MEDITATION FOR DECEMBER 29TH

THE CANTICLE OF THE ANGELS

“And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them and they feared with a great fear. And the angel said to them: ‘Fear not: for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people. For this day is born to you a saviour, Who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. And this shall be a sign unto you; you shall find the Infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will’ ” (Luke 2, 9-14).

First Prelude: Imagine you hear the canticle of the angels on the plains of Bethlehem, and follow them to the manger where they adore the Divine Child in profound humility.

Second Prelude: O Jesus, give me a heart that will seek Thy honor, so that I may taste the fullness of the heavenly peace announced by the angels.

FIRST POINT

THE CANTICLE OF THE ANGELS

Scripture tells us “The heavens show forth the glory of God” (Ps. 18). This took place in a most particular manner in that holy night when Christ, the Lord, appeared on earth as a sweet Infant. Behold, the heavens are opened, and with the voices of unnumbered angels, resounds the canticle: “Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will’ ” (Luke 2, 14). Here-with they announced the design which the Divine Saviour had in His Nativity, the glory and the salvation of mankind. Indeed, glory was offered to God in this mystery, since He received from His only begotten Son in human form, a homage that was worthy of Him.

To glorify God and promote His honor must be our aim in all our actions and omissions. Nothing will then be able to disturb our peace, for we shall possess that good will to which peace has been promised. The more intensely a soul is imbued with the burning desire to glorify God and to fulfill His holy Will perfectly, the richer and rarer is the peace that she enjoys. Let us strive, then, to remove from our will everything contrary to the good pleasure of God, so that even on earth, we may possess the peace that surpasses all understanding and is a foretaste of that eternal peace, wherewith God will reward and rejoice His faithful ones throughout eternity.

SECOND POINT

CONTEMPLATE THE ANGELS OFFERING THEIR HOMAGE TO THE DIVINE LORD

How great must not the astonishment, reverence and love of the holy angels have been when they saw their Lord and King reposing in the crib, under the humble semblance of a child! But with a still greater humility, they adored Him as their God and venerated His exalted majesty hidden under the veil of profound abasement. St. Paul says: “All the angels of God adore Him” (Hebr. 1-6). Let us rejoice in the profound homage proffered the Christ-Child, let us ardently long to possess their love, that we may worthily praise our Divine Saviour; to emulate their purity, that we be worthy to draw upon ourselves His divine complacence; to be imbued with their zeal for His honor, that we may be consumed with the desire to win all hearts for Him.

May the angels be our models in adoring the Blessed Sacrament where we perpetually find the Divine Child that once lay in the stable in Bethlehem. We were not privileged to adore Him there, but here in union with the angels we may in our feeble way participate in their homage. The words of the Psalmist: “Thou hast made man a little less than the angels” (Ps. 8, 60), refer to religious, in particular; hence their lives must be angelic,—more heavenly than earthly. While they perform their vocational duties, in which they are actually carrying out the designs of God, the spirit should lift itself to Him in prayer, and contemplate Him in union with the angels.

Am I solicitous to imitate the purity of the angels in my conduct, and thus to render my prayer more acceptable to my Divine Redeemer?

Affections: O Divine Saviour, Thou joy of angels and of men, I prostrate myself in adoration before Thy crib and offer Thee, in reparation for my unworthiness, the pure and lofty homage which the angelic choirs present to Thee unremittingly. In profound reverence, I consecrate my heart and soul, all that I am and have to thee, to be employed in Thy service, solely for Thy honor and glory. O Divine Infant, that camest down to earth to restore the honor of the heavenly Father, give me the good will that seeks naught, desires naught, but to please God alone and win all hearts for Him. Grant us, O Lord, Thy peace which is the embodiment of all good and the pledge of the blissful peace that awaits us in heaven.

Resolution: We will unite ourselves frequently during the day with the holy angels, to offer the Christ-Child our adoration.

Spiritual Bouquet: “Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will!”

Prayer: Take, O Lord . . .