Prayer to the Infant Jesus on Christmas Day

 May each of you have a very merry Christmas!  The prayer below is penned by St. Gertrude the Great and is a beautiful greeting to our Infant Jesus.  May He bless each of us abundantly with virtue and grace!  May our Blessed Mother keep us safe beneath her mantle and close to her Immaculate Heart!  Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, most holy family of Nazareth, save souls.

Greetings to the Child Jesus

Hail, most loving little Jesus, sweetest love, far above all created love!
I greet Thee, and in the desires of all Christendom I embrace Thee.
Hail, most charming little Jesus, noble Child of Nazareth,
full rose of Jericho, blooming flower from Heaven!
Draw our hearts to Thyself and refresh them with Thy sweetness.

Hail, most lovable little Jesus, living Bread of Bethlehem, innocent Lamb of Jerusalem,
newly-born King of Judea! Receive us into the number of Thy chosen servants.
Hail, most beautiful little Jesus, watchful Shepherd of the heavenly sheep,
beloved fellow-Brother of all the children of men, delicate flower planted by the Holy Spirit
in the virgin heart of Mary, bright daybreak rising out of the dark night to the joy of the whole earth!
Drive away from us the darkness of sin.

Glory and praise be to Thee, tender, sweet little Jesus!
From the depths of my heart I pray and adore Thee because for the love of me and of all mankind
Thou wert willing to lie in the manger and to suffer such great poverty and misery.
I thank and adore Thy tender limbs and Thy tender hands and feet, and I praise the inexpressible love
which didst draw Thou forth from the bosom of the Heavenly Father, down to a poor and miserable stable.

Glory and praise be to Thee, noble little Jesus! I greet and praise Thee with the same fervent love
with which Thy mother loved and praised Thee so intensely.
Glory and praise be to Thee, most beloved little Jesus, sweet delight of eternal bliss.
I greet and praise Thee with the same love which madst Thou leave Heaven and become a poor Child.
Glory and praise be to Thee, most precious little Jesus, joy and honor of Thy Heavenly Father!

I thank Thee through Thine Own sweet Heart which Thou hast revealed to the whole world through Thy birth.
I greet Thee over and over again, most beautiful little Jesus, sweetest delight of the Father's Heart,
refreshment of sick souls. I offer to Thee my own heart for Thine eternal glory and service.

Jesus, crown, love, joy, bliss of virgins! Thy love madst
Thou the Son of a Virgin. May Thou be glorified and praised forever. Amen.

--St. Gertrude the Great

God bless!

+JMJ+

Epiphany Novena

 I pray that you may experience the joy and love of the Holy Family this Christmas season!  God bless!

***This novena begins December 28--which is this Sunday!

The Epiphany, traditionally celebrated on January 6, falls on the twelfth day after Christmas and celebrates the visit of the three kings to the Christ Child. At Christ's Nativity, the angels bore witness to Christ, and the Shepherds, representing the people of Israel, bowed down before Him. It is at the visitation of the Magi, the Epiphany, that Christ's majesty and divinity are revealed to the Gentiles. This manifestation signifies the extension of salvation to all people. On this feast and throughout the new year, let us then imitate the Magi, who responded to the newborn King with faith and love. Let us strive to offer to Him wholehearted gifts of our lives.

This Novena is prayed beginning on December 28, the Feast of the Holy Innocents, and ending on January 5, the Vigil of the Epiphany.

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Novena to the Magi in Anticipation of the Epiphany

28 December: O holy Magi! You were living in continual expectation of the rising of the Star of Jacob, which would announce the birth of the true Sun of justice; obtain for us an increase of faith and charity, and the grace to live in continual hope of beholding one day the light of heavenly glory and eternal joy.
Glory be to the Father ...

29 December: O holy Magi! who at the first appearance of the wondrous star left your native country to go and seek the newborn King of the Jews; obtain for us the grace of corresponding with alacrity to every divine inspiration.
Glory be to the Father... .

30 December: O holy Magi! who regarded neither the severity of the season, nor the inconveniences of the journey that you might find the newborn Messiah; obtain for us the grace not to allow ourselves to be discouraged by any of the difficulties which may meet us on the way of salvation.
Glory be to the Father... .

31 December: O holy Magi, who, when deserted by the star in the city of Jerusalem, sought humbly, and without human respect, from the rulers of the Church, the place where you might discover the object of your journey; obtain for us grace to have recourse, in faith and humility, in all our doubts and perplexities to the counsel of our superiors, who hold the place of God on earth.
Glory be to the Father... .

1 January: O holy Magi, who were gladdened by the reappearance of the star which led you to Bethlehem; obtain for us from God the grace, that, remaining always faithful to Him in afflictions, we may be consoled in time by His grace, and in eternity by His glory.
Glory be to the Father... .

2 January: O holy Magi, who, entering full of faith into the stable of Bethlehem, prostrated yourselves on the earth, to adore the newborn King of the Jews, though he was surrounded only by signs of poverty and weakness; obtain from the Lord for us a lively faith in the real presence of Jesus in the blessed Sacrament, the true spirit of poverty, and a Christ-like charity for the poor and suffering.
Glory be to the Father... .

3 January: O holy Magi, who offered to Jesus Christ gold, incense, and myrrh, thereby recognizing Him to be at once King, God, and Man; obtain from the Lord for us the grace never to present ourselves before Him with empty hands; but that we may continually offer to Him the gold of charity, the incense of prayer, and the myrrh of penance and mortification.
Glory be to the Father... .

4 January: O holy Magi, who, when warned by an angel not to return to Herd, traveled back to your
country be another road; obtain for us from the Lord, the grace that, after having found Him in true repentance, we may avoid all danger of losing Him again.
Glory be to the Father... .

5 January: O holy Magi, who were first among the Gentiles called to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and who persevered in the faith till your deaths, obtain for us of the Lord the grace of living always in conformity to our baptismal vows, ever leading to a life of faith; that like you we may attain to the beatific vision of that God Who now is the object of our faith.
Glory be to the Father... .

+JMJ+

Devotions to the Christ Child

 Merry Christmas!  May the joy of this holy day fill your hearts and lives!  God bless!

Holy Mother Church devotes the month of December to the Divine Infant. Beginning with Christmas, the Church recalls the Divine Childhood and continues to honor the Christ Child with additional feasts for forty days. While liturgically the Christmas season ends with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, January 13, spiritually the Christmas cycle is not complete until February 2, the Feast of the Presentation, also known as Candlemas. We can adore the Divine Infant by praying special devotions to Him, such as the prayer below, which is to be recited while in the presence of Baby Jesus in the manger. We can also worship Him by singing Christmas hymns, such as the beautiful French hymn Il est Ne,le Divin Enfant or a more commonly known song such as What Child is This.  Another way to honor the Christ Child would be to spend time in Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.

These special prayers and hymns need not be restricted to Christmas Day alone. Our hearts made ready during Advent have not just one day to shower the Infant Jesus with love and homage, but the Christmas season in its entirety.

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Prayer to Jesus in the Manger

O Divine Redeemer Jesus Christ, prostrate before Thy crib, I believe Thou art the God of infinite Majesty, even though I do see Thee here as a helpless babe. I humbly adore and thank Thee for having so humbled Thyself for my salvation as to will to be born in a stable. I thank Thee for all Thou didst wish to suffer for me in Bethlehem, for Thy poverty and humility, for Thy nakedness, tears, cold and sufferings.

Would that I could show Thee that tenderness which Thy Virgin Mother had toward Thee, and love Thee as she did. Would that I could praise Thee with the joy of the angels, that I could kneel before Thee with the faith of St. Joseph, the simplicity of the shepherds. Uniting myself with these first adorers at the crib, I offer Thee the homage of my heart, and I beg that Thou wouldst be born spiritually in my soul. Make me reflect in some degree the virtues of Thy admirable nativity. Fill me with that spirit of renunciation, of poverty, of humility, which prompted Thee to assume the weakness of our nature, and to be born amid destitution and suffering. Grant that from this day forward, I may in all things seek Thy greater glory, and may enjoy that peace promised to men of good will.  Amen.

Il est né le Divin Enfant (Refrain) Il est né le divin enfant, Jouez hautbois, résonnez musettes! Il est né le divin enfant, Chantons tous son avènement! Depuis plus de quatre mille ans, Nous le promettaient les prophètes. Depuis plus de quatre mille ans, Nous attendions cet heureux temps. (Refrain) Ah! qu'il est beau, qu'il est charmant! Que ses grâces sont parfaites! Ah! qu'il est beau, qu'il est charmant! Qu'il est doux ce divin Enfant! (Refrain) O Jésus! O Roi tout puissant! Tout petit enfant que vous êtes, O Jésus! O Roi tout puissant! Régnez sur nous entièrement! (Refrain)

He is Born the Christ Child (Chorus) He is born, the divine child, Play, oboes, resound, bag-pipes! He is born, the divine child, Let us sing for his future! For more than four thousand years, The prophets promised Him to us. For more than four thousand years, We've been waiting for this happy time. (Chorus) Oh! How he's handsome, how he's adorable, How his charms are perfect! Oh! How he's handsome, how he's adorable, How he's the gentle divine child! (Chorus) O Jesus! O Almighty King! Such a little child that you are, O Jesus! O Almighty King! Reign over us completely! (Chorus)

+JMJ+