| White | Double of the Second Class with Simple Octave |
NEAREST TO JESUS’ CRIB after Stephen, stands John, the Apostle and Evangelist. It was only right that the first place should be assigned to him who so loved his God that he shed his blood in his service; for, as this God himself declares, greater love than this hath no man, that he lay down his life for his friends, and Martyrdom has ever been counted, by the Church, as the greatest act of love, and as having, consequently, the power of remitting sins, like a second Baptism. But next to the sacrifice of Blood, the noblest, the bravest, and which most wins the heart of Him who is the Spouse of souls, is the sacrifice of Virginity. Now, just as St. Stephen is looked upon as the type of Martyrs, St. John is honored as the Prince of Virgins. Martyrdom won for Stephen the Crown and palm; Virginity merited for John most singular prerogatives which, while they show how dear to God is holy Chastity, put this Disciple among those who, by their dignity and influence, are above the rest of men.
St. John was of the family of David, as was our Blessed Lady. He was, consequently, a relation of Jesus. This same honor belonged to St. James the Greater, his Brother; as also to St. James the Less, and St. Jude, both Sons of Alpheus. When our Saint was in the prime of his youth, he left not only his boat and nets, not only his Father Zebedee, but even his betrothed, when everything was prepared for the marriage. He followed Jesus, and never once looked back. Others were Disciples or Apostles, John was the Friend, of Jesus. The cause of this our Lord’s partiality was, as the Church tells us in the Liturgy, that John had offered his Virginity to the Man-God. Let us, on this his Feast, enumerate the graces and privileges that came to St. John from his being The Disciple whom Jesus loved.
This very expression of the Gospel, which the Evangelist repeats several times—The Disciple whom Jesus loved—says more than any commentary could do. St. Peter, it is true, was chosen by our Divine Lord to be the Head of the Apostolic College, and the Rock whereon the Church was to be built: he, then, was honored most; but St. John was loved most. Peter was bid to love more than the rest loved, and he was able to say, in answer to Jesus’ thrice repeated question, that he did love him in this highest way: and yet, notwithstanding, John was more loved by Jesus than was Peter himself, because his Virginity deserved this special mark of honor.
Chastity of soul and body brings him who possesses it into a sacred nearness and intimacy with God. Hence it was that at the Last Supper—that Supper which was to be renewed on our Altars, to the end of the world, in order to cure our spiritual infirmities, and give life to our souls—John was placed near to Jesus, nay, was permitted, as the tenderly loved Disciple, to lean his head upon the Breast of the Man-God. Then it was that he was filled, and from their very Fountain, with Light and Love: it was both a recompense and a favor, and became the source of two signal graces which make St. John an object of special reverence to the whole Church.
Divine wisdom wishing to make known to the world the Mystery of the Word, and commit to Scripture those profound secrets which, so far, no pen of mortal had been permitted to write—the task was put upon John. Peter had been crucified, Paul had been beheaded, and the rest of the Apostles had laid down their lives in testimony of the Truths they had been sent to preach to the world; John was the only one left in the Church. Heresy had already begun its blasphemies against the Apostolic Teachings; it refused to admit the Incarnate Word as the Son of God, Consubstantial to the Father. John was asked by the Churches to speak, and he did so in language heavenly above measure. His Divine Master had reserved to this his Virgin-Disciple the honor of writing those sublime Mysteries which the other Apostles had been commissioned only to teach—THE WORD WAS GOD, and this WORD WAS MADE FLESH for the salvation of mankind. Thus did our Evangelist soar, like the Eagle, up to the Divine Sun, and gaze upon Him with undazzled eye, because his heart and senses were pure, and therefore fitted for such vision of the uncreated Light. If Moses, after having conversed with God in the cloud, came from the divine interview with rays of miraculous light encircling his head—how radiant must have been the face of St. John, which had rested on the very Heart of Jesus, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge! how sublime his writings! how divine his teaching! Hence, the symbol of the Eagle, shown to the Prophet Ezechiel, and to St. John himself in his Revelations, has been assigned to him by the Church: and to this title of The Eagle has been added, by universal tradition, the other beautiful name of Theologian.
This was the first recompense given by Jesus to his Beloved John—a profound penetration into divine Mysteries. The second was the imparting to him a most ardent charity, which was equally a grace consequent upon his angelic purity, for purity unburdens the soul from grovelling egotistic affections, and raises it to a chaste and generous love. John had treasured up in his heart the Discourses of his Master: he made them known to the Church, and especially that divine one of the Last Supper, wherein Jesus had poured forth his whole Soul to his own, whom he had always tenderly loved, but most so at the end. He wrote his Epistles, and Charity is his subject: God is Charity—he that loveth not, knoweth not God—perfect Charity casteth out fear—and so on throughout, always on Love. During the rest of his life, even when so enfeebled by old age as not to be able to walk, he was forever insisting upon all men loving each other, after the example of God, who had loved them, and so loved them! Thus, he that had announced more clearly than the rest of the Apostles the divinity of the Incarnate Word, was by excellence the Apostle of that divine Charity which Jesus came to enkindle upon the earth.
But our Lord had a further gift to bestow, and it was sweetly appropriate to the Virgin-Disciple. When dying on his cross, Jesus left Mary upon this earth. Joseph had been dead now some years. Who, then, shall watch over his Mother? who is there worthy of the charge? Will Jesus send his Angels to protect and console her?—for surely, what man could ever merit to be to her as a second Joseph? Looking down, he sees the Virgin-Disciple standing at the foot of the Cross: we know the rest, John is to be Mary’s Son—Mary is to be John’s Mother. Oh! wonderful Chastity, that wins from Jesus such an inheritance as this! Peter, says St. Peter Damian, shall have left to him the Church, the Mother of men; but John shall receive Mary, the Mother of God, whom he will love as his own dearest Treasure, and to whom he will stand in Jesus’ stead; while Mary will tenderly love John, her Jesus’ Friend, as her Son.
Can we be surprised after this that St. John is looked upon by the Church as one of her greatest glories? He is a Relative of Jesus in the flesh; he is an Apostle, a Virgin, the Friend of the Divine Spouse, the Eagle, the Theologian, the Son of Mary; he is an Evangelist, by the history he has given of the Life of his Divine Master and Friend; he is a Sacred Writer, by the three Epistles he wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost; he is a Prophet, by his mysteries Apocalypse, wherein are treasured the secrets of time and eternity. But is he a Martyr? Yes, for if he did not complete his sacrifice, he drank the Chalice of Jesus when, after being cruelly scourged, he was thrown into a caldron of boiling oil, before the Latin Gate, at Rome. He was, therefore, a Martyr in desire and intention, though not in fact. If our Lord, wishing to prolong a life so dear to the Church, as well as to show how he loves and honors Virginity, miraculously stayed the effects of the frightful punishment, St. John had, on his part, unreservedly accepted Martyrdom.
Such is the companion of Stephen at the Crib, wherein lies our Infant Jesus. If the Protomartyr dazzles us with the robes he wears of the bright scarlet of his own blood—is not the virginal whiteness of John’s vestment fairer than the untrod snow? The spotless beauty of the Lilies of Mary’s adopted Son, and the bright vermilion of Stephen’s Roses—what is there more lovely than their union? Glory, then, be to our New-Born King, whose court is tapestried with such heaven-made colors as these! Yes, Bethlehem’s Stable is a very heaven on earth, and we have seen its transformation. First, we saw Mary and Joseph alone there—they were adoring Jesus in his Crib; then, immediately, there descended a heavenly host of Angels singing the wonderful Hymn; the Shepherds soon followed, the humble simple-hearted Shepherds; after these, entered Stephen the Crowned, and John the Beloved Disciple; and even before there enters the pageant of the devout Magi, we shall have others coming in, and there will be, each day, grander glory in the Cave, and gladder joy in our hearts. Oh! this Birth of our Jesus! Humble as it seems, yet how divine! What King or Emperor ever received, in his gilded cradle, honors like these shown to the Babe of Bethlehem? Let us unite our homage with that given him by these the favored inmates of his court. Yesterday, the sight of the Palm in Stephen’s hand animated us, and we offered to our Jesus the promise of a stronger Faith: today the Wreath that decks the brow of the Beloved Disciple breathes upon the Church the heavenly fragrance of Virginity—an intenser love of Purity must be our resolution, and our tribute to the Lamb.
MASS.—The Church commences her chants of the holy Sacrifice with words taken from the Book of Ecclesiasticus, which she applies to St. John. Our Lord has proclaimed his mysteries to the Church, by the teaching of his Beloved Disciple. He favored him with his divine intimacy, which filled him with the spirit of wisdom. He clad him with a robe of glory in reward for his virginal purity.
| INTROIT | |
| In medio Ecclesiæ aperuit os ejus; et implevit eum Dominus Spiritu sapientiæ et intellectus; stolam gloriæ induit eum. | He opened his mouth in the midst of the Church, and the Lord filled him with the spirit of wisdom: he clad him with a robe of glory. |
| Ps. Bonum est confiteri Domino, et psallere nomini tuo, Altissime. | Ps. It is good to give praise to the Lord, and to sing to thy name, O Most High. |
| ℣. Gloria. In medio. | ℣. Glory, &c. He opened. |
In the Collect, the Church asks for the Light, that is, for the Word of God, of whom St. John was the propagator by his sublime writings. She aspires to the eternal possession of this Emmanuel, who is come to enlighten the world, and who has revealed to his Beloved Disciple the secrets of heaven.
| COLLECT | |
| Ecclesiam tuam, Domine, benignus illustra: ut beati Joannis, Apostoli tui et Evangelistæ, illuminata doctrinis, ad dona perveniat sempiterna. Per Dominum. | Mercifully, O Lord, enlighten thy Church: that being taught by blessed John, thine Apostle and Evangelist, she may come to thy eternal rewards. Through, &c. |
| Commemoration of Christmas Day | |
| Concede, quæsumus, omnipotens Deus, ut nos Unigeniti tui nova per carnem nativitas ilberet, quos sub peccati jugo vetusta servitus tenet. | 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. Stephen | |
| Da nobis, quæsumus, Domine, imitari quod colimus: ut discamus et inimicos diligere, quia ejus natalitia celebramus, qui novit etiam pro persecutoribus exorare Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium tuum. Qui tecum. | 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 solemnize his martyrdom who knew how to pray, even for his persecutors, to our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son. Who liveth, &c. |
| EPISTLE | |
| LECTIO LIBRI SAPIENTIÆ. | LESSON from the BOOK of WISDOM. |
| Cap. XV | Ch. XV |
| Qui timet Deum faciet bona, et qui continens est justitiæ apprehendet illam: et obviabit illi quasi mater honorificata, et quasi mulier a virginitate suscipiet illum. Cibabit illum pane vitae et intellectus, et aqua sapientiæ salutaris potabit illum: et firmabitur in illo, et non flectetur: et continebit illum, et non confundetur: et exaltabit illum apud proximos suos, et in medio ecclesiæ aperiet os ejus, et adimplebit illum spiritu sapientiæ et intellectus, et stola gloriae vestiet illum. Jucunditatem et exsultationem thesaurizabit super illum, et nomine æterno hæreditabit illum. | He that feareth God, will do good: and he that possesseth justice, shall lay hold on her, And she will meet him as an honourable mother, and will receive him as a wife married of a virgin. With the bread of life and understanding, she shall feed him, and give him the water of wholesome wisdom to drink: and she shall be made strong in him, and he shall not be moved: And she shall hold him fast, and he shall not be confounded: and she shall exalt him among his neighbours. And in the midst of the church she shall open his mouth, and shall fill him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding, and shall clothe him with a robe of glory. She shall heap upon him a treasure of joy and gladness, and shall cause him to inherit an everlasting name. |
The Wisdom here spoken of, is Jesus the Eternal Word, who came to St. John and called him to the Apostolate. The Bread of life wherewith she fed him is the divine Bread of the Last Supper, the Body and Blood of Jesus; the wholesome Water is that promised by our Savior to the Samaritan Woman, and of which St. John drank so abundantly from its very source, when he rested his head on the Heart of Jesus. The immovable Strength is the Saint’s close and resolute custody of the treasure of his Virginity, and the courageous profession of the religion of Christ before the Proconsuls of Domitian. The Treasure which Wisdom heaped upon him is the magnificence of the prerogatives granted to him. Lastly, the everlasting Name is that glorious title given him of John the Beloved Disciple.
| GRADUAL | |
| Exiit sermo inter fratres, quod disciplus ille non moriter; et non dixit Jesus: Non moritur; | A report was spread among the brethren, that that Disciple should not die; but Jesus said not: He should not die; |
| ℣. Sed: Sic eu ovlo manere, donec veniam; tu me sequere. | ℣. But: So I will have him remain till I come; follow thou me. |
| Alleluia, alleluia. | Alleluia, alleluia. |
| ℣. Hic est discipulus ille, qui testimonium perhibet de his; et scimus quia verum est testimonium ejus. Alleluia. | ℣. This is the Disciple that beareth testimony of these things; and we know his testimony is true. Alleluia. |
| GOSPEL | |
| SEQUENTIA SANCTI EVANGELII SECUNDUM JOANNEM. | SEQUEL of the HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING to JOHN. |
| CAP. XXI. | CH. XXI. |
| In illo tempore: dixit Jesus Petro: Sequere me. Conversus Petrus vidit illum discipulum, quem diligebat Jesus, sequentem, qui et recubuit in cœna super pectus ejus, et dixit: Domine, quis est qui tradet te? Hunc ergo cum vidisset Petrus, dixit Jesu: Domine, hic autem quid? Dicit ei Jesus: Sic eum volo manere donec veniam, quid ad te? tu me sequere. Exiit ergo sermo iste inter fratres quia discipulus ille non moritur. Et non dixit ei Jesus: Non moritur, sed: Sic eum volo manere donec veniam, quid ad te? Hic est discipulus ille qui testimonium perhibet de his, et scripsit haec: et scimus quia verum est testimonium ejus. | At that time: Jesus said to Peter: Follow me. Peter turning about, saw that disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also leaned on his breast at supper, and said: Lord, who is he that shall betray thee? Him therefore when Peter had seen, he saith to Jesus: Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith to him: So I will have him to remain till I come, what is it to thee? follow thou me. This saying therefore went abroad among the brethren, 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, what is it to thee? This is that disciple who giveth testimony of these things, and hath written these things; and we know that his testimony is true. |
This passage of the holy Gospel has been much commented upon. Some of the Fathers and Commentators interpret it as signifying that St. John was to be exempt from death, and that he is still living in the flesh, awaiting the coming of the Judge of the living and the dead. It is certain that this opinion regarding our Apostle has been entertained; and one of the arguments in its favor was this passage. But the general opinion of the Holy Fathers is that nothing further is implied by it than the difference between the two vocations of St. Peter and St. John. The former shall follow his divine Master by dying, like him, on the cross; the latter shall remain—he shall live to a venerable old age—and at length, Jesus shall come and take him out of this world by sending him a sweet and peaceful death.
During the Offertory, the Church makes a remembrance of the flourishing Palms which grew up around the Beloved Disciple; she tells us of the all the spiritual children he had trained, and of the Churches he had founded; all which, like young cedars round the venerable parent-tree on Libanus, multiplied under the fostering care of their Father.
| OFFERTORY | |
| Justus ut palma florebit; sicut cedrus, quæ in Libano est muliplicabitur. | The just shall flourish, like the palm tree; he shall grow up like the cedar of Libanus. |
| SECRET | |
| Suscipe, Domine, munera quæ in ejus tibi solemnitate 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. |
| 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. Per Dominum. | Receive, O Lord, these offerings in memory of thy Saint; and as their sufferings have made them glorious, so may our devotion render us free from sin. Through, &c. |
The Preface, as in “Season of Christmas”: but on the Octave Day it is as below:
| PREFACE (For the Octave Day) |
|
| Vere dignum et justum est æquum et salutare, te Domine suppliciter exorare, ut gregem tuum, Pastor æterne, non deseras, sed per beatos Apostolos tuos continua protections custodias. Ut iisdem rectoribus gubernetur, quos operis tui vicarios eidem contulisti præesse Pastores. Et ideo cum Angelis et Archangelis, cum Thronis et Dominationibus, cumque omni militia cœlestis exercitus, hymnum gloriæ tuæ canimus, sine fine dicentes: Sanctus, &c. | It is truly meet and just, right and available to salvation, humbly to beseech thee, that thou, O Lord, our eternal Shepherd, wouldst not forsake thy flock, but keep it under thy continual protection, by thy blessed Apostles. That it may be governed by those whom thou hast appointed its vicars and pastors. And therefore with the Angels and Archangels, with the Thrones and Dominations, and with all the heavenly host, we sing an everlasting hymn to thy glory, saying: Holy, &c. |
The mysterious words of the Gospel are repeated in the Communion, that is, at the moment when Priest and people have partaken of the Victim of salvation, they convey this teaching—that he who eats of this Bread, though he must die the death of the body, will yet live for the coming of the supreme Judge and Rewarder.
| COMMUNION | |
| Exiit sermo inter fratres quod disciplus ille non moritur. Et non dixit Jesus: Non moritur; sed: Sic eum volo manere donec veniam. | A report was spread among the brethren, that that disciple should not die. But Jesus said not: He should not die; but: So will I that he remain till I come. |
| POSTCOMMUNION | |
| 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. |
| 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. Per Dominum. | 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. Through, &c. |
Beloved Disciple of the Babe of Bethlehem!—how great is thy happiness! how wonderful is the reward given to thy love and thy purity! In thee was fulfilled that word of thy Master: Blessed are the clean of heart; for they shall see God. Not only didst thou see this God-Man—thou wast his Friend, and on his Bosom didst rest thy head. John the Baptist trembles at having to bend the head of Jesus under the water of Jordan; Magdalene, though assured by his own lips that her pardon was perfect as her love, yet dares not raise her head, but keeps clinging to his feet; Thomas scarce presumes to obey him when he bids him put his finger into his wounded Side;—and thou, in the presence of all the Apostles, sittest close to Him, leaning thy head upon his Breast! Nor is it only Jesus in his Humanity that thou seest and possessest; but, because thy heart is pure, thou soarest, like an eagle, up to the Sun of Justice, and fixest thine eye upon him in the light inaccessible, wherein he dwelleth eternally with the Father and the Holy Ghost.
Thus was rewarded the fidelity wherewith thou didst keep intact for Jesus the precious treasure of thy Purity. And now, O worthy favorite of the great King! forget not us poor sinners. We believe and confess the Divinity of the Incarnate Word, whom thou hast evangelized unto us; but we desire to draw nigh to him during this holy season, now that he shows himself so desirous of our company, so humble, so full of love, so dear a Child, and so poor! Alas! our sins keep us back; our heart is not pure like thine; we have need of a Patron to introduce us to our Master’s Crib. Thou, O Beloved Disciple of the Emmanuel! thou must procure us this happiness. Thou hast shown us the Divinity of the Word in the bosom of the Eternal Father; lead us now to this same Word made flesh. Under thy patronage, Jesus will permit us to enter into the Stable, to stand near his Crib, to see with our eyes, and touch with our hands, this sweet Fruit of eternal Life. May it be granted us to contemplate the sweet Face of Him, that is our Savior and thy Friend; to feel the throbs of that Heart, which loves both thee and us—and which thou didst see wounded by the Spear, on Calvary. It is good for us to fix ourselves here near the Crib of our Jesus, and share in the graces he there lavishes, and learn, as thou didst, the grand lesson of this Child’s simplicity:—thy prayers must get us all this.
Then too, as Son and Guardian of Mary, thou hast to present us somewhat of the tender love wherewith she watches over the Crib of her Divine Son; to see in us the Brothers of that Child she bore; and to admit us to a share of the maternal affection she had for thee, the favored confidant of the secrets of her Jesus.
We also pray to thee, O holy Apostle! for the Church of God. She was planted and watered by thy labors, embalmed with the celestial fragrance of thy virtues, and illumined by thy sublime teachings;—pray now, that these graces may bring forth their fruit, and that, to the end in her pilgrimage, faith may be firm, the love of Jesus fervent, and Christian morals pure and holy. Thou tellest us, in thy Gospel, of a saying of thy Divine Master: I will not now call you my Servants, but my Friends: pray, dear Saint, that there may come to this, from our hearts and lips, a response of love and courage, telling our Emmanuel, that, like thyself, we will follow him whithersoever he leads us.
LET US, on this second day after our Divine Infant’s Birth, meditate upon the Sleep he deigns to take. Let us consider how this God of all goodness, who has come down from heaven to invite his creature man to come to him and seek rest for his soul—seeks rest himself in our earthly home, and sanctifies, by his own divine Sleep, that rest, which to us is a necessity. We have just been dwelling, with delighted devotion, on the thought of his offering his Breast as a resting-place for the Beloved Disciple, and for all souls that imitate John in their love and devotedness: now, let us look at this our God, sweetly sleeping in his humble Crib, or on his Mother’s lap.
St. Alphonsus Liguori, in one of his delicious Canticles, thus describes the sleep of Jesus and the enraptured love of the Mother:
|
Mary sings—the ravish’d heavens Hush the music of their spheres; Soft her voice, her beauty fairer Than the glancing stars appears: While to Jesus slumbering nigh, Thus she sings her lullaby. |
| Sleep my Babe! my God! my Treasure! Gently sleep: but ah! sight With its beauty so transports me I am dying of delight: Thou canst not Thy mother see, Yet thou breathest flames to me. |
| If within your lids unfolded, Slumbering eyes! you see so fair; When upon my gaze you open, How shall I your beauty bear? Ah! I tremble when you wake, Lest my heart with love should break. |
| Cheeks than sweetest roses sweeter, Mouth where lurks a smile divine— Though the kiss my Babe should waken, I must press those lips to mine. Pardon, Dearest, if I say, Mother’s love will take no nay. |
| As she ceased, the gentle Virgin Clasped the Infant to her breast, And upon his radiant forehead Many a loving kiss impress’d: Jesus woke, and on her face Fixed a look of heavenly grace. |
| Ah! that look, those eyes, that beauty, How they pierce the Mother’s heart; Shafts of love from every feature Through her gentle bosom dart. Heart of stone! can I behold Mary’s love, and still be cold? |
| Where, my soul! thy sense, thy reason? When will these delays be o’er? All things else, how fair so ever, Are but smoke:—resist no more! Yes! ’tis done! I yield my arms Captive to those double charms. |
| If, alas, O heavenly beauty! Now so late those charms I learn, Now at least, and ever, ever, With thy love my heart will burn For the Mother and the Child, Rose and Lily undefiled. |
| Plant and fruit, and fruit and blossom, I am theirs, and they are mine; For no other prize I labor, For no other bliss I pine; Love can every pain requite, Love alone is full delight. |
Let us, then, adore the Divine Babe in this state of Sleep, to which he voluntarily subjects himself, and contrast it with the cruel fatigues, which are one day to be His. When he is grown up, and come to the age of manhood, he will go through every toil and suffering in search of us his Lost Sheep. But these first slumbers shall not be troubled by anything of ours, which could pain this loving wakeful Heart; and the Blessed Mother shall not be disturbed in the blissful contemplation of her Sleeping Child, over whom she is, at a future time, to shed such bitter tears. The day is not far distant, when he will say: The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head.
“Christ has had three resting-places,” says Peter of Celles. “The first was in the Bosom of his Eternal Father. He says: I am in the Father, and the Father is in me. What repose could be compared to this, of the Father’s complacency in the Son, and the Son’s complacency in the Father? It is a mutual and ineffable love, and they are happy in the union. But, while maintaining this place of his eternal rest, the Son of God has sought a second, in the womb of the Virgin Mary. He overshadowed her with the Holy Ghost, and slept a long sleep in her chaste womb, while his Body was there being formed. The holy Virgin troubled not the sleep of her Child: she kept all the powers of her soul in a silence like that of heaven; and, rapt in self-contemplation, she heard mysteries which it is not permitted to man to utter. The third resting-place of Christ is in man. Jesus dwells in a heart that is purified by faith, enlarged by charity, raised above Earth by contemplation, and is renewed by the Holy Ghost. Such a heart as this offers to Jesus not an earthly but a heavenly dwelling; and the Child, who is burn unto us, will not refuse to enter it, and take his rest within it.”
To this Eternal Word, made Flesh for our salvation, let us offer up this Hymn of our great ecclesiastical Poet, Prudentius.
| HYMN | |
| Corde natus ex parentis Ante mundi exordium Α et Ω cognominatus: Ipse fons et clausula Omnium quæ sunt, fuerunt, Quæque post futura sunt. |
Born from the bosom of the Father before the world began, his name is Alpha and Omega. He is the beginning and end of all things present, past, and future. |
| Ipse jussit, et creata, Dixit ipse, et facta sunt; Terra, cœlum, fossa ponti, Trina rerum machina, Quæque in his vigent sub alto Solis et lunæ globo. |
He commanded and they were created, he spoke and they were made: earth, heaven, and sea—the triple kingdom—and all things that are in them, under the sun and moon. |
| Corporis formam caduci, Membra morti obnoxia Induit, ne gens periret Primoplasti ex germine, Merserat quem lex profundo Noxialis Tartaro. |
He clothes himself with a frail Body, and with members subject to death; lest the human race, the offspring of Adam, should perish together with their first Parent, whom a terrible sentence had condemned to the depth of hell. |
| O beatus ortus ille, Virgo gum puerpera Edidit nostram salutem, Fœta Sancto Spiritu, Et puer Redemptor orbis Os sacratum protulit. |
O that happy Birth, when a Virgin-Mother, having conceived of the Holy Ghost, brought forth the Child that was our salvation; and the Babe, the Redeemer of the world, showed unto us his divine Face! |
| Psallat altitudo cœli, Psallite, omnes Angeli, Quidquid est virtutis usquam, Psallat in laudem Dei: Nulla linguarum silescat, vos et omnis consonet. |
Let high heaven sing, and sing all ye Angels! Let every living creature sing to the praise of God! Let every tongue proclaim it, and every voice join in the hymn of praise. |
| Ecce quem vates vetustis Concinebant sæculis, Quem Prophetarum fideles Paginæ spoponderant, Emicat promissus olim: Cuncta collaudent eum. |
Behold the Promised Messias, of whom sang the Seers in the ancient times, and whom the Prophets foretold in their truthful oracles! Praise be to him from every creature. |
| Te senes et te juventus, Parvulorum te chorus, Turba matrum, virginumque, Simplices puellulæ, Voce concordes pudicis Perstrepant concentibus. |
May the aged, and the young, and children, mothers, and virgins, and innocent maidens, sing to thee, O Jesus! and with concordant voice chastely hymn thy praise! |
| Fluminum lapsus, et undæ Littorum crepidines, Imber, æstus, nix, pruinæ, Silva, et aura, nox, dies, Omnibus te concelebrnet Sæculorum sæculis. |
May the flowing river and the sea-shore wave, rain and heat, snow and frost, forest and zephyr, day and night, for ever and for ever give thee praise. |
| Amen. | Amen. |
Let us now honor and invoke the ever Blessed and most Merciful Mother of our God, and use the words of this beautiful Hymn of the ancient Roman-French Missals:
| HYMN | |
| Lætare, puerpera, Læto puerperio, Cujus casta viscera Fœcundantur Filio. |
Rejoice, O Virgin-Mother! in thy joy-giving delivery, for thy chaste womb was made fruitful of the very Son of God. |
| Lacte fluunt ubera Cum pudoris lilio; Membra foves tenera, Virgo, lacte proprio. |
O wondrous sight—Jesus feeding from the Lily of Purity! Yea, most pure Virgin, thou feedest at thy breasts his infant life. |
| Patris Unigenitus, Per quem fecit sæcula, Hic degit humanitus, Sub Matre paupercula. |
The Only Begotten of the Father, by whom he made this world, is dwelling here the Babe of a poor Mother. |
| Ibi sanctos reficit Angelos lætitia: Hic sisit et esurit Degens ab infantia. |
There, he is feeding the holy Angels with joy:—here, he is in hunger and thirst, from his cradle. |
| Ibi regit omnia, Hic a Matre regitur: Ibi dat imperia, Hic ancillæ subditur. |
There, he holds all things in subjection:—here, he is in subjection to a Mother. There, he commands:—here, he obeys his Handmaid. |
| Ibi summi culminis Residet in solio; Hac ligatus fasciis Vagit in præsepio. |
There, he is seated on the throne of highest majesty:—here, he is lying swathed and weeping in a manger. |
| O homo! considera, Revocans memoriæ, Quanta sint hæc opera Divinæ clementiæ. |
Think on this, O man! and to thy memory recall these stupendous works of God’s mercy. |
| Non desperes veniam, Si multum deliqueris, Ubi tot insignia charitatis videris. |
and though thy sins be great, yet canst thou not despair, for the proofs thou seest here of Jesus’ love speak but of pardon. |
| Sub Matris refugio Fuge, causa veniæ: Nam tenet in gremio Fontem indulgentiæ. |
Thou wouldst have pardon? fly to the Mother for protection, for she holds on her lap the Infinite Fountain of Mercy. |
| Hanc salutes sæpius Cum spei fiducia, Dicens, flexis genibus: Ave plena gratia. |
Often bend thy knee before her, and, with hopeful love, salute her thus: Hail! full of grace! |
| Quondam flentis lacrymas Sedabas uberibus: Nunc iratum mitigas Pro nostris excessibus. |
As thou, of old, didst feed thy Jesus, and stay his infant tears; so now, dear Mother, appease him angered by our sins. |
| Jesu, lapsos respice, Piæ Matris precibus; Emendatos effice Dignos cœli civibus. |
Hear, O Jesus! thy sweet Mother’s prayers, and, with an eye of pity, look upon us sinners! Correct and change us, and make us worthy to be citizens of heaven. |
| Amen. | Amen. |