Prayer.
O King of the Gentiles, and their desired One, the corner-stone that joins the two walls! come and save man, whom Thou didst form out of dust. Amen.
Thirtieth Day.
Jesus was filled with grace and truth from the very beginning of His life. We have seen His glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. More and more did His virtues, however, shine forth with ever increasing splendor; men wondered at this glorious Being, loved Him, and afterwards followed Him when He began His mission. We, too, were full of grace at our Baptism, and long afterwards, in our childhood, we were pleasing in the sight of God, because we were innocent children whom God loved. We were then modest, pious, obedient, but in course of time we sought to please men more than God. To please men is often to displease God. We should have hungered and thirsted after justice, and this would have kept alive in us the desire to grow in grace, wisdom and truth. But now let us arouse ourselves, and even though we are old, let us strive to become like the divine Infant. Let us, with the grace of God, renew in ourselves the graces that were in us. Let us examine our conscience, and see whether we have remained faithful to our good resolutions, if we have ever made them before. It is not too late yet to resolve to do better in the future.
Prayer.
O Emmanuel, King and Lawgiver! the expectation of the Gentiles and their Saviour; come and save us, O Lord, Our God. Amen.
Thirty-first Day.
On this last day of the devotion of the holy infancy, let us endeavor to make permanent [pg 040] the pious sentiments that have passed through our souls. We wish to have Jesus in our hearts, not only for the present but also for the future. It is not enough to find Jesus as the shepherds and the Magi did, but we should try to keep ourselves always in His sacred presence. The means to retain Jesus are no other than to keep ourselves in grace, to avoid sin, to preserve His love in our hearts, and lastly to be watchful, when temptation assails us, against sensuality, pride, avarice, and want of charity, and any other vice. Let us remain close to Our Lord, remembering our promises of fidelity, in a humble confidence that He will assist us with His grace. Let us remember the words of the Royal Prophet David: That a soul that fears God will not be affected by infidelity. Let us repeat with the spouse in the Canticles: “I found Him Whom my soul loveth: I held Him: and I will not let Him go.” Who will separate me from the love of Christ?