Prayer.
O Lord Jesus, Who didst, for the love of us, etc., etc.
Twenty-second Day.
O King of nations and their desired One, the corner-stone that joinest the two walls! Come and save man, whom Thou didst form out of slime. O King of peace! Thou wast born before all ages! come by the golden gate; visit those whom Thou hast redeemed, and lead them back to the place from whence they fell by sin. The journey of Our Lord to Bethlehem is nearly over, and our blessed Mother is engrossed entirely in the expectation of the coming of her divine Son. She adores His majesty; she gives thanks for His mercy; she rejoices that she has been chosen for the sublime ministry of motherhood [pg 523] towards the Son of God. Mary longs for that happy day when her eyes will look upon Him, and yet she fears that moment, too. How will she be able to serve her God in His human life? How will she dare to raise Him up in her arms—the King of nations, and she but a humble Virgin? When she reflects that the hour is approaching in which she is to see the Light of the world, her heart almost fails her, for on the one hand she knows that she bears her God, and on the other she is full of love because she is His Mother. Come, then, speedily we beseech Thee, come and save us!
Prayer.
O Lord Jesus, Who didst, for the love of us, etc., etc.
Twenty-third Day.
O Emmanuel, Our King and Lawgiver, the expectation of the Gentiles and their Saviour, come and save us, O Lord, Our God! O Jerusalem, city of the great God! lift up thine eyes round about, and see thy Lord, for He is coming to loose thee from thy chains. As Mary and Joseph passed Jerusalem they surely did not omit to visit the Temple of the Lord. This was the first visit which Our Lord paid to His Father's house. Then was fulfilled for the first time the prophecy of Aggeus. “Great shall be the glory of this last house, more than of the first.” Now was standing in this second Temple the Ark of the New Covenant, greater by far than the Ark of Moses. The angels that lived in the Temple were roused to special prayer on that occasion. Mary and Joseph, when their devotions were ended, hastened on their [pg 524] way in order that they might seek suitable shelter, but they were to be disappointed everywhere. Thus Jesus Christ, the Son of God, comes into the world.