Wherefore, after having consecrated its first-fruits to God, by the most sincere and fervent homage of praise and adoration; after having paid him the just tribute of thanksgiving for all his benefits, and in particular for the mercy by which he vouchsafes us still time to appease his anger, and serve him; it becomes us to allot some part of this day to tears of compunction for our past offences, and to the diving into the source of our spiritual sloth and other irregularities, with a view to the amendment of our lives, and the preventing of relapses: not contenting ourselves with general purposes, which cost self-love so little, the insufficiency of which our own experience has convinced us of; we must lay the axe to the root, and seriously resolve to decline, to the best of our power, the particular occasions which have betrayed us into sin, and embrace the most effectual means of reformation of life and improvement in virtue. Every year ought to find us more fervent in charity; every day ought our soul to augment in strength, and be decked with new flowers of virtue and good works. If the plant ceases to grow, or the fruit to ripen, they decay of course, and are in danger of perishing. By a rule far more sacred, the soul, which makes not a daily progress in virtue loses ground: a dreadful symptom in the spiritual life.
The more intense ought our fervor to be, as we draw the nearer to the end of our course: So much the more, says the apostle, as you perceive the day to approach,[12] the day of retribution to each according to his works, which will be that of our death, which may be much nearer than we are willing to imagine. Perhaps we may not live to the end of this very year: it will be the case of thousands, who at this time are as regardless of it as we can be. What security can we have against a surprise, the consequences whereof are infinite and irretrievable, except that of a sincere and speedy conversion, of being upon our guard against temptations, of dedicating effectually this ensuing year and the remainder of our short lives to God, our last end and only good, and frequently imploring his grace and mercy. It is our blessed Saviour's advice and injunction: Watch ye therefore; praying at all times {063} … that you may be accounted worthy … to stand before the Son of man.[13]
The Christian's devotion on this day ought to consist, first, in the solemn consecration of the first-fruits of the year to God; and secondly, in honoring the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God, particularly his birth and circumcision. The church invites us on this day to unite our homage with the seraphic ardors and transports of devotion with which the glorious Mother of God assisted at these wonderful mysteries which we commemorate, but in which she acted herself so great a part. With what sentiments did Mary bear in her womb, bring forth, and serve her adorable son, who was also her God? with what love and awe did she fix her eyes upon him particularly at his circumcision, who can express in what manner she was affected when she saw him subjected to this painful and humbling ceremony? Filled with astonishment, and teeming affections of love and gratitude, by profound adorations and praise she endeavored to make him all the amends in her power, and the best return and acknowledgment she was able. In amorous complaints that he would begin, in the excess of his love, to suffer for us in so tender an age, and to give this earnest of our redemption, she might say to him: Truly than art to me a spouse of blood.[14] With the early sacrifice Christ here made of himself to his Father, she joined her own offering her divine son, and with and through him herself, to be an eternal victim to his honor and love, with the most ardent desire to suffer all things, even to blood, for the accomplishment of his will. Under her mediation we ought to make him the tender of our homages, and with and through this holy Redeemer, consecrate ourselves to God without reserve.
Footnotes:
1. In the ancient sacramentary of the Roman church, published by
cardinal Thomasius, (the finishing of which some ascribe to Pope
Gelasius I., others more probably to Leo I., though the ground was
doubtless the work of their predecessors,) this festival is called
the Octave of our Lord's Nativity. The same title is given to it in
the Latin calendar (or rather collection of the gospels read at Mass
throughout the year) written above 900 years ago, presented to the
public by F. John Fronteau, regular canon of saint Genevieve's at
Paris, and by Leo Allatius. The inference which Baillet draws from
thence that the mystery of our Lord's circumcision was not then
commemorated in the office of this day, is a notorious mistake. For
Thomassin takes notice from Ivo of Chartres, that the word Octave
here implies the circumcision of our Lord, which was performed on
the eighth day after his birth; and in the above mentioned
Sacramentary express mention is made of the circumcision in the
Secret of the Mass. In F. Froubeau's calendar the gospel read on
this day is the history of the circumcision given, by St. Luke. An
old Vatican MS. copy of St. Gregory's Sacramentary and that of
Usuard's Martyrology kept at St. Germain des-Près, express both the
titles of the Octave day and of the circumcision.
Durandus in the 13th century, (Ration. offic. l. 6, c. 15,) John
Beleth, a theologian of Paris, (c. 71,) and several missals of the
middle ages prescribe two masses to be said on this day, one on the
circumcision, the other on the B. Virgin Mary. Micrologus (c. 39)
assigns this reason, that as the B. Virgin, who had so great a share
in the birth of Christ, could not be mentioned in that solemn
office, therefore a commemoration of her is deferred to the Octave
day. The second Mass is now abolished: but in a great part of the
office a regard is had to the B. Virgin. In F. Fronteau's Roman
calendar, after the title of the Octave is added, Natale S. Mariæ
for which Dom Martenne would have us read S. Martinæ; but without
grounds. For, as Pope Benedict XIV. observes, (Comment. de Festis
Domini, c. 1,) the original unquestionably means a festival of the
B. Virgin Mary. The word Natale, which was used originally for the
birth-day of the emperors, was afterwards taken for any annual
feast.
2. Gen. xvii.
3. Grounding their opinion on Gen. xvii. 14, &c.
4. Luke i. 31.
5. Matt. i. 21.
6. Phil. ii. 8, 9, 10.
7. Matt. xxviii. 18.
8. The Jews generally named their children on the day of their
circumcision, but this was not of precept. There are several
instances of children named on the day of their birth, (Gen. xxx.)
which could not be that of their circumcision by an express law
requiring the interval of eight days from their birth; the child
being presumed too weak and delicate to undergo the operation
sooner, without danger of its life. It seems to have been the
practice among the Jews for children to be circumcised at home; nor
was a priest the necessary or ordinary minister, but the father,
mother, or any other person could perform the ceremony, as we see in
the time of Abraham, (Gen. xvii.; Acts vii.) and of the Maccabees,
(1 Mac. 1.) St. Epiphanius, (Hær. 20.) Whence F. Avala, in his
curious work entitled Pietor Christianus, printed at Madrid in
1730, shows that it is a vulgar error of painters who represent
Christ circumcised by a priest in the temple. The instrument was
sometimes a sharp stone, (Exod. iv. Jos. v.,) but doubtless most
frequently of iron or steel.
9. Rom. ii. 29.
10. Deut. x. 16; xxx. 6; Jer. iv. 4.
11. The pagan Romans celebrated the Saturnalia, or feast of Saturn,
from the 17th of December during seven days: at which time slaves
dined with their masters, and were allowed an entire liberty of
speech, in the superstitious remembrance of the golden age of the
world, in which no distinction of ranks was yet known among men.
(Macrob {}, 10. Horat. &c.) The calends also of January were
solemnized with licentious shows in honor of Janus and the goddess
Strenia: and it is from those infamous diversions that among
Christians, are derived the profane riots of new year's day,
twelfthtide, and shrovetide, by which many pervert these times into
days of sin and intemperance. Several councils severely condemn
these abuses; and the better to prevent them, some churches formerly
kept the 1st of January a fast-day, as it is mentioned by St.
Isidore of Seville (lib. 2 offic c. 40) Alcuin (lib. de div offic)
&c. Dom Martenne observes, (lib. de antiquis ritibus in celebr. div.
offic. c. 13,) that on this account the second council of Tours in
567 ordered that on the calends of the circumcision the litany be
sung, and high mass begun only at the eighth hour, that is, two in
the afternoon, that it might be finished by three, the hour at which
it was allowed to eat on the fasts of the stations. We have among
the works of the fathers many severe invectives against the
superstitions and excesses of this time. See St. Austin, (serm. 198,
in hunc diem,) St. Peter Chrysologus, (serm. in calendas,) St.
Maximus of Turin, (Hom. 5, apud Mabill. in Musæo Italico,) Faustinus
the Bishop, (apud Bolland. hac die. p. 3,) &c. The French name
Etrennes is pagan, from strenæ, or new-year gifts, in honor of the
goddess Strenia. The same in Poitou and Perche, anciently the
country of the Druids, is derived from their rites. For the
Poitevins for Etrennes use the word Auguislanneuf, and the
Percherons, Equilans, from the ancient cry of the Druids, Au guy
l'an neuf, i.e. Ad Viscum, annul novus, or to the mistletoe the
new-year, when on new-year's day the Pagans went into the forests to
seek the mistletoe on the oaks. See Chatelain, notes on the Martyr.
Jan. 1, p. 7.
The ancients began the year, some from the autumnal, others from the vernal equinox. The primitive patriarchs from that of autumn, that is, from the month called by the Hebrews Tisri, which coincides with part of our September and October. Hence it seems probable, that the world was created about that season; the earth, as appears from Gen. iii. 2, being then covered with trees, plants, fruits, seeds, and all other things in the state of their natural maturity and perfection. The Jews retained this commencement of the year, as a date for contracts and other civil purposes; as also for their sabbatical year and jubilee. But God commanded them to begin their ecclesiastical year, or that by which their religious festivals were regulated, from the spring equinox, or the Hebrew month Nisan, the same with part of our March and April, Exod. xii. 2. Christian nations commenced the year, some from the 25th of March, the feast of the Annunciation, and bordering upon the spring equinox; others from Christmas; others from its octave day, the first of January, in which our ancestors have often varied their practice. Europe is now agreed in fixing the first of January for this epoch.
The Julian year, so called from Julius Cæsar, from whom the Roman
calendar received its last reformation, consisted of 365 days and 6
hours, which exceed the true solar year by 11 minutes, for
astronomers compute the yearly revolution of the sun not to exceed
365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 37 seconds, according to Cassini,
but according to Keil 57 seconds, or almost 49 minutes. This error,
becoming daily more sensible, would have occasioned the autumnal
equinox to have at length fallen on the day reckoned the solstice,
and in process of time, on that held for the vernal equinox. The
Golden number, or Grecian cycle of the lunar years, was likewise
defective. The remedy both which, pope Gregory XIII., in 1585,
established the new style. Scaliger, Tachet, and Cassini have
demonstrated that cycles might be chosen still more exact by some
few seconds: however, this adopted by pope Gregory, besides being
the easiest in the execution, admits of no material error, or
sensible inconveniency. This correction of the style was received by
act of Parliament, in Great Britain, in 1752; for the promoting of
which, great praise is due to the two illustrious ornaments of the
republic of letters, the earls of Chesterfield and Macclesfield.
12. Heb. x. 25.
13. Luke xxi. 36.
14. Exod. v. 25.
THE LIFE OF S. FULGENTIUS, B.C.
Extracted from his works, and from his life, accurately written by a disciple of great abilities, the companion of his exile: and dedicated to Felician, his successor in the see of Ruspa. The author declares himself a monk: consequently was not the deacon Ferrandus, as some critics imagine.