Sunday Afternoon Readings

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LI, Issue 50, 17 December 1924, Page 51

Sunday Afternoon Readings

■f (By Right Rev. Mgr. Power for the N.Z. Tablet.)

' BETHLEHEM MAKES THE LOVE OF GOD EASY. THE SHEPHERDS. XII. The love of God, the bond of perfection is the best preventative of sin. Now, this love of God expresses itself in the imitation of Christ, Who is our Model and Exemplar. To clothe ourselves in His virtues, is to be- ' V come like the Father, for it is through Christ that the Father makes Himself known. This was the secret of St. Paul's consuming desir*e • to make Christ known and loved, this is why he devoted all the energies of his apostolate to form Christ in souls: "In this I rejoice, yea, and will rejoice." He tells the : Corinthians that it is through Christ Jesus that God has imparted to us "wisdom, and justness, and sanctification and redemption, ; so that, according as it is written : Let him who glorieth, glory in the Lord." And to ■", the Colossians he says that Christ is our life. Christ, our life! This simplifies all spirituality. Knowing Christ, we know how to live; we have no need to search for way, or , truth, or life outside of Him; in Him alone | we must seek the source of our holiness. This will not narrow our outlook on life eternal, for all the .inexhaustible treasures, all the "unsearchable riches" of sanctification are gathered up in Him. : Of course, we- must bear in mind with •• St. Thomas that Christ is more than our ;'! Model, more than the exemplary cause of our sanctification. He is the meritorious cause also, having merited this grace by His life, passion and. death; and furthermore Vile is the efficient cause, because "He Himself produces this grace in us by the eon tact we have with Him through faith." But it ~' is as our Model we are going to consider . Our Lord in the next few pages, because to I be effective, the works which Ave perform through grace, must be done by us in imitation of the works which He did. We must . manifest in our lives the life of Jesus: "Be ye imitators of God as most dear children The Christian, becoming another Christ, imitates God, for "He that seeth (Christ), seeth , the Father also." Now, it is through the Incarnation, — through the Birth in Bethlehem and the . words and works that follow it that Christ ; manifests the Divine perfections. Christ ; is God dwelling with us, that we may see Him with our eyes, hear the words that fall from His lips, touch Him with our hands, and follow in His footsteps: "For the life was manifested; and Ave have seen and do Bear witness, and declare unto you the life eternal, which was with the Father, and ' hath appeared to us"; that is, in Christ. • Let us then consider the Life of the Inear- \ nate God, and first in Bethlehem, j The wonders of Bethlehem have ever thriliAled the human heart; its pictures have a L> charm for the noble and the simple alike. The songs of the shepherds, the coming of the Magi, the angels descending in the desert, tho young Mother contemplating her new-born Babe, and the faithful Joseph

watching over bothno poet has ever imagined such a mixture of innocence, enchantment and grandeur, as this which the simple narrative of the Gospel presents for our pious meditation. The secrets of Heaven are manifested to the humble and to the lords of learning, and Beauty Incarnate links up our nothingness with Infinite Majesty, A Child is born to us and a Son is given to us. We know Him by heart, for every day He is new-born on our altars. Around the altar, as around the crib, all joy is young, all love is glowing. He first came while deep silence held the world in its embrace; in a silence disturbed only by the sound of the silver bell and the beating of adoring hearts, day after day 'Sudden as sweet Come the expected feet." On a winter's night while .the wind howled and the snow fell, St. Joseph and Our Lady arrived in Bethlehem, full weary after their long journey from Nazareth. They came to the great inn, but the landlord sent them from his door: "Poor folk (says he) must lie where they may, For the Duke of Jewry comes this way, With all his train on a Christmas Day." Ah! the poor, the homeless poor! This is their day, for it is Christmas Day; and now with the richest of the rich, all being of good will, they share that sacred Home which Mary made for them in her own homelessness. To the Stable of Bethlehem we have all lost our hearts, it is our home of homes for evermore. Take it away, and our hearts are homesick, and we are wayfarers under an alien sky and a foreign sun. Humble is the sky over Bethlehem, .'but God's Star in the East imparts to it a thrilling brilliancy; and weary with our wanderings, we long for that Star and that Stable, that we may lay our poor heads on straw that is more fragrant than frankincense, and has a brighter sheen than gold. "A Child in a foul stable, Where the beasts feed and foam; Only where He was homeless Are you and I at home." Look into the stable and see the Child, lying on the straw and smiling at the shepherds: Simple, honest men, ignorant of the world and .its festivities, they were watching over their sheep, little dreaming that they were to be the first invited to the greatest of all festivities, that they were to be the first heralds of the good tidings. Suddenly a. great light shone round them, and from tho light in angel-tones: "Be not afraid, I bring you tidings of great joy. For this night there is born to you a Saviour." Then came a host of angels singing their song of welcome; a song whose echoes have come down through all the ages, blessing our human ears, enwrapping our fancy, raising us from leprous sin, and unfolding to us. the golden gate of Heaven, where Justice and

Peace, now reconciled, sit enthroned for evermore. The shepherds enter the Cave; they find the Child, and Mary and Joseph contemplating in silent wonder, and an ox and an ass with large, gentle eyes, bowing their meek heads. With the eyes of the spirit they see Heaven's light playing upon the fingers of the Divine Babe, and spreading itself everywhere: first throughout tho cave, then out to Mount Sion, and Hermon, and across the ranges of Lebanon, to Greece, and Rome, and Northern Europe, and America, and the Antipodes, setting land and sea ablaze with the light of faith and love. They too, happy shepherds, will have their share in spreading that light, and they hasten forth to tell the surrounding country what they have seen and heard. And what do the shepherds tell? More fortunate than the shepherds of Virgil, their story is more thrilling: It was a dark night, but the eyes of the Noble Infant shed a majestic light around; it was a cold night, but the North Wind, forgetting his fierceness, scattered flowers where he had meant to scatter frosts. Heaven and earth contend to spread a bed for the starry Stranger; the curled drops of snow would lend themselves as sheets for His cradle, but the shepherds brushed these aside, they were of whitest fleece indeed, but far too cold. The Seraphim would send down their rosy fleece of fire from which their wings were fashioned, but even these tho shepherds would not have, they were warm, but hot pure enough. No, no, ye snows of Heaven ; no, no, ye bright Seraphim, let tho Mighty Babe alone, He has built His own nest: '•'No, no! your King's not yet to seek Where to repose His royal head ; See, see, how soon His new-bloom'd cheek Twixt's Mother's breasts is gone to bed. Sweet choice, said we! no way but so Not to lie cold, yet sleep in snow. We saw Thee in Thy balmy nest, Bright dawn of our eternal day! We saw Thine eves break from their East, And chase tho trembling shades away. We saw Thee: and we blest the sight, We saw Thee by Thine own sweet light. Welcome all wonders in one sight! Eternity shut in a span! Summer in Winter, Day in Night! Heaven in earth, and God in man! Great, Little One! whose all-embracing birth Lifts earth to Heaven, stoops Heaven to earth." When we assist at Holy Mass, which is our daily Bethlehem House of Bread — should warm up our hearts like those of tho gentle shepherds, and, more fortunate than the shepherds, we should take Him into these hearts with a loving welcome in Holy Communion. The world around His Tabernacle is very cruel and very cold. He has still to make room for the Duke of Jewry, who sets up his mammon-god in many a heart. (Note. —This number and the one to follow are taken from their natural place in the course to suit (he present holy season.)