24 December 2007

FEAST OF THE NATIVITY

In the year 2015 from the birth of Abraham, in the year 1510 from the exodus of the people of Israel out of Egypt, in the year 1032 from the enthronement of David the Prophet and King, in the sixtieth "week" of the prophecy of Daniel, in the forty-second year of the reign of Caesar Augustus, in the thirty-third year of the reign of Herod, when the staff had gone from Judah has had been prophesied by Jacob the Patriarch, at a time when the whole world was at peace, it pleased God to send His only-begotten Son and Eternal Word to the world to become Man and to teach us God's love, to suffer, die, and rise from the dead for our salvation.

At that time, the Lord Jesus was born in a humble cave in Bethlehem of Judah, and no one knew of it but the immaculate Virgin Mary his Mother and Joseph her spouse. No one heard of this miracle surpassing all miracles but a few humble shepherds who had been told by angels in the sky that sang this hymn: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men." Then the Magi came from the East, led by a star in the heaven: they found their way to where the Divine Infant rested, and they adored Him, and opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts of gold, incense and myrrh.

To God Incarnate, to the suckling Infant who humbled Himself and took our form, becoming one of us to make us divine; to the One who later walked among us to teach us the way of salvation and who loved us so much as to give His life for it: to Him be glory, honor, and adoration forever and ever. Oh, come, let us adore Him! (From the Roman Martyrology)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Merry Christmas to you!

Unknown said...

Fr. Weedon,

This is very nice. You list this as coming form the Roman Martyrology. Is this available as a collection?

Thanks

William Weedon said...

Omar,

Sure. Just check here:

http://www.breviary.net/martyrology/mart.htm

Anonymous said...

very nice except for the "immaculate" part about the mother of God. I prefer to think of Mary stained by sin, like me, and yet full of Grace.... full of Jesus, like me.

William Weedon said...

Dear FW,

The Lutheran Symbols do not hesitate to describe the Blessed Virgin as "the pure, holy Virgin" (SA I:3) and even as "the most holy Virgin" (SD VIII:100 Latin) and "most worthy of the most plentiful honors" (Ap XXI:27). How does calling her immaculate differ from calling her pure, holy, most holy? How does it not accord with holding her "most worthy of the most plentiful honors"?