the Wheat of the elect.
Give us, O Jesus! whom thou now feedest with thyself under the Sacramental veils, to be satiated with the sight of thy holy Face in heaven.

O Brightness of the Father, co-eternal with him! take us hence to the joys of thy Father’s glory. Amen.


We borrow from the Syrian Church the following stanzas of one of its Hymns, written by her sublime Poet, St. Ephrem, the Deacon of Edessa.

HYMN

By what name, O Lord Jesus! shall we call Mary thy Mother? A Virgin? Yet, all on thee, her Son. Must we call her a Spouse? Yet we know she was not such as men would call a Spouse.

And now if thy Mother exceed the mind and understanding of all men; — who shall think himself able to reach Thee, Jesus? Mary is thy Mother, if I think of her as she stands alone: if I think of her in what she has in common with other women, she is thy Sister.

Yea, she was made thy Mother; and she is, too, thy Sister and thy Spouse, in the company of other holy women. How truly art thou thy Mother’s glory, who hast given her every kind of glory!

She was thy Spouse, before thou earnest into the world; and when thou didst come, she conceived thee in a supernatural way, and in the same did she give birth to thee, herself remaining a pure Virgin.

Mary had the prerogatives of other mothers, without their humiliations. She conceived thee, but was a Virgin; she fed thee at her breasts, but was a Virgin. It was thy bidding, O Jesus ! and at once, the purest Virgin was the perfect Mother.

She carries thee in her arms, and refreshed with the lovely sight of her Jesus, she feels no weight. She gives thee food, for thou didst will to hunger; she gives thee drink, for thou didst will to thirst. And when she willed to press thee to her heart, thy love did temper down the burning fire of thine infinite perfection, that she might fondle thee and live.

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A reminder ...