the Crib; she presses him to her heart; she places him on her knees-it is our God, the Emmanuel, throned, but with such love and majesty on the Ark of the New Covenant. How far is the glory of Mary above that of the other living Throne formed to the Eternal Word by the trembling wings of Cherubim! And the Ark of Moses, made of corruptible wood, covered with plates of gold, holding within it the Manna and the Rod of Aaron and the very Tables of the Law-is it not a figure that pales in the presence of the holiness and the dignity of the Mother of God? How adorable art thou on this Throne, O Jesus! and how amiable and easy of approach! Those tiny hands stretched out to sinners, and the smile of Mary, the Living Throne-both bid us go near. Oh! the happiness of being subjects of a King, so great and yet so endearing! Mary is the Seat of Wisdom, because thou, O Wisdom of the Father! art reposing on her. Reign there for ever, sweet Jesus! be thou our King, and Lord, and rule us in thy comeliness, and beauty, and meekness! We are thy subjects, and we offer thee our adoring loyalty and love; and to Mary, the Queen thou hast given us, we promise the homage of our best devotion! We will celebrate the Birth of our Divine King to-day, in the words used by the Greek Church in her Office of Christmas Day. EVENING OFFICE. Nato Domino Jesu et sacra Virgine, lucida facta sunt omnia; pastoribus enim de nocte vigilantibus, Magis adorantibus, Angelis hymnificantibus, Herodes turbabatur, quia Deus in carne apparuit Salvator animarum nostrarum. All things were made light, when Jesus our Lord was born of the Holy Virgin; for, the Shepherds watched at night, the Magi adored, the Angels sang hymns, Herod was troubled, because God, the Saviour of our souls, had appeared. Ps. xliv. 5. Thy Kingdom, O Christ our God is a Kingdom of all ages, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. The Light hath shone, He that was made flesh by the Holy Ghost, and was made Man of the ever Blessed Virgin Mary. Thy coming, O Jesus, Light of Light, Brightness of the Father, hath gladdened every creature. Every spirit hath given praise to thee the image of the Father's glory; who art, and who wast before all ages, and hast shone forth from the Virgin ; O God! have mercy on us. What shall we offer unto thee, O Jesus! for that thou, for our sakes, hast been seen on earth as Man? For, every creature is subject to thee, and rendereth thee thanks the Angels give thee their hymns, the heavens the Star, the Magi their gifts, the Shepherds their admiration, the earth a Cave, solitude a Crib, and we, we give thee thy Virgin Mother. O God, that wast before all ages! have mercy on us. During the reign of Augustus on this earth, the various other kingdoms ceased; and when thou, O Jesus, wast made Man from thy Virginal Mother, thine own dear Lamb, the idolatrous religion of many gods was sapped. As the cities of the world were confederated under one Kingdom; so were all nations brought to the obedience of faith in one God. People were enrolled by the decree of Cæsar; and we, ricordia; Domine, gloria thy faithful, were enrolled tibi, under the divine name of thee our God, when thou didst become Man. Glory be to thee, O Lord! for, great is thy mercy. And now, a Hymn to our Lady, the Seat of Wisdom! Let us offer her this beautiful one, taken from the Cluny Missal of 1523. SEQUENCE. Ave, mundi spes, Maria, Ave mitis, ave pia, Ave, plena gratia. Ave, Virgo singularis, Quæ per rubum designaris Non passum incendia. Ave, rosa speciosa, Ave, Jesse virgula, Cujus fructus Nostri luctus Relaxavit vincula. Ave, cujus viscera Contra mundi fœdera, Ediderunt filium. Ave, carens simili, Mundo diu flebili Reparasti gaudium. Ave, virginum lucerna, Per quam fulsit lux superna His quos unda tenuit. Ave, Virgo de qua nasci Et de cujus lacte pasci Rex cœlorum voluit. Ave, gemma, cœli lumi narum, Ave, sancti Spiritus sacrarium. O quam mirabilis, Et quam laudabilis Hæc est virginitas. Hail Mary! sweet hope of the world! Hail, gentle Queen! Hail, loving Mother! Hail, full of grace! Hail, peerless Virgin ! imaged in the Bush that burned, yet was not burnt. Hail, lovely Rose! Hail, Jesse's Rod! whose Fruit broke the chains of our misery. Hail, Holy Mother! for whom God set aside all nature's laws, and made thy virginal womb bring forth his Son. Hail, matchless Queen! 'twas thou didst make the long sad world rejoice. Hail, Beacon of Virgins! pouring out thy celestial light on them whom tempests toss. Hail, Virgin! of whom the King of heaven would be born, and suck the food whereon he deigned to live. Hail, Pearl! Hail Heavenly Orb ! Hail, Temple of the Holy Ghost! Oh how wonderful and how venerable is this Virginity! In it, shone forth a fruitfulness produced by the Holy Paraclete. And she, the Virgin, how holy how peaceful! how kind! how lovely must we deem her! By the gift she gave us, slavery was abolished, the gate of heaven was opened, and liberty brought back again. O Lily of purity! pray for us to thy Son, the Saviour of the humble, That in the awful judgment, he may not sentence us to torments for our sins; But moved by thy holy prayers, may he cleanse us from the dross of sin; And admit us into mansions of eternal light. Amen! let every Christian say, Amen! DECEMBER 30. SUNDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF OR THE SIXTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. (When the 30th of December does not fall on a Sunday, it is called "the Sixth Day within the "Octave," and the 3rd Mass of Christmas Day is repeated, page 225; excepting only the Epistle and "Gospel, which are taken from the 2nd Mass, pages 214, 215.) This is the only day, within the Christmas Octave, which is not a Saint's Feast. During the Octaves of the Epiphany, Easter, and Pentecost, the Church is so absorbed in the respective mysteries, that she puts off everything that could share her attention; whereas, during this of Christmas, there is only one day which does not celebrate the memory of some glorious Saint, and our Infant Jesus is surrounded by a choir of heroes who loved and served him. Thus, the Church, or, more correctly, God-for God is the first author of the Cycle of the Year-shows us how the Incarnate Word, who came to save mankind, desires to give mankind confidence by this his adorable familiarity. We have already shown that the Birth of our Lord took place on a Sunday, the Day on which, in the beginning of the world, God created Light. We shall find, later on, that his Resurrection, also, was on a Sunday. This the first day of creation, and the first of the week, was consecrated, by the old Pagans, to |