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:
 |
| Adam & Eve the Fall |
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.
Day Two
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.
Day Three
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.
Day Four
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.
Day Five
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
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.
Day Six
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
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
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.
Day Seven
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.
Day Eight
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.
Day Nine
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.
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