STATIONS OF THE INFANT JESUS / THE WAY OF BETHLEHEM

          JANUARY DEVOTIONS

   HOLY INFANCY OF OUR LORD

       THE WAY OF BETHLEHEM

          St. Alphonsus Liguori   

    Stations of the Infant Jesus

V. Incline unto my aid, O God.  

R. O Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory be

Glory be, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

STATION I.

The Son of God becomes an Infant.

O Jesus, born of Virgin bright, Immortal glory be to Thee; Praise to the Father infinite, And Holy Ghost eternally.

Consideration

Consider that the Son of God, the Infinite Majesty, the Creator of the world, and who has need of no one, became incarnate to save lost man by his sufferings, and was for nine months enclosed as a little Infant in the most chaste womb of Mary.

Affections

O most amiable Infant Jesus, God and Man, it was Thy burning love for me which urged Thee do, do all this. I give Thee thanks; and I beseech Thee, by Thy Incarnation, to give me the grace to correspond to such great goodness.

     O my sweetest Love, I am sorry that I have offended Thee. I desire to be always faithful in Thy service: enkindle in me Thy love; make me chaste and holy.

     O Mary, grant that I may belong entirely to thee and to thy Son Jesus.

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father

Glory be, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

V. Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the Son of the Eternal Father.

R. And blessed are the breasts which gave suck to Christ our Lord.

O Jesus, ever sweetest Lord. And ever loving still; From this dear crib sweet drops of love Into my heart distill.

STATION II.

Jesus is born an Infant.

O Jesus, born of Virgin bright, Immortal glory be to Thee; Praise to the Father infinite, And Holy Ghost eternally.

Consideration

Consider that Jesus at his birth has not even a wretched cabin, such as the poorest have; but is born in a cold cavern, and is laid in a manger upon straw.

Affections

O most holy Infant Jesus, I thank Thee for this; and I beseech Thee, by Thy most poor and bitter birth, grant that I may reap the fruits of Thy coming on this earth.

O my sweetest Love, I am sorry that I have offended Thee. I desire to be always faithful in Thy service: enkindle in me Thy love; make me chaste and holy.

     O Mary, grant that I may belong entirely to thee and to thy Son Jesus.

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father

Glory be, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

V. Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the Son of the Eternal Father.

R. And blessed are the breasts which gave suck to Christ our Lord.

O Jesus, ever sweetest Lord. And ever loving still; From this dear crib sweet drops of love Into my heart distill.

STATION III.

Jesus is suckled.

O Jesus, born of Virgin bright, Immortal glory be to Thee; Praise to the Father infinite, And Holy Ghost eternally.

Consideration

Consider that God, Majesty itself, who gives food to men and beasts, is born an Infant, and has recourse to Mary for his food; and he, through whom not a spar row hungers, is fed with a little milk.

Affections

O most lovely Infant, Thou takest milk, to be changed into that flesh which one day is to be bruised and torn for me. I thank Thee for this goodness; and I beseech Thee by this purest milk, grant me grace to act always with a pure intention of pleasing Thee, even as Thou didst ever act with the sole aim of obtaining my eternal happiness.

     O my sweetest Love, I am sorry that I have offended Thee. I desire to be always faithful in Thy service: enkindle in me Thy love; make me chaste and holy.

     O Mary, grant that I may belong entirely to thee and to thy Son Jesus.

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father

Glory be, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

V. Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the Son of the Eternal Father.

R. And blessed are the breasts which gave suck to Christ our Lord.

O Jesus, ever sweetest Lord. And ever loving still; From this dear crib sweet drops of love Into my heart distill.

STATION IV.

Jesus is wrapped in Swaddling-clothes.

O Jesus, born of Virgin bright, Immortal glory be to Thee; Praise to the Father infinite, And Holy Ghost eternally.

Consideration

Consider that the Infinite God, whom the heavens cannot contain, made an Infant for us, vouchsafed to be wrapped by Mary in swaddling-clothes, and covered with poor rags. And thus the hands and feet of God by swathing-bands are tied.

Affections

O gentlest Infant, Thou art tied in swathing-bands to deliver my soul from the chains of sin and hell. I thank Thee; grant, by Thy holy humility, that, casting away every other bond, I may ever live bound and united to Thee.

     O my sweetest Love, I am sorry that I have offended Thee. I desire to be always faithful in Thy service: enkindle in me Thy love; make me chaste and holy.

     O Mary, grant that I may belong entirely to thee and to thy Son Jesus.

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father

Glory be, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

V. Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the Son of the Eternal Father.

R. And blessed are the breasts which gave suck to Christ our Lord.

O Jesus, ever sweetest Lord. And ever loving still; From this dear crib sweet drops of love Into my heart distill.

STATION V.

Jesus is circumcised.

O Jesus, born of Virgin bright, Immortal glory be to Thee; Praise to the Father infinite, And Holy Ghost eternally.

Consideration

Consider that the Infant Jesus, eight days after his birth, showed himself to be even then our Saviour, by shedding for us his divine blood in the Circumcision.

Affections

O most merciful Infant God, I give Thee thanks; and I beseech Thee, by the pain which Thou didst feel, and by the blood which Thou didst shed in Thy Circumcision, grant me grace and power to pluck out of my heart, and to cast from it, all earthly affections.

     O my sweetest Love, I am sorry that I have offended Thee. I desire to be always faithful in Thy service: enkindle in me Thy love; make me chaste and holy.

     O Mary, grant that I may belong entirely to thee and to thy Son Jesus.

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father

Glory be, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

V. Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the Son of the Eternal Father.

R. And blessed are the breasts which gave suck to Christ our Lord.

O Jesus, ever sweetest Lord. And ever loving still; From this dear crib sweet drops of love Into my heart distill.

STATION VI.

Jesus is adored by the Magi.

O Jesus, born of Virgin bright, Immortal glory be to Thee; Praise to the Father infinite, And Holy Ghost eternally.

Consideration

Consider that the Infant God is visited and adored by the Magi, who, though Gentiles, were enlightened by faith to acknowledge this Man-God for their Saviour, and offered him gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Affections

Most adorable Redeemer, I too have received from Thee this great gift of faith. I thank Thee for it; and I beseech Thee, by the glory of this Thy manifestation, grant that, like the Magi, I may correspond and be faithful to Thy grace.

     O my sweetest Love, I am sorry that I have offended Thee. I desire to be always faithful in Thy service: enkindle in me Thy love; make me chaste and holy.

     O Mary, grant that I may belong entirely to thee and to thy Son Jesus.

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father

Glory be, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

V. Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the Son of the Eternal Father.

R. And blessed are the breasts which gave suck to Christ our Lord.

O Jesus, ever sweetest Lord. And ever loving still; From this dear crib sweet drops of love Into my heart distill.

STATION VII.

Jesus is presented in the Temple.

O Jesus, born of Virgin bright, Immortal glory be to Thee; Praise to the Father infinite, And Holy Ghost eternally.

Consideration

Consider that the Virgin Mary, forty days after the birth of the Infant Jesus, carries him in her arms to the Temple, and, offering him to God for us, consents that by his Passion and Death he should become our Redeemer.

Affections

O most loving Infant, for this one end didst Thou deliver Thyself up to death, to bestow on me eternal life. I give Thee thanks, and pray Thee, by this offering of Thyself, to make me constantly ready to mortify and die to myself for the love of Thee.

     O my sweetest Love, I am sorry that I have offended Thee. I desire to be always faithful in Thy service: enkindle in me Thy love; make me chaste and holy.

     O Mary, grant that I may belong entirely to thee and to thy Son Jesus.

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father

Glory be, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

V. Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the Son of the Eternal Father.

R. And blessed are the breasts which gave suck to Christ our Lord.

O Jesus, ever sweetest Lord. And ever loving still; From this dear crib sweet drops of love Into my heart distill.

STATION VIII.

Jesus flees into Egypt.

O Jesus, born of Virgin bright, Immortal glory be to Thee; Praise to the Father infinite, And Holy Ghost eternally.

Consideration

Consider that Herod, fearing that Jesus would deprive him of his kingdom, plans his death; and therefore orders all the children of Bethlehem to be murdered. The most blessed Virgin, warned by an angel, takes the Infant Jesus into Egypt.

Affections

O dearest Infant, what sufferings didst Thou not endure during this journey of a whole month and even longer, and that too in the depth of winter! How often wert Thou drenched with rain and stiffened with the cold! How many nights didst Thou pass in the open air

     I thank Thee; and beseech Thee by Thy flight to give me strength to avoid all the dangers of eternal death.

     O my sweetest Love, I am sorry that I have offended Thee. I desire to be always faithful in Thy service: enkindle in me Thy love; make me chaste and holy.

     O Mary, grant that I may belong entirely to thee and to thy Son Jesus.

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father

Glory be, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

V. Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the Son of the Eternal Father.

R. And blessed are the breasts which gave suck to Christ our Lord.

O Jesus, ever sweetest Lord. And ever loving still; From this dear crib sweet drops of love Into my heart distill.

STATION IX.

Jesus with His Hands freed from the Swaddling-clothes.

O Jesus, born of Virgin bright, Immortal glory be to Thee; Praise to the Father infinite, And Holy Ghost eternally.

Consideration

Consider that the Infant Jesus, some months after his birth, is still swathed by the blessed Virgin, though his hands are freed from the swaddling-clothes.

Affections

Most tender Infant, I imagine to myself that first moment when Thou didst join Thy little hands, and, lifting up Thy divine eyes to heaven, didst intercede with the Eternal Father in my behalf. I give Thee thanks; and beseech Thee to grant by the merits of Thy prayer that my prayers may be always pleasing and acceptable in Thy sight.

     O my sweetest Love, I am sorry that I have offended Thee. I desire to be always faithful in Thy service: enkindle in me Thy love; make me chaste and holy.

     O Mary, grant that I may belong entirely to thee and to thy Son Jesus.

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father

Glory be, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

V. Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the Son of the Eternal Father.

R. And blessed are the breasts which gave suck to Christ our Lord.

O Jesus, ever sweetest Lord. And ever loving still; From this dear crib sweet drops of love Into my heart distill.

Madonna with Child, St Elisabeth and the Infant St. John the Baptist By Bacchiacca

STATION X.

Jesus begins to walk.

O Jesus, born of Virgin bright, Immortal glory be to Thee; Praise to the Father infinite, And Holy Ghost eternally.

Consideration

Consider that the Infant Jesus, now a little older, begins to walk, and plans out in his mind the journeys he would make in the surrounding country of Judaea to preach by his most holy words the way of salvation; and at the same time figures to himself the road to Calvary, which he would tread in going to die for us.

Affections

O most loving Infant, I thank Thee; and beseech Thee by Thy first steps, grant me grace always to walk in the way which Thou hast pointed out to me.

     O my sweetest Love, I am sorry that I have offended Thee. I desire to be always faithful in Thy service: enkindle in me Thy love; make me chaste and holy.

     O Mary, grant that I may belong entirely to thee and to thy Son Jesus.

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father

Glory be, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

V. Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the Son of the Eternal Father.

R. And blessed are the breasts which gave suck to Christ our Lord.

O Jesus, ever sweetest Lord. And ever loving still; From this dear crib sweet drops of love Into my heart distill.

STATION XI.

Jesus sleeps.

O Jesus, born of Virgin bright, Immortal glory be to Thee; Praise to the Father infinite, And Holy Ghost eternally.

Consideration

Consider that the Infant Jesus lies in a poor cradle in the little house of his Mother Mary, and takes his rest; and oftentimes the bare ground serves him as a bed.

Affections

O most amiable Infant, even while sleeping Thy heart watches, and Thou wert loving me, and thinking upon me; and Thy heart was consoled with the good which Thou hadst bestowed, and would bestow, upon me. I thank Thee; and pray Thee, by Thy loving slumbers, to give me grace to live forever in loving Thee, who art the most loving Good.

     O my sweetest Love, I am sorry that I have offended Thee. I desire to be always faithful in Thy service: enkindle in me Thy love; make me chaste and holy.

     O Mary, grant that I may belong entirely to thee and to thy Son Jesus.

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father

Glory be, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

V. Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the Son of the Eternal Father.

R. And blessed are the breasts which gave suck to Christ our Lord.

O Jesus, ever sweetest Lord. And ever loving still; From this dear crib sweet drops of love Into my heart distill.

STATION XII.

Jesus in the Form of a Fisher.

O Jesus, born of Virgin bright, Immortal glory be to Thee; Praise to the Father infinite, And Holy Ghost eternally.

Consideration

O Consider to yourself the Infant Jesus represented in the form of a fisher, holding in his hands a rod, to which is attached the hook wherewith he will catch the hearts of men. When we think on his beauty, and on the love with which he seeks us, and on all that he has done to allure us to his love, we must needs consecrate our hearts

to his service.

Affections

O Divine Infant, I give Thee thanks ; and pray Thee by the zeal which Thou hast shown in endeavoring to draw my heart to Thee, give me the grace never to leave Thee more, and grant that, having continual recourse to Thee, I may become one with Thee, and never separate

myself from Thee again.

     O my sweetest Love, I am sorry that I have offended Thee. I desire to be always faithful in Thy service: enkindle in me Thy love; make me chaste and holy.

     O Mary, grant that I may belong entirely to thee and to thy Son Jesus.

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father

Glory be, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

V. Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the Son of the Eternal Father.

R. And blessed are the breasts which gave suck to Christ our Lord.

O Jesus, ever sweetest Lord. And ever loving still; From this dear crib sweet drops of love Into my heart distill.

Prayer

I offer and present unto Thee, O most sweet Infant Jesus, the steps which I have made to venerate the mysteries of Thy In fancy, and the homage which I have paid Thee. I pray Thee graciously to accept it, and to reward me with the virtues of childhood, chastity, humility, and simplicity. It is a joy and consolation to me when I behold Thee on the altar, surrounded with so many and so lovely flowers. I ardently desire and wish to see my heart in like manner adorned with the flowers of all holy virtues, that Thou mayest find Thy pleasure, and dwell in it; and may it be my lot to live in this world ever united to Thee, that, one with Thee, I may dwell in Thy presence in heaven for all eternity. Amen.

                          *****

It is not certain that this devotion is by St. Alphonsus; but the tradition in the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer has always ascribed it to him. It is found in the Italian Directory of the Novices, which was certainly written by the saint, and which has always been used in the novitiate of the Congregation.