Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent

Ch.XIV. Cap. XIV.

Prope est ut veniat tempus ejus, et dies ejus non elongabuntur. Miserebitur enim JDominus Jacob, et eliget adde Israel, et requiescere super humumsuam: adiungetur advena ad eos, et adheerebit domui Jacob. Et tenebunt eos populi, et adducent eos in locum suum : etpossidebit eos domus Israel super terram Domini in servos et ancillas : et erunt eos qui se ceperant, et subjicient exactores suos. Et ent in die ilia, cum requiem dederit tibi Deus a labore tuo et a concussione tua, et a servitute dura, qua ante servisti : sumes parabglam istam contra regem Babylonis, et dices : Quomodo cessavit exactor, quievit tributum ? Contrivit minus baculum impiorum, virgam v dominantium, caedentem populos in indignatione, plaga insanabili, subjicientem m furore Gentes, persequentem crudeliter. Quomodo cecidisti de coelo,

Her time is near at hand, and her days shall not be prolonged. For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob. and will yet choose out of hue Israel, and will make them eosfaciet rest upon their own ground : and the stranger shall be joined with them, and shall adhere to the house of Jacob, And the people shall take them, and bring them into their place : the house of Israel shall possess them in capientes the land of the Lord for servants and handmaids : and they shall make them captives that had taken them, and shall subdue their oppressors. And it shall come to pass in that day, that when God shall give thee rest from thy labour, and from thy vexation, and from the hard Dobondage, wherewith thou didst serve before, thou shalt take up this parable against the King of Babylon, and shalt say : " How is the op- "pressor come to nothing, "the tribute hath ceased?

ADVENT.

Lucifer, qui mane oriebaris 1 corruisti in terrain, qui vulnerabas gentes : qui dicebaa in corde tuo : In ccelum eonscendam ; super astra Dei exaltabo solium meum, sedebo in monte testamenti, in lateribus Aquilonis : ascendam super altitudinem nubium, similis ero Altissimo. Verumtamen ad infernum detraheris in profundum laci.

" The Lord hath broken the " staff of the wicked, the rod "of the rulers, that struck "the people in wrath with "an incurable wound, that "brought nations under in "fury, that persecuted in a "cruel manner. How art "thou fallen from heaven, O "Lucifer, who didst rise in " the morning? how art thou "fallen to the earth, that " didst wound the nations : "and thou saidst in thy "heart: I will ascend into "heaven, I will exalt my "throne above the stars of " God, I will sit in the moun- " tain of the covenant, in the " sides of the North : I will " ascend above the height of " the clouds, I will be like the " Most High. But yet thou "shalt be brought down to "hell into the depth of the "pit."

Thy rui'fl, 0 JLucifer, is irreparable ! Thou refusedst to humble thyself before God, and thou wast cast into hell. Thy pride then sought a compensation for this thy deep humiliation, and thou cauaedst the ruin of the human race, out of hatred for God and his creatures. Thou didst succeed in inspiring him, who was formed out of dust, with that same pride which had caused thine own destruction. By thee, sin came into this world, and by sin death : the human race seemed now a victim which never could escape thy vengeance. Forced to give up thy hopes of a heavenly royalty, thou aimedst to reign in Hell and destroy the creatures of God as they came from his creating lore* But again thou art foiled and conquered. Thy reign was in pride; pride alone could form thy court and give thee subjects ; now, see how the Sovereign Lord of all things uproots thy kingdom : he himself comes to teach his creatures humility, and he teaches it, not by laws given with awful majesty, as once on Sinai, but by himself meekly practising that heavenly humility, which alone can raise up them that had fallen by pride. Tremble, proud Spirit, thy sceptre is to be broken !

In thy haughty wisdom, thou disdainest this humble and lovely Virgin of Nazareth, who holds within herself, in adoring silence, the mystery of thy ruin and our salvation. The Child she carries in her womb, and is so soon to be born, has long since been the object of thy contempt. Know, then, that God does not disdain this unborn Child, for this Child is also God ! and a single act of adoration and devotedness to his Father, which he is making in the womb of Mary, gives more glory to the Divinity than all thy pride could rob it of, even were thy pride to increase for eternity. Henceforth, men, taught by the lessons of a God the immense power of humility, will have recourse to it as their great remedy. Instead of exalting themselves, as thou didst, by a mad and guilty pride, they will humble themselves with love and pleasure: the lower they humble themselves, the higher will God raise them : the poorer they own themselves, the richer will he make them. It is the glorious Virgin that tells us this in her exquisite Canticle. May she be ever blessed, Mother so gentle and sweet to her children, and so terrible to thee, Lucifer ! that writhest beneath her as she crushes and conquers thee.

ADVENT.

PROSE FOR THE TIME OF ADVENT.

{Composed in the Wth century, and taken from the ancient Roman-French Missals.)

Kegnantem sempiterna per saecla susceptura

Concio, devote concrepa : Factori redde debita.

Quern jubilant agmina ccelica, ejus vultu exhilarata.

Quem exspectant omnia terrea, ejus vultu examinanda,

Districtum ad judicia?

Clementem in potentia.

Tua nos salva, Christe, dementia propter quos passus es dira.

Ad poli astra subleva nitida : qui sorde tergis saecula.

Influens salus vera, effuga pericula.

Omnia ut sint munda, tribue pacifica.

Ut hie tua salvi misericordia : laeti regna post adeamus supera.

Qui regnas saecula per infinita. Amen.

Keady to receive him who reigneth for ever and ever,

Devoutly sing, O Christian people ; pay thy homage to thy Creator.

The heavenly hosts, who enjoy the beauty of his countenance, are ever praising him in jubilation.

All earthly things, which are to be examined before his face, are in Expectation of him,

Him so severe in judgment,

So merciful in power.

Save us in thy mercy, O Christ, for whom thou didst suffer so cruel a passion.

Eaise us up to the bright stars of heaven, O thou that dost take away the sins of the earth.

True Saviour, descending as dew upon us, drive all dangers from us.

Purify all that is about us, make all in peace ;

That here protected by thy mercy, we may ascend, hereafter, into the kingdom of heaven in gladness.

Who livest and reignest for endless ages. Amen.

PRAYER FROM THE GALLICAN SACRAMENTARY. {Mass for Christmas Eve.)

Misericors ac piissime Deus, cujus voluntate ac munere Dominus noster Jesus

O merciful and most loving God, by whose will and bounty our Lord Jesus Christ d by Google

SECOND TUESDAY OF ADVENT. humbled himself that he Christusadhocsehumiliavit, might exalt the whole human ut totum genus exaltaret race, and came down to what humanum, et ideo ad ima was lowest, that he might descenderet,uthumiliasubli- raise up the humble : who, maret : ac propterea Deus being God, did become man, homo nascitur per Virginem, born of a Virgin, to the end ut in homine perditam cceles- that he might reform in man tern ref ormaret iinaginem : the heavenly image that had da ut plebs haec tibi adhaereat, been corrupted; grant, that ut quam redemisti tuo mu- this thy people may cling to nere, tibi semper devota pla- thou hast redeemed by thy bounty, may ever please thee by devoted service. whom ceat servitute.