Saviour act towards thee, if thou art faithful to Him

now.

II. Consider what is implied by being faithful to Jesus in His state of complete abandonment and utter destitution. It means that thou also must be content to put up with a like lot, and must suffer in union with Him the trials He sends thee to try thy fidelity. Yet what canst thou expect if in thy state of holy poverty thou art unfaithful to thy engagements? Most certainly thou canst never aspire to the riches of His kingdom unless thou sharest His poverty and His sufferings: Si tamen compatimur ut et conglorificemur— Rom. viii. 17-Yet so if we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified with Him.

III. Consider what are these riches to which Jesus will give thee a right if thou art faithful to Him in the state of poverty which He openly professes in the cave. They are twofold riches: riches for the time being, and riches for a future eternity. He will bestow upon thee now, in proportion to the fidelity thou showest Him, the riches of grace which are the real treasures He confers on His friends: He will bequeath to thee for a future eternity the possession of Paradise, with all its gifts of glory, to make thee everlastingly happy: Ut in bonis illius læteris. An earthly king who returns, after a temporary exile, to take possession of his kingdom, cannot at most give more than a small portion of his territory to the faithful sharers of his misfortunes; but Jesus will, if thou art faithful to Him now, give thee His entire kingdom to enjoy with Him, without fear of ever losing it. Is not all this enough to make thee resolve on being evermore His faithful friend?

NEW YEAR'S DAY.

Vocatum est nomen ejus Jesus, quod vocatum est ab Angelo, priusquam in utero conciperetur.-Luc. ii. 21. His name was called Jesus, which was called by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

I. CONSIDER that on this day the holy Infant took on Himself the mark of sinner as son of Abraham, and the Name of Jesus or Saviour as Son of God: for unless He had assumed the appearance of a culprit, transferring our sins to His own shoulders, and cancelling our debts with His own Blood, He could never have wrought our salvation. If thou wouldst

enjoy the benefits which this most holy Name implies, and win for thyself a divine sonship, endeavour to humble thyself and treat thyself as a guilty wretch; and thus, by virtue of this wondrous Name, thou mayest hope to become a child of God.

II. Consider that, in order to become thy Saviour, Jesus has made Himself thy Physician and Master, thy Surety and Advocate, thy Captain and Shepherd, so that He may be able to free thee from all liabilities of guilt and penalty, and enrich thee with all the goods of grace and glory. Wilt thou not then thank Him from thy inmost heart for having, at the cost of so much anguish and so much blood, taken a name which has brought with it such a complete remedy for all thy woes? Why dost thou not have recourse to Him, and call upon His holy Name in all thy needs, whether these arise from temptations, trials, or dangers, and make use of so powerful a Name as a shield wherewith to defend thyself from the assaults of thy foes, as a solace to comfort thee in thy trials, as a beacon to guide thee in danger? Non enim aliud nomen est sub colo datum hominibus in quo oporteat nos salvos fieri

Act. iv. 12-For there is no other Name under heaven given to men whereby we must be saved.

III. Consider that it was from the lips of the Blessed Virgin that the sound of this most holy and life-giving Name fell for the first time on the ears of men-that Name which had been decreed by God the Father from all eternity. No sooner did she pronounce it than her heart overflowed with joy and consolation, and all the angelic hosts bowed themselves down in adoration, and exulted in triumph and gladness, in the knowledge that so great a Name was to be adored both on earth and in hell as well. In nomine Jesu omne genu flectatur, cœlestium, terrestrium, et infernorum -Philip. ii. 10-In the Name of Jesus let every knee bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. Adore this great Name thyself also with all humility: love it with the tenderness of an unbounded affection, and endeavour not only to have it frequently on thy lips, but to keep it indelibly engraven on thy heart, so that thy actions and thy whole life may all be directed to the glory of Jesus thy Saviour: In Domino gaudebo et exultabo in Deo Jesu meo-Habac. iii. 8 -I will rejoice in the Lord, and I will joy in God my Jesus.

SECOND DAY OF JANUARY.

Postquam consummati sunt dies octo, ut circumcideretur puer.-Luc. ii. 21.

After eight days were accomplished, that the child should be circumcised.

I. CONSIDER that as the Blessed Virgin and S. Joseph knew it was God's Will that the holy Infant should be circumcised, according as the law prescribed for all the descendants of Abraham, they conformed to the pre

cept, although they well knew that the Divine Child had no need of the rite, owing to His freedom from original sin. Observe here the virtue of the Mother. She was as fond of her divine Babe as a mother could be, and she was well aware of the grievous pain that the wound would cause Him: but she will not on any consideration allow her mother's tenderness to gain the upper hand, and she courageously obeys the Will of God. What a beautiful example is this for thee! When it is a question of obeying God, all tenderness of affection for friends, relations, or country must be conquered, and every natural feeling generously sacrificed for the service of Almighty God.

II. Consider the pain the Divine Child underwent. He was endowed with perfect use of reason, a most delicate frame, and an extremely keen sensitiveness, so that He dreaded the cruel wound which other children did not, and felt its pangs more than they. And yet He had no need of this remedy, nor was He bound by this law but He subjected Himself to circumcision, and assumed the appearance of guilt, in order to give thee a remedy for all thy evils. Thou hast no difficulty in submitting to those observances and regulations which entail no inconvenience and are not contrary to thy natural inclination: but thou findest great difficulty in submitting to those which are burdensome to thee and wound thy pride. It is, however, by the faithful observance of such duties as these that thou hast to show thy love for Jesus and merit His grace.

III. Consider that amongst the Hebrews, whoever underwent circumcision was by that very fact subjected to the grievous yoke of the Mosaic law. Thus, whilst Jesus, in conformity with the ordinance of His Heavenly Father, took in His circumcision the brand of a sinner on account of our sins and for our salvation, He also subjected Himself by that very act to a

most grievous burden of heavy penalties, undeserved infamy, and of the most agonising, and at the same time shameful, death of the Cross. Make an entire offering of thyself to the holy Will of God, together with the merit of this wondeful obedience of Jesus, resigning thyself to His Fatherly dispositions in thy regard for the whole course of thy life, and in all and each of the events ordained by Providence.

THIRD DAY OF JANUARY.

Consummati sunt dies octo, ut circumcideretur puer.— Luc. ii. 21.

Eight days were accomplished, that the child should be circumcised.

I. CONSIDER that it was not without mystery that the Name of Jesus was given to the holy Infant in the very act of shedding His precious Blood for our sake; for from this thou mayst gather that a mere name is of no use unless it be accompanied by the verification of what it imports. Thou bearest the name of Christian, and what is more, of religious : but of what good, pray, will this name be to thee, if by thy conduct thou dost not verify so noble a title ? To become a religious, not in name, but in deed, thou must circumcise thyself and strip thyself of the old man, by laying aside all those maxims of the world which are opposed to the maxims of Christ and to thy profession as religious. Expoliantes vos veterem hominem cum actibus suis-Coloss. iii. 9—Stripping yourselves of the old man with his deeds. Enter into thyself and see what are the maxims which rule thy conduct, whether they be of Christ or of the world.

II. Consider that in order to bear the name of a