The Magi were not satisfied with paying their adorations to the great King, whom Mary presented to them. After the example of the Queen of Saba, who paid her homage to the Prince of Peace, in the person of King Solomon, these three Eastern Kings opened their treasures, and presented their offerings to Jesus. Our Emmanuel graciously accepted these mystic gifts, and suffered them not to leave him until he had loaded them with gifts infinitely more precious than those he had vouchsafed to receive. The Magi had given him of the riches which this earth produces; Jesus repays them with heavenly gifts. He strengthened in their hearts the virtues of faith, hope, and charity; he enriched, in their persons, the Church of which they were the representatives; and the words of the Canticle of Mary were fulfilled in them: He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath sent empty away;1 for the Synagogue refused to follow them in their search after the King of the Jews.
But let us consider the gifts made by the Magi, and let us, together with the Church and the Holy Fathers, acknowledge the Mysteries expressed by them. The gifts were three in number, in order to honor the sacred number of the Persons in the divine Essence, as likewise to express the triple character of the Emmanuel. He had come, that he might be King over the whole world; it was fitting that men should offer Gold to him, for it is the emblem of sovereign power. He had come to be High Priest, and, by his mediation, reconcile earth to heaven; Incense, then, was an appropriate gift, for the Priest uses it when he offers sacrifice. But, thirdly, it was only by his own death that he was to obtain possession of the throne, which was prepared for his glorified Human Nature, and the perpetual Sacrifice of the Divine Lamb was to be inaugurated by this same his Death: the gift of Myrrh was expressive of the Death and Burial of an immortal Victim. The Holy Ghost, who inspired the Prophets, had guided the Magi in their selection of these three gifts. Let us listen to St. Leo, who speaking of this Mystery, says with his usual eloquence:
“O admirable Faith, which leads to Knowledge and perfect Knowledge, and which was not taught in the school of earthly wisdom, but was enlightened by the Holy Ghost himself! For, whence had they learned the supernatural beauty of their three Gifts?—they, that had come straight from their own country, and had not, as yet, seen Jesus, nor beheld, in his Infant Face, the Light which directed them in the choice of their offerings? Whilst the Star met the gaze of the bodily eye, their hearts were instructed by a stronger light—the ray of Truth. Before setting out on the fatiguing journey, they knew Him, to whom were due, by Gold, the honors of a King; by Incense, the worship of God; by Myrrh, the faith in his Mortal Nature.”2
But these three gifts, which so sublimely express the three characters of the Man-God, are fraught with instruction for us. They signify three great virtues, which the Divine Infant found in the souls of the Magi, and to which he added increase by his grace. Gold signifies charity, which unites us to God; Frankincense prayer, which brings God into man’s heart; and Myrrh self-abnegation, suffering, and mortification, whereby we are delivered from the slavery of corrupt nature. Find a heart that loves God, that raises herself up to him by prayer, that understands and relishes the power of the cross—and you have in that heart the worthiest offering which can be made to God, and one which he always accepts.
We, too, O Jesus! offer thee our treasure and our gifts. We confess thee to be God, and Priest, and Man. We beseech thee to accept the desire we have of corresponding to the love thou showest us by giving thee our love in return; we love thee, dear Savior! do thou increase our love. Receive, also, the gift of our Prayer, for, though of itself it be tepid and poor, yet it is pleasing to thee because united with the prayer of thy Church: teach us how to make it worthy of thee, and how to give it the power of obtaining what thou desirest to grant: form within us the gift of prayer, that it may unceasingly ascend up like sweet Incense in thy sight. And, lastly, receive the homage of our contrite and humble hearts, and the resolution we have formed of restraining and purifying our senses by mortification and penance.
The sublime Mysteries, which we are celebrating during this holy season, have taught us the greatness of our own misery, and the immensity of thy love for us, and we feel more than ever the obligation we are under of fleeing from the world and its concupiscences, and of uniting ourselves to thee. The Star shall not have shone upon us in vain: it has brought us to thee, dear King of Bethlehem! and thou shalt be King of our hearts. What have we that we prize and hold dear, which we can hesitate to give thee in return for the sweet infinite treasure of Thyself, which thou hast given to us?
Dear Mother of our Jesus! we put these our offerings into thy hands. The gifts of the Magi were made through thee, and they were pleasing to thy Son; thou must present ours to him, and he will be pleased with them, in spite of their poverty. Our love is deficient; fill up its measure by uniting it with thine own immense love. Second our prayer by thy maternal intercession. Encourage us in our warfare against the world and the flesh. Make sure our perseverance, by obtaining for us the grace of a continual remembrance of the sweet Mysteries which we are now celebrating; pray for us, that, after thine own example, we may keep all these things in our hearts. That must be a hard and depraved heart, which could offend Jesus in Bethlehem; or refuse him anything, now that he is seated on thy lap, waiting for our offering! O Mary! keep us from forgetting that we are the children of the Magi, and that Bethlehem is ever open to receive us.
Let us borrow the language of the ancient Liturgies, in order to give expression to the sentiments awakened in us by all these ineffable Mysteries. Let us begin with this Hymn on the Nativity of our Lord, left us by the saintly Bishop of Poitiers, Venantius Fortunatus.
Hymn
Let all ages acknowledge that He is come, who is the reward of life. After mankind had carried the yoke of its cruel enemy, our Redemption appeared.
Venisse vitæ præmium;
Post hostis asperi jugum
Apparuit redemptio.
What Isaias foretold, has been fulfilled in the Virgin; an Angel announced the mystery to her, and the Holy Ghost filled her by his power.
Completa sunt in Virgine:
Annuntiavit Angelus,
Sanctus replevit Spiritus.
Mary conceived in her womb, for she believed in the word that was spoken to her: the womb of a youthful maid holds Him, whom the whole earth cannot contain.
Verbi fidelis semine:
Quem totus orbis non capit
Portant puellæ viscera.
The Root of Jesse has given its flower, and the Branch has borne its fruit: Mary has given birth to Jesus, and the Mother is still the spotless Virgin.
Et virga fructum edidit;
Fœcunda partum protulit,
Et virgo mater permanet.
He that created the light suffers himself to be laid in a manger; He that, with the Father, made the heavens, is now wrapt by his Mother’s hand in swaddling-clothes.
Qui lucis auctor exstitit,
Cum Patre cœlos condidit,
Sub Matre pannos induit.
He that gave to the world the ten commandments of the law, deigns, by becoming Man, to be under the bond of the law.
Cujus decem præcepta sunt,
Dignando factus est homo
Sub Legis esse vinculo.
What the old Adam defiled, that the new Adam has purified; and what the first cast down by his pride, the second raised up again by his humility.
Adam novus hoc abluit:
Tumens quod ille dejicit
Humillimus hic erigit.
Light and salvation are now born to us, night is driven away, and death is vanquished: oh! come, all ye people, believe; God is born of Mary. Amen.
Fugata nox et victa mors,
Venite gentes, credite,
Deum Maria protulit.
Amen.
The Mozarabic Breviary contains the following eloquent prayer.
Prayer
O God, Son of God, the ineffable Power of the Father, who, by the rising of a new star, didst reveal thyself to the Gentiles as the King of kings, and now art seen in thy glory in that happy city above: O thou before whom the islands tremble, and the Gentile princes and nations bow in homage, and to whom all kingdoms are subject, and at whose feet all kings lay down their crowns: vouchsafe now, by thy grace, to show thyself in thy mercy to our souls, and manifest thyself by our lives: that having within us the first-fruits of the Spirit, we may ever offer thee such gifts, as thereby to merit to enter, with hearts well-pleasing to thee, into the blessed Jerusalem, and by offering thee now the most pure gold of our works, we may deserve to be partakers of thy kingdom. Amen.
Deus, Dei Filius, Patris ineffabilis Virtus, qui novo sidere in Gentibus Rex regum ostenderis magnus, et in civitate illa beata appares gloriosus: quem insulæ tremunt: cui principes et nationes Gentium obsequuntur, dum tibi omnia regna cedunt, tibi regum diademata substernuntur; dignare jam gratia nostris te ostendere sensibus pium, et in conversationibus manifestum: ut primitias Spiritus habentes, ea tibi semper munera dedicemus, per quæ introire beatam illam Hierusalem placitis cordibus mereamur, ut tibi mundissimum aurum nostrorum operum deferentes, regni tui mereamur esse participes. Amen.
We take the following Sequence from the Paris Missal of 1584.
Sequence
There is sung in the highest heavens: Glory be to the new-born King, by whom peace is restored between heaven and earth.
Nato Regi gloria,
Per quem terræ redditur
In cœlo concordia.
Rightly do we keep the Birth-day of Jesus as a feast; for, by his birth, the grace of the new law is born.
Christi natalitia,
Quo nascente, nascitur
Novæ legis gratia.
He, our Mediator, is given to us to be the reward of our salvation: he takes upon himself our nature, refusing only the being like us in our sin.
In salutis præmium,
Non naturæ, sed reatus
Effugit consortium.
As a star loses nothing of its brightness by giving forth its ray; so neither does Mary suffer the loss of her purity by giving birth to her Son.
Stella fundens radium,
Nec Maria castitatem,
Pariendo Filium.
Who is the Stone cut from the mountain and not by the hand of man, if not our Jesus, who was of the line of kings,
Sine manu, nisi Jesus
Qui de Regum linea,
And was born from the womb of his Virgin-Mother, after she had virginally conceived?
De carne puerperæ
Processit virginea?
Let the wilderness be glad, and the desert bloom;—the rod of Jesse has flowered.
Et desertum floreat:
Virga Jesse floruit.
As was foretold in the Law, the Root has yielded its Branch, the Branch its Flower, and the Virgin our Savior.
Virgo profert Salvatorem,
Sicut Lex præcinuit.
The Root was the figure of David: the Branch was the type of Mary, who was born of a kingly race.
Virga, matris quæ processit
Ex regali semine.
The Flower is the Child that is born unto us, well likened to a flower, by reason of his wonderful sweetness.
Jure flori comparatus
Præ mira dulcedine.
He, whose birth is celebrated by the heavenly spirits, is laid in a manger!
Cujus ortus celebratur
Cœlesti præconio.
The citizens of heaven are in jubilee, whilst the Shepherds are keeping watch in the still night.
Dum pastores vigilant
Sub noctis silentio.
Let all creatures give forth praise for that the Virgin has given birth to her Son.
Super partum Virginis.
The law and the psalms harmonize with the writings of the Prophets.
Prophetarum paginis.
The Angels and the Shepherds, the Star and the Magi, all agree in proclaiming the Birth.
Stellæ simul et Magorum
Concordant indicia.
The Eastern Kings run to the Crib of the Babe—they are the first-fruits of the Gentiles.
Ad præsepe vagientis,
Gentium primordia.
O Jesus, immortal Babe! born in time because thou wouldst assume our nature, snatch us, by thy power, from this life’s woes.
Ex terreno temporalis,
Nos ab hujus vitæ malis
Tu potenter erue.
After this our mortal life, or rather this living death, mercifully restore unto us that life which is immortal. Amen.
Sive mortem hanc vitalem,
Vitam nobis immortalem
Clementer restitue. Amen.
St. Ephrem, the holy Deacon of Edessa, thus continues his admirable dialogue between Mary and the Magi.
Hymn
— Tell me, I beg of you as friends, how the mystery was declared to you in your country, and who it was that told you to come to me.
Totum mysterium ut actum est apud vos in regione vestra, aperite nunc mihi, ut amici: et quis vocavit vos, ut ad me veniretis?
— A star of great size appeared to us, more brilliant far than other stars; its light illumined our land, and it was an announcement to us, that the King was born.
Magna Stella nobis apparuit, reliquis multo splendidior stellis, cujus lumine nostra terra est inflammata, et quod Rex ortus sit, nobis annuntiavit.
— Tell not this, I pray you, in these our parts, lest the kings of the earth should hear it, and plot, in their envy, against the Child.
Nollem, vos quæso, loquamini hæc in regione nostra, ne sentientes Reges terræ, machinentur sua invidia adversus puerum.
— Fear not, O Virgin! for thy Son shall be master of all crowns, and shall crush them; neither shall the envy of kings be able to hurt him.
Ne timeas, Virgo, quia omnia diademata solvet Filius tuus, eaque pessumdabit, nec sua invidia nocumentum inferre illi valebunt.
— I fear that unclean wolf Herod, lest perhaps he bring grief upon me, and draw his sword to cut from off its vine my sweet though not yet ripened Fruit.
Herodem timeo, lupum pollutum, ne me perturbet, gladium stringat, quo præcidat dulcem botrum adhuc immaturum.
— Fear not Herod, for his throne shall be o’erthrown by thy Son, and his reign shall be short, and his crown shall fall from his head.
Herodem ne timeas: per Filium enim tuum subvertetur ejus thronus, et statim atque regnabit, destruetur, et ejus diadema decidet.
— Jerusalem is a torrent of blood, and all that are good are slain; if this be known, the city will plot against my Child. I pray you, then, whisper these things, and noise them not abroad.
Torrens sanguinis est Hierusalem, in eaque optimi quique cadunt: quare si hoc præsenserit, machinabitur in illum; ideoque secreto loquamini, precor, et ne tumultuetis.
— All blood-sheddings shall be stayed, and all weapons sheathed by the hand of thy Son; Jerusalem’s sword shall be stupefied, powerless to strike, unless by his consent.
Torrentes omnes, et lanceæ etiam per manus Filii tui sedabuntur, et Hierosolymæ obstupescet gladius, et nisi voluerit, non cadet.
— The Scribes and Priests of Jerusalem are skilled in secret murders, and may stir up some deadly purposes ’gainst me and the Child. Be silent, Magi, I beseech you.
Scribæ et sacerdotes Hierusalem, qui sanguinem subdole effundere solent, excitabunt forte lethale litigium adversum me, et adversum puerum: Magi, quæso, silete.
— Not so: the envious Scribes and Priests shall not have power to injure thy Child; nay, he will take away their priesthood, and put an end to their solemn feasts.
Scribæ et sacerdotes nequaquam valebunt sua invidia Filio tuo nocere; et per ipsum solvetur eorum sacerdotium, et solemnitates eorum cessabunt.
— An Angel appeared to me when I conceived my Babe; he told me, as he told you, that my Child is King, and that his throne is from above, and shall never have an end.
Angelus apparuit mihi, quando concepi puerum; quod Rex sit Filius meus, et quod ab alto sit ejus diadema, et non solvetur, ipse quoque explicavit mihi ut et vobis.
— This Angel, then, of whom thou speakest, is he that appeared to us under the figure of the star, and told us that thy Son is greater and brighter than the stars.
Angelus igitur, quem dicis, ipse venit sub specie sideris et apparuit nobis, atque annuntiavit quod Puer major sit et splendidior stellis.
— Lo, now, I will reveal to you another secret, that you may take fresh courage: I have given birth to my Child, who is the Son of God, and yet am I a Virgin. Go forth, and preach his name to the nations.
Coram vobis ecce aperio aliud arcanum, ut confirmemini; scilicet virgo peperi filium, Filiumque Dei; euntes prædicate ipsum.
— All this was taught us by the Star: it told us that his birth was beyond the course of nature, and that thy Son is above all creatures, and that he is the Son of God.
Jam nos prædocuit stella, nativitatem ejus extra ordinem esse naturæ, et super omnia esse Filium tuum, eumdemque etiam Filium esse Dei.
— Take peace back with you to your land; may peace be in your territories; may you be the truthful messengers of the Truth on all your journey.
Pacem referte in terram vestram; pax gliscat in finibus vestris: veraces veritatis nuntii habeamini in toto itinere vestro.
— May the peace of thy Son, which brought us hither, lead us back safe to our country; and, when his kingdom shall be declared to the world, may he visit our land, and bless it.
Pax Filii tui nos reducat incolumes in regionem nostram, ut duxit; et cum imperium ejus mundo manifestabitur, invisat terram nostram, et benedicat illi.
— May Persia rejoice at your tidings, and Assyria be glad in your return; and when the kingdom of my Son shall be declared, he shall set his standard in your land.
Gaudeat Persis vestro nuntio, exsultet Assyria vestro reditu; et quando regnum Filii mei manifestabitur, in regione vestra suum collocabit vexillum.
Let us turn to this tender Mother, and sing to her this Hymn of the Greek Church, which breathes so sweetly the unction and piety of St. Joseph the Hymnographer.
XV. Die Januarii
Tossed by the troublesome attacks of my passions, as by so many storms, and buffeted by the blows of my sins as by angry billows, I lovingly fly to thy untiring protection, O Maid most worthy of all praise. Have pity on me, and save me, O ever spotless Virgin!
Molestissimis passionum insultibus, quasi tempestatibus exagitatus, et peccatorum ictibus quasi fluctibus concussus, ad indefessam protectionem tuam confugio cum affectu, o puella omni laude dignissima: miserere mei, et salva me, o Virgo perpetua.
When the God of purity found thee, O spotless Virgin, in the lowly valleys as the Rose that breathes forth sweet fragrance, he dwelt within thee, and filled the human race with the most delicious perfume.
Cum te tamquam rosam redolentem purus ille in convallibus reperisset, o inviolata; in medio tui habitavit, humanum genus suavissimo replens odore.
Turn the faculties of my soul, O most pure one, to the divine commandments of Him who shone forth from thy womb, and, by thy prayers, deliver me from the storm of this life’s scandals.
Dirige motus animæ meæ, o purissima, ad divina illius præcepta qui ex utero tuo coruscavit, atque a tempestate scandalorum hujus vitæ eripe me intercessionibus tuis.
Thou didst virginally bring forth our Emmanuel, the Lord of all, O Virgin-Mother, and didst remain a Virgin after thy delivery. Pray to him unceasingly, that they who fly to thy protection, may be freed from the attacks of their enemies.
Omnium Dominum Emmanuel sine viri opera peperisti, manens Virgo post partum, o Virgo mater. Eumdem incessanter exora ut ab hostium invasionibus liberentur illi qui confugiunt sub protectionem tuam.
O chaste Virgin! thou didst, from thy womb, clothe with a human body Him who is the Word, equal to his Father in works and in majesty; from thee, by reason of his unspeakable mercy, did he assume our entire human nature.
Verbum quod æquale est in operatione et in throno Genitori suo, ex visceribus tuis corporasti, o casta; atque inde propter ineffabilem misericordiam suam, totam naturam nostram assumpsit.
O Blessed Mother! we praise thy Son, who redeemed us from the old curse. We bless thee, O blessed by God above all women, who art loved above all by Him who is blessed and glorious above all.
Prolem tuam laudamus, o benedicta, per quam ab antiqua damnatione redempti sumus; te vero beatificamus, o divina felicitate cumulatissima; quam solam dilexit ille qui est benedictus, ac supergloriosus.
Thou pourest forth an ever-flowing stream on us who have recourse to thee, O Virgin-Mother! Refreshed by its plentiful grace, we praise thy Son, O purest Maid, and we extol him above all for ever.
Fluvium perennem nobis effundis recurrentibus ad te, o casta; cujus uberem gratiam delibantes, partum tuum laudamus, o inviolatissima, et superexaltamus in omnia sæcula.
Thy womb was made the dwelling-place of Light, whereby they that sat in darkness saw the light. Therefore, do we ever praise thee with our unceasing hymns, O Mother of God, and devoutly venerate thee, the hope of our hearts.
Lucis habitaculum venter tuus factus est, per quam sedentes in tenebris viderunt lumen: unde te incessabili voce semper laudamus, o Dei Mater; et cum affectu veneramur te spem animarum nostrarum.
The Church makes commemoration, today, of the holy Pope and Martyr Hyginus. He held the Apostolic Chair under the reign of Antoninus, and closed his four-years’ Pontificate by martyrdom. We have no history of his life, but we venerate in him one of the links of that grand chain of Pontiffs, which unites us, by St. Peter, to our Lord Jesus Christ. The whole weight of the government of the Church was upon his shoulders, and he was courageous and faithful in the discharge of his duties; his reign was during the age of Persecution, when to be Pope was to be a victim of tortures and death. As we have already said, he soon won his Palm, and was associated in heaven with the three Magi, who had, before leaving this world, preached the gospel in Greece, the country of our Saint. Let us ask him to bless the offerings we are making to the Divine Infant of Bethlehem, and to pray for us, that we may obey this sweet King, who asks us to give him, not our blood by martyrdom, but our hearts by charity.
Let us honor the memory of this holy Pope, and say with the Church:
Ant. This Saint fought, even unto death, for the law of his God, and feared not the words of the wicked; for he was set upon a firm rock.
Ant. Iste Sanctus pro lege Dei sui certavit usque ad mortem, et a verbis impiorum non timuit; fundatus enim erat supra firmam petram.
Let us pray.
Oremus.
Have regard, O Almighty God, to our weakness; and whereas we sink under the weight of our own doings, let the glorious intercession of blessed Hyginus, the Martyr and Bishop, be a protection to us. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Infirmitatem nostram respice, omnipotens Deus, et quia pondus propriæ actionis gravat, beati Hygini Martyris tui atque Pontificis intercessio gloriosa nos protegat. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.