Christmas Novena
Hail, and blessed be the hour and moment
At which the Son of God was born
Of a most pure Virgin
At a stable at midnight in Bethlehem
In the piercing cold
At that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee,
To hear my prayers and grant my desires
(mention
request here).
Through Jesus Christ and His most Blessed Mother.
|
|
|
Day One
God's
Love Revealed In His Becoming Man.
Thought:
Because our first parent Adam had rebelled against God, he was
driven out of paradise and brought on himself and all his descendants
the punishment of eternal death. But the son of God, seeing man thus
lost and wishing to save him from death, offered to take upon Himself
our human nature and to suffer death Himself, condemned as a criminal
on a cross. "But, My Son," we may imagine the eternal Father saying to
Him, "think of what a life of humiliations and sufferings Thou wilt
have to lead on earth. Thou wilt have to be born in a cold stable and
laid in a manger, the feeding trough of beasts.
While still an infant, Thou wilt have to flee into Egypt, to escape the
hands of Herod. After Thy return from Egypt, Thou wilt have to live and
work in a shop as a lowly servant, poor and despised. And finally, worn
out with sufferings, Thou wilt have to give up Thy life on a cross, put
to shame and abandoned by everyone." "Father," replies the Son, "all
this matters not. I will gladly bear it all, if only I can save man."
What should we say if a prince, out of compassion for a dead worm, were
to choose to become a worm himself and give his own life blood in order
to restore the worm to life? But the eternal Word has done infinitely
more than this for us. Though He is the sovereign Lord of the world, He
chose to become like us, who are immeasurably more beneath Him than a
worm is beneath a prince, and He was willing to die for us, in order to
win back for us the life of divine grace that we had lost by sin.
When He saw that all the other gifts which He had bestowed on us were
not sufficient to induce us to pray His love with love, He became man
Himself and gave Himself all to us. "The Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us;" "He loved us anddelivered Himself up for us."
Prayer:
O Great Son of God, Thou hast become man in order to make Thyself loved
by men. But where is the love that men give Thee in return?
Thou hast given Thy life blood to save our souls. Why then are we so
unappreciative that, instead of repaying Thee with love, we spurn Thee
with ingratitude? And I, Lord, I myself more than others have thus ill
treated Thee.
But Thy Passion is my hope. For the sake of that love which led Thee to
take upon Thyself human nature and to die for me on the cross, forgive
me all the offenses I have committed against Thee.
I love Thee, O Word Incarnate; I love Thee, O infinite goodness. Out of
love for Thee, that I could die of grief for these offenses. Give me, O
Jesus, Thy love. Let me no longer live in ungrateful forgetfulness of
the love Thou bearest me. I
wish to love Thee always. Grant that I may always preserve in this holy
desire.
O Mary, Mother of God and my Mother, pray for me that thy Son may give
me the grace to love Him always, unto death.
Amen.
|
Second
Day
God's Love Revealed In
His Being Born An Infant.
Thought:
When the Son of God became man for our sake, He could
have come on earth as an adult man from the first moment of of His
human existence, as Adam did when he was created. But since the sight
of little children draws us with an especial attraction to love them,
Jesus chose to make His first appearance on earth as a little infant,
and indeed as the poorest and most pitiful infant that was ever born.
"God wished to be born as a little babe," wrote Saint Peter
Chrysologus, "in order that He might teach us to love and not to fear
Him." The prophet Isaias had long before foretold that the Son of God
was to be born as an infant and thus give Himself to us on account of
the love He bore us: "A child is born to us, a son is given to us."
My Jesus, supreme and true God! What has drawn Thee from heaven to be
born in a cold stable, if not the love which Thou bearest us men? What
has allured Thee from the bosom of Thy Father, to place Thee in a hard
manger? What has brought Thee from Thy throne above the stars, to lay
Thee down on a little straw? What has led Thee from the midst of the
nine choirs of angels, to set Thee between two animals? Thou, who
inflamest the seraphim with holy fire, art now shivering with cold in
this stable! Thou, who settest the stars in the sky in motion, canst
not now move unless others carry Thee in their arms! Thou, who givest
men and beasts their food, has need now a little milk to sustain Thy
life! Thou, who art the joy of heaven, dost now whimper and cry in
suffering! Tell me, who has reduced Thee to such misery? "Love has done
it," says Saint Bernard. The love which Thou bearest us men has brought
all this on Thee.
Prayer:
O Dearest Infant! Tell me, what hast Thou come on earth to do? Tell me,
whom art Thou seeking? Yes, I already know. Thou has come to die for
me, in order to save me from hell. Thou hast come to seek me, the lost
sheep, so that, instead of fleeing from Thee any more, I may rest in
Thy loving arms.
Ah my Jesus, my treasure, my life, my love and my all! Whom will I
love, if not Thee? Where can I find a father, a friend, a spouse more
loving and lovable than Thou art?
I love Thee, my dear God; I love Thee, my only good. I regret the many
years when I have not loved Thee, but rather spurned and offended Thee.
Forgive me, O my beloved Redeemer; for I am sorry that I have thus
treated Thee, and I regret it with all my heart. Pardon me, and give me
the grace never more to withdraw from Thee, but constantly to love Thee
in all the years that still lie before me in this life. My love, I give
myself entirely to Thee; accept me, and do not reject me as I deserve.
O Mary, thou art my advocate. By thy prayers thou dost obtain whatever
thou wilt from thy Son. Pray Him then to forgive me, and to grant me
holy perseverance until death. Amen.
|
Third
Day
The Life Of
Poverty Which Jesus Led From His Birth.
Thought:
God so ordained that, at the time when His Son was to be
born on this earth, the Roman emperor should issue a decree ordering
everyone to go to the place of his origin and there be registered in
the census. Thus it came about that, in obedience to this decree,
Joseph went to Bethlehem together with his virgin wife when she was
soon to have her Child.
Finding no lodging either in the poor inn or in the other houses of the
town, they were forced to spend the night in a cave that was used as a
stable for animals, and it was here that Mary gave birth to the King of
heaven. If Jesus had been born in Nazareth, He would also, it is true,
have been born in poverty; but there He would at least have had a dry
room, a little fire, warm clothes and a more comfortable cradle. Yet He
chose to be born in this cold, damp cave, and to have a manger for a
cradle, with prickly straw for a mattress, in order that He might
suffer for us.
Let us enter in spirit into this cave of Bethlehem, but let us enter in
a spirit of lively faith. If we go there without faith, we shall see
nothing but a poor infant, and the sight of this lovely child shivering
and crying on his rough bed of straw may indeed move us to pity. But if
we enter with faith and consider that this Babe is the very Son, God,
who for love of us has come down on earth and suffers so much to pay
the penalty for our sins, how can we help thanking and loving Him in
return?
Prayer:
O Dear Infant Jesus, how could I be so ungrateful and
offend Thee so often, if I realized how much Thou hast suffered for me?
But these tears which Thou sheddest, this poverty which Thou embracest
for love of me, make me hope for the pardon of all the offenses I have
committed against Thee.
My Jesus, I am sorry for having so often turned my back on Thee. But
now I love Thee above all else. "My God and my all!"
From now on Thou, O my God, shalt be my only treasure and my only good.
With Saint Ignatius of Loyola I will say to Thee, "Give me the grace to
love Thee; that is enough for me." I long for nothing else; I want
nothing else. Thou alone art enough for me, my Jesus, my life, my love.
O Mary, my Mother, obtain for me the grace that I may always love Jesus
and always be loved by Him. Amen.
|
Fourth
Day
The Life Of Humiliation
Which Jesus Led From His Birth.
Thought:
The Sign which the angel gave the shepherds to help them find the
newborn Savior, points to His lowliness: "This shall be a sign to you:
you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a
manger." No other newborn baby who was wrapped in poor swaddling
clothes and lying in a manger, a feeding trough for animals, could be
found anywhere else but in a stable. Thus in lowliness the King of
heaven, the Son of God, chose to be born, because He came to destroy
the pride that had been the cause of man's ruin.
The prophets had already foretold that our Redeemer was to be treated
as the vilest of men on earth and that He was to be overwhelmed with
insults. How much contempt had not Jesus indeed to suffer from men! He
was called a drunkard, a trickster, a blasphemer and a heretic. What
ignominies He endured in His Passion! His own disciples abandoned Him;
one of them sold Him for thirty pieces of silver, and another denied
having ever known Him. He was led in bonds through the streets like a
criminal; He was scourged like a slave, ridiculed as a fool, crowned
with thorns as a mock king, buffeted and spit upon, and finally left to
die, hanging on a cross between two thieves, as the worst criminal in
the world. "The noblest of all," says Saint Bernard, "is treated as the
vilest of all." But the Saint adds, "The viler Thou are treated, the
dearer Thou art to me." The more I see Thee, my Jesus, despised and put
to shame, the more dear and worthy of my love dost Thou become to me.
Prayer:
O Dearest Savior, Thou hast embraced so many outrages for love of me,
yet I have not been able to bear one word of insult without at once
being filled with resentful thought, I who have so often deserved to be
trodden under foot by the demons in hell! I am ashamed to appear before
Thee, sinful and proud as I am. Yet do not drive me from Thy presence,
O Lord, even though that is what I deserve. Thou hast said that Thou
wilt not spurn a contrite and humbled heart. I am sorry for the
offenses I have committed against Thee. Forgive me, O Jesus. I will not
offend Thee again.
For love of me Thou hast borne so many injuries; for love of Thee I
will bear all the injuries that are done to me. I love Thee, Jesus, who
was despised for love of me. I love Thee above every other good. Give
me the grace to love Thee always and to bear every insult for love of
Thee.
O Mary, recommend me to Thy Son; pray to Jesus for me.
Amen.
|
Fifth
Day
The Life Of Sorrow Which
Jesus Led From His Birth.
Thought:
Jesus Christ could have saved mankind without suffering and dying.
Yet, in order to prove to us how much He loved us, He chose for Himself
a life full of tribulations. Therefore the prophet Isaias called Him "a
man of sorrows," His whole life was filled with suffering. His Passion
began, not merely a few hours before His death, but from the the first
moment of His birth. He was born in a stable where everything served to
torment Him. His sense of sight was hurt by seeing nothing but the
rough, black walls of the cave; His sense of smell was hurt by the
stench of the dung from the beasts in the stable; His sense of touch
was hurt by the prickling straw on which He lay. Shortly after His
birth He was forced to flee into Egypt, where He spent several years of
His childhood in poverty and misery. His boyhood and early manhood in
Nazareth were passed in hard work and obscurity. And finally, in
Jerusalem, He died on a cross, exhausted with pain and anguish.
Thus, then, was the life of Jesus but one unbroken series of
sufferings, which were doubly painful because He had ever before His
eyes all the sufferings He would have to endure till His death. Yet,
since our Lord had voluntarily chosen to bear these tribulations for
our sake, they did not afflict Him as much as did the sight of our
sins, by which we have so ungratefully repaid Him for His love towards
us. When the confessor of Saint Margaret of Cortona saw that she never
seemed satisfied with all the tears she had already shed for her past
sins, he said to her, "Margaret, stop crying and cease your lamenting,
for God has surely forgiven you your offenses against Him." But she
replied, "Father, how can I cease to weep, since I know that my sins
kept my Lord Jesus in pain and suffering during all His life?"
Prayer:
O Jesus, my sweet Love! I too have kept Thee suffering through all Thy
life. Tell me, then, what I must do in order to win Thy forgiveness. I
am ready to do all Thou askest of me. I am sorry, O sovereign Good, for
all the offenses I have committed against Thee. I love Thee more than
myself, or a least I feel a great desire to love Thee. Since it is Thou
who hast given me this desire, do Thou also give me the strength to
love Thee exceedingly.
It is only right that I, who have offended Thee so much, should love
Thee very much. Always remind me of the love Thou hast borne me, in
order that my soul may ever burn with love of Thee and long to please
Thee alone. O God of love, I, who was once a slave of hell, now give
myself all to Thee.
Graciously accept me and bind me to Thee with the bonds of Thy love. My
Jesus, from this day and forever in loving Thee will I live, and in
loving Thee will I die.
O Mary, my Mother and my hope, help me to love Thy dear God and mine.
This is the only favor I ask of thee, and through thee I hope to
receive it. Amen.
|
Sixth Day
God's Mercy Revealed In
His Coming Down From Heaven To Save Us.
Thought:
Saint Paul says, "The goodness and kindness of God, our Savior, has
appeared." When the Son of God made Man appear on earth, then was it
seen how great is God's goodness towards us. Saint Bernard says that
first God's power was manifested in the creation of the world and His
wisdom in its conservation, but His merciful goodness was especially
manifested later in His taking human nature on Himself, in order to
save fallen mankind by His sufferings and death. For what greater proof
of His kindness towards us could the Son of God show us than in taking
on Himself the punishment we had deserved?
See Him as a weak, newborn infant, wrapped in swaddling clothes and
lying in a manger. Unable to move or feed Himself, He has need of Mary
to give Him a little milk to sustain His life.
Or see Him again in Pilate's courtyard, tied with fast bonds to a
column and there scourged from head to foot. Behold Him on the way to
Calvary, falling down from weakness under weight of the cross that He
must carry. Finally behold Him nailed to this tree of shame, on which
He breathes His last amid pain and anguish. Because Jesus Christ wished
that His love for us should win all the love of our hearts for Himself,
He would not send an angel to redeem us, but chose to come Himself, to
save us by His Passion and death. Had an angel been our redeemer, men
would have had to divide their hearts in loving God as their Creator
and an angel as their redeemer; but God, who desires men's whole
hearts, as He was already their Creator, wished also to be their
Redeemer.
Prayer:
O my Dear Redeemer! Where should I be now, if Thou hadst not borne with
me so patiently, but hadst called me from life while I was in the state
of sin? Since Thou hast waited for me till now, forgive me quickly, O
my Jesus, before death finds me still guilty of so many offenses that I
have committed against Thee. I am so sorry for having vilely despised
Thee, my sovereign Good, that I could die of grief. But Thou canst not
abandon a soul that seeks Thee.
If hitherto I have forsaken Thee, I now seek Thee and love Thee. Yes,
my God, I love Thee above all else; I love Thee more than myself. Help
me, Lord, to love Thee always during the rest of my life. Nothing else
do I seek of Thee. But this I beg of Thee, this I hope to receive from
Thee.
Mary, my hope, do thou pray for me. If thou prayest for me, I am sure
of grace. Amen.
|
Seventh Day
Flight Of The
Child Jesus Into Egypt.
Thought:
Although the Son of God came from heaven to save men, scarcely was He
born when men began to persecute Him to death. Herod, fearing that this
Child would deprive Him of his kingdom, seeks to destroy His life. But
St. Joseph is warned by an angel in a dream to take the Infant and His
Mother and flee into Egypt. Joseph obeys at once, and tells Mary about
it.
He takes the few tools of his trade, that he may use them to gain a
livelihood in Egypt for himself and his poor family. Mary wraps up a
small bundle of clothes for the use of her little Son, and then, going
to the crib, she says with tears in her eyes to her sleeping Child, "O
my Son and my God! Thou hast come from heaven to save men; but hardly
art Thou born when they seek to take Thy life." Lifting Him meanwhile
in her arms and continuing to weep, she sets out that same night with
Joseph on the road to Egypt.
Let us consider how much these holy wanderers must have suffered in
making so long a journey, deprived of every comfort. The divine Child
was not yet able to walk, and so Mary and Joseph had to take turns in
carrying Him in their arms. During their journey through the desert
towards Egypt they had to spend several nights in the open air, with
the bare ground for their bed. The cold makes the Infant cry, and Mary
and Joseph weep in pity for Him. And who would not weep at thus seeing
the Son of God poor and persecuted, a fugitive on earth, that he might
not be killed by His enemies!
Prayer:
Dear Infant Jesus, crying so bitterly! Well hast Thou reason to weep in
seeing Thyself persecuted by men whom Thou lovest so much. I, too, O
God, have once persecuted Thee by my sins. But Thou knowest that now I
love Thee more than myself, and that nothing pains me more than the
thought that I have so often spurned Thee, my sovereign Good.
Forgive me, O Jesus, and let me bear Thee with me in my heart n all the
rest of the journey that I have still to make through life, so that
together with Thee I may enter into eternity. So often have I driven
Thee from my soul by my sins. But now I love Thee above all things, and
I regret above other misfortunes that I have offended Thee. I wish to
leave Thee no more, my beloved Lord. But do Thou give me the strength
to resist temptations. Never permit me to be separated from Thee again.
Let me rather die than ever again lose Thy good grace.
O Mary, my hope, make me always live in God's love and then die in
loving Him. Amen.
|
Eighth
Day
The Life Of The
Child Jesus In Egypt And In Nazareth.
Thought:
Our Blessed Redeemer spent the first part of His childhood in Egypt,
leading there for several years a life of poverty and humiliation. In
that land Joseph and Mary were foreigners and strangers, having there
neither relatives nor friends. Only with difficulty could they earn
their daily bread by the labor of their hands. Their home was poor,
their bed was poor, their food was poor. Here Mary weaned Jesus;
dipping a piece of bread in water, she would put it in the sacred mouth
of her Son. Here she made His first little garments and clothed Him
with them. Here the Child Jesus took His first steps, stumbling and
falling as other children first do. Here too He spoke His first words,
but stammeringly. O wonder of wonders! To what has not God lowered
Himself for love of us! A God stumbling and falling as He walks! A God
stammering in His speech!
Not unlike this was the poor and humble life that Jesus led in Nazareth
after His return from Egypt. There, until He was thirty years old, He
lived as a simple servant or workman in a carpenter shop, taking orders
form Joseph and Mary. "And He was subject to them." Jesus went to fetch
the water; He opened and closed the shop; He swept the house, gathered
the fragments of wood for the fire, and toiled all day long, helping
Joseph in his work. Yet who is this? God Himself, serving as a
apprentice! The omnipotent God, who with less than a flick of His
finger created the whole universe, here sweating at the task of planing
a piece of work! Should not the mere thought of this move us to love
Him?
Prayer:
O Jesus, my Savior! When I consider how, for love of me, Thou didst
spend thirty years of Thy life hidden and unknown in a poor workshop,
how can I desire the pleasures and honors and riches of the world?
Gladly do I renounce all these things, since I wish to be Thy companion
on this earth, poor as Thou wast, mortified and humble as Thou wast, so
that I may hope to be able one day to enjoy Thy companionship in
heaven. What are all the treasures and kingdoms of this world? Thou, O
Jesus, art my only treasure, my only Good!
I keenly regret the many times in the past when I spurned Thy
friendship in order to satisfy my foolish whims. I am sorry for them
with all my heart. For the future I would rather lose my life a
thousand times than lose Thy grace by sin. I wish never to offend Thee
again, but always to love Thee. Help me to remain faithful to Thee
until death.
O Mary, thou art the refuge of sinners, thou art my hope. Amen.
|
Ninth
Day
The Birth Of Jesus In
The Stable Of Bethlehem.
Thought:
When the edict was issued by the emperor of Rome that everyone should
go to his own city to be enrolled, Joseph and Mary went to be enrolled
in Bethlehem. How much the Holy Virgin must have suffered on this
journey of four days, over mountainous road and in the wintertime, with
its cold rain and wind! When they arrived in Bethlehem, the time of
Mary's delivery was near. Joseph, therefore, sought some lodging where
she might give birth to her Child. But because they were so poor, they
were driven away from the houses and even from the public inn, where
other poor people had found shelter.
So in that night they went a short way out of the town and there found
a cave that was used as a stable, and here Mary entered. But Joseph
said to his virgin wife, "Mary, how can you spend the night in this
cold,  damp
cave and here give birth to your Child?" Mary however replied, "Dear
Joseph, this cave is the royal palace in which the King of kings, the
Son of God, wishes to be born."
When the hour of her delivery had arrived, the holy Virgin, as she
knelt in prayer, all at once saw the cave illumined with a dazzling
light. She lowered her eyes to the ground and there saw before her the
Son of God now born on earth, a poor little Babe, crying and shivering
in the cold. Adoring Him as her God, she took Him to her breast and
fondled Him. Then she wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and lad Him on
the straw of the manger that stood in the cave. Thus did the Son of God
choose to be born among us to prove His infinite love for us.
Prayer:
O Adorable Infant Jesus! I should not have the boldness to cast myself
at Thy feet, if I did not know that Thou Thyself invitest me to draw
near Thee. It is I who by my sins have made Thee shed so many tears in
the stable of Bethlehem. But since Thou hast come on earth to pardon
repentant sinners, forgive me also, now that I am heartily sorry for
having spurned Thee, my Savior and my God, who art so good and who hast
loved me so much.
In this night, in which Thou bestowest great graces on so many souls,
grant Thy heavenly consolation to this poor soul of mine also. All that
I ask of Thee is the grace to love Thee always, from this day forward,
with all my heart. Set me all on fire with Thy holy love. I love Thee,
O my God, who hast become a Babe for love of me. Never let me cease
from loving Thee ever more.
O Mary, Mother of Jesus and my Mother, thou canst obtain everything
from thy Son by thy prayers. This is the only favor I ask of Thee.
Do thou pray to Jesus for me. Amen.
(from EWTN site)
|
