The
Circumcision of Our Lord
and Octave of the Nativity
The Liturgical Year
Ven. Abbot Dom Guéranger
Our new-born King and Savior is eight days old today; the Star, that
guides the Magi, is advancing towards Bethlehem, and, five days hence, will be
standing over the Stable where our Jesus is being nursed by his Mother. Today,
the Son of Man is to be circumcised; this first sacrifice of his innocent Flesh
must honor the eighth day of his mortal life. Today, also, a Name is to be
given him the Name will be Jesus, and it means Savior. So that, Mysteries abound on this day: let us
not pass one of them over, but honor them with all possible devotion and love.
But this Day is not
exclusively devoted to the Circumcision of Jesus. The mystery of this
Circumcision forms part of that other great mystery, the Incarnation and
Infancy of our Savior a mystery on which the Church fixes her heart, not only
during this Octave, but during the whole forty days of Christmas-Tide. Then, as
regards our Lord's receiving the Name of Jesus, a
special Feast, which we shall soon be keeping, is set apart in honor of it.
There is another object that shares the love and devotion of the Faithful, on
this great Solemnity. This object is Mary, the Mother of God. The Church
celebrates, today, the august prerogative of this divine Maternity, which was
conferred on a mere creature, and which made her the co-operatrix with Jesus in
the great work of man's salvation.
The holy Church of Rome used
to formerly say two Masses on the first of January; one was for the Octave of
Christmas Day, the other was in honor of Mary. She now unites the two
intentions in one Sacrifice, in the same manner as, in the rest of this Day's
Office, she unites together the acts of her ado ration of the Son, and the
expressions of her admiration for, and confidence in, the Mother.
The Greek Church does not
wait for this Eighth Day, in order to pay her tribute of homage to Her, who has
given us our Emmanuel. She consecrates to Mary the first Day after Christmas,
that is, the 26th December, and calls it the Synaxis of the Mother of God, making the two Days one
continued Feast. She is thus obliged to defer the Feast of St. Stephen to the
27th December.
But it is today, that we,
the children of the Roman Church, must pour forth all the love of our hearts
for the Virgin-Mother, and rejoice with her in the exceeding happiness she
feels at having given birth to her and our Lord. During Advent, we contemplated
her as pregnant with the world's salvation; we pro claimed the glory of that
Ark of the New Covenant, whose chaste womb was the earthly paradise, chosen by
the King of Ages for his dwelling-place. Now, she has brought him forth, the
Infant-God; she adores him, Him who is her Son. She has the right to call him, her Child;
and He, God as he is, calls her in strictest truth, his Mother.
Let us not be surprised,
therefore, at the enthusiasm and profound respect, wherewith the Church extols
the Blessed Virgin, and her prerogatives. Let us, on the contrary, be convinced,
that all the praise the Church can give her, and all the devotion she can ever
bear towards her, are far below what is due to her as Mother of the Incarnate
God. No mortal will ever be able to describe, or even comprehend, how great a
glory accrues to her from this sublime dignity. For, as the glory of Mary comes
from her being the Mother of God, one would have first to comprehend God
himself, in order to measure the greatness of her dignity. It is to God, that
Mary gave our human nature; it is God, whom she had as her Child; it is God,
who gloried in rendering himself, inasmuch as he is Man, subject to her: hence,
the true value of such a dignity, possessed by a mere creature, can only be
appreciated, in proportion to our knowledge of the sovereign perfections of the
great God, who thus deigns to make himself dependent upon that favored
creature. Let us, therefore, bow down in deepest adoration before the Majesty
of our God; let us, therefore, acknowledge that we cannot respect, as it
deserves, the extraordinary dignity of Her, whom he chose for his Mother.
The same sublime Mystery
overpowers the mind from another point of view what were the feelings of such a
Mother towards such a Son? The Child she holds in her arms, and presses to her
heart, is the Fruit of her virginal womb, and she loves him as her own; she
loves him because she is his Mother, and a Mother loves her child as herself,
nay, more than herself: but, when she
thinks upon the infinite majesty of Him, who has thus given himself to her to
be the object of her love and her fond caresses she trembles in her humility,
and her soul has to turn, in order to bear up against the overwhelming truth,
to the other thought of the nine months she held this Babe in her womb, and of
the filial smile he gave her when her eyes first met his. These two deep-rooted
feelings of a creature that adores, and of a Mother that loves are in Mary's
heart. The being Mother of God implies all this: and may we not well say, that no pure
creature could be exalted more than she? And that in order to comprehend her
dignity, we should first have to comprehend God himself? And that only God's
infinite wisdom could plan such a work, and only his infinite power accomplish
it?
A Mother of God! It is the mystery, whose fulfilment the
world, without knowing it, was awaiting for four thousand years. It is the
work, which, in God's eyes, was incomparably greater than that of the creation
of a million new worlds, for such a creation would cost him nothing; he has but
to speak, and all whatsoever he wills is made. But, that a creature should
become Mother of God, he has had, not only to suspend the laws of nature by
making a Virgin Mother, but also to put himself in a state of dependence upon
the happy creature he chose for his Mother. He had to give her rights over
himself, and contract the obligation of certain duties towards her. He had to
make Her his Mother, and Himself her Son.
It follows from all this,
that the blessings of the Incarnation, for which we are indebted to the love
wherewith the Divine Word loved us, may and ought to be referred, though in an
inferior degree, to Mary herself. If she be the Mother of God, it is because
she consented to it, for God vouchsafed, not only to ask her consent, but,
moreover, to make the coming of his Son into this world depend upon her giving
it. As this his Son, the Eternal Word, spoke his Fiat over chaos, and the
answer to his word was creation; so did Mary use the same word Fiat: let it be done unto
me, she said. God heard her word, and, immediately, the Son of God
descended into her virginal womb. After God, then, it is to Mary, his ever
Blessed Mother, that we are indebted for our Emmanuel.
The divine plan for the
world's salvation included there being a Mother of God: and as heresy sought to
deny the mystery of the Incarnation, it equally sought to deny the glorious
prerogative of Mary. Nestorius asserted, that Jesus was only man; Mary,
consequently was not Mother of God, but merely Mother of a Man, called Jesus.
This impious doctrine roused the indignation of the Catholic world. The East
and West united in proclaiming, that Jesus was God and Man, in unity of Person;
and that Mary, being his Mother, was, in strict truth, “Mother of God." This victory over Nestorianism was
won at the Council of Ephesus. It was hailed by the Christians of those times
with an enthusiasm of faith, which not only proved the tender love they had for
the Mother of Jesus, but was sure to result in the setting up “of some solemn
trophy, that would perpetuate the memory of the victory. It was then that
began, in both the Greek and Latin Churches, the pious custom of uniting,
during Christmas, the veneration due to the Mother with the supreme worship
given to the Son. The day assigned for the united commemoration varied in the
several countries, but the sentiment of religion, which suggested the Feast,
was one and the same throughout the entire Church.
THE CIRCUMCISION OF OUR LORD
AND OCTAVE DAY OF THE
NATIVITY
White Vestments
Double
of the Second Class
Privileged Octave Day
Missa ‘Puer natus
est’
Station at St. Mary's Beyond the Tiber
INTROIT - Isaiah 9:
6
Puer natus est nobis: et fílius
datus est nobis, cujus impérium super húmerum ejus: et vocábitur nomen ejus
magni consílii Angelus. Ps. Cantáte Dómino
cánticum novum: quia mirabília fecit. V. Glória Patri.
Unto us a Child is born; unto
us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulders: and His Name
shall be called Angel of mighty counsel. Ps. Sing
ye to the Lord a new canticle: because He hath done wonderful things. V. Glory
be to the Father.
COLLECT
O God, who through the fruitful
virginity of blessed Mary didst secure for mankind the reward of eternal
salvation; grant, we beseech Thee, that we may experience her intercession for
us, through whom we have been made worthy to receive the Author of life, our
Lord Jesus Christ. Who with thee.
EPISTLE Titus 2:
11-15
Dearly beloved: The grace of
God our Savior hath appeared to all men, instructing us, that, denying
ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live soberly and justly and godly in
this world, looking for the blessed hope and coming of the glory of the great
God and our Savior Jesus Christ: Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem
us from all iniquity, and might cleanse to Himself a people acceptable, a
pursuer of good works. These things speak and exhort: in Christ Jesus our Lord.
GRADUAL - Psalm 97:
3-4, 2
All the ends of the earth have
seen the salvation of our God: sing joyfully to God, all the earth. V. The Lord
hath made known His salvation: He hath revealed His justice in the sight of the
nations.
ALLELUIA - Hebrews
1: 1-2
Alleluia, alleluia. V. God, who
in divers manners spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, last of
all in these days hath spoken to us by His Son. Alleluia.
GOSPEL Luke 2: 21
At that time, after eight days
were accomplished, that the Child should be circumcised: His Name was called
Jesus, which was called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
OFFERTORY Psalm 97: 12,
15
Thine are the heavens, and
Thine is the earth, the world and the fullness thereof Thou hast founded:
justice and judgment are the preparation of Thy throne.
SECRET
Receive, we beseech Thee, O
Lord, our offerings and prayers, cleansing us by these heavenly mysteries, and
mercifully hearing us. Through our Lord.
CHRISTMAS PREFACE
It is truly meet and just,
right and availing unto salvation that we should at all times and in all places
give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty and everlasting God.
Because by the mystery of the Word made flesh the light of Thy glory hath shone
anew upon the eyes of our mind: that while we acknowledge Him to be God seen by
men, we may be drawn by Him to the love of things unseen. And therefore with
angels and archangels, with thrones and dominions, and with all the heavenly
hosts, we sing a hymn to Thy glory, saying without ceasing:
THE SANCTUS
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,
Dóminus Deus Sábaoth. Pleni sunt cæli et terra glória tua. Hosánna in excélsis.
Benedíctus qui venit in nómine Dómini. Hosánna in excélsis.
COMMUNION – Psalm
97:3
All the ends of the earth have
seen the salvation of our God.
POSTCOMMUNION
May this communion, O Lord,
cleanse us from all sin, and by the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of God, make us partakers of the heavenly remedy. Through the same our
Lord.
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