Meditations for the Octave of the Nativity of Our Lord
SEVENTH
DAY OF CHRISTMAS
JESUS WEEPING
The tears of the Infant Jesus were very different from
those of other new-born babes: these weep through pain; Jesus did not weep from
pain, but through compassion for us and through love: “They weep because of
suffering, Christ because of compassion, says St. Bernard." Tears are a
great sign of love." Therefore did the Jews say when they saw the Saviour
weeping for the death of Lazarus: “Behold how He loved him” (St. John xi. 36). Thus also might the
angels have said on beholding the tears of the Infant Jesus: ‘Behold how He
loves them.’ Behold how our God loves men; since for love of them we see Him
made man, become an Infant, and shedding tears. Jesus wept, and offered to His
Father His tears to obtain for us the pardon of our sins. ‘These tears, said
St. Ambrose, "washed away my sins;" by His cries and tears He implored mercy for
us who were condemned to eternal death, and thus He appeased the indignation of
His Father. O, how eloquently did the tears of this Divine little one plead in
our behalf O, how precious were they to God. It was then that the Father caused
the angels to proclaim that He made peace with men, and received them into His
favour: “And on earth peace to men of good will.” Jesus wept through love, but
He also wept through sorrow at the thought that so many sinners, even after all
His tears and the blood He should shed for their salvation, would yet continue
to despise His grace. But who would be so hard-hearted, on seeing an Infant God
weeping for our sins, as not to weep also, and to detest those sins that have
made this loving Saviour shed so many tears? O, let us not increase the sorrows
of this innocent Babe; but let us console Him by uniting our tears to His! Let
us offer to God the tears of His Son, and let us beseech Him for their sake to
forgive us!
AFFECTIONS AND PRAYERS
My beloved Infant, whilst Thou wert weeping in the
stable of Bethlehem, Thou wert thinking of me; beholding even then my sins,
which were the cause of Thy tears. And have I then, O my Jesus, instead of
consoling Thee by my love and gratitude at the thought of what Thou hast
suffered to save me, have I increased Thy sorrow and the cause of Thy tears? If
I had sinned less, Thou wouldst have wept less. Weep, O, weep, for Thou hast
cause to weep in seeing such great ingratitude of men to Thy great love. But
since Thou weepest, weep also for me; Thy tears are my hope. I also will weep
for the offences I have committed against Thee, O my Redeemer; I hate them, I
detest them, I repent of them with my whole heart. I weep for all those days
and those wretched nights of mine in which I lived Thy enemy and deprived of
Thy beautiful face; but what would my tears avail, O my Jesus, without Thine?”
Eternal
Father, I offer Thee the tears of the Infant Jesus; for their sake forgive me.
And Thou, my dearest Saviour, offer to Him all the tears that Thou didst shed
for me during Thy life, and with them appease His angel against me. I beseech
Thee also, O my Love, to soften my heart by these tears, and to inflame it with
Thy holy love. Oh, that I could from this day forth console Thee by my love for
all the pain I have caused Thee by offending Thee. Grant, therefore, O Lord,
that the days that remain to me in this life may not anymore be spent in
offending Thee, but only in weeping for the offences I have committed against
Thee, and in loving Thee with all the affections of my soul. O Mary, I beseech
thee, by that tender compassion which thou didst so often feel at the sight of
the Infant Jesus in tears, obtain for me a constant sorrow for the offences
which I have so ungratefully been guilty of against Him.
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