THE CHRISTMAS NOVENA

Fifth Day - December 20

THE LIFE OF SORROW WHICH JESUS LEAD FROM HIS BIRTH

Meditation

Jesus Christ could have saved us without suffering and dying. Yet, in order to prove to us how much He loved us, He chose for Himself a life full of tribulations. Therefore, the prophet Isaias called Him "a man of sorrows," His whole life was filled with suffering. His Passion began, not merely a few hours before His death, but from the first moment of His birth. He was born in a stable where everything served to torment Him. His sense of sight was hurt by seeing nothing but the rough, black walls of the cave; His sense of smell was hurt by the stench of the dung from the beasts in the stable; His sense of touch was hurt by the prickling straw on which He lay. Shortly after His birth He was forced to flee into Egypt, where He spent several years of His childhood in poverty and misery. His boyhood and early manhood in Nazareth were passed in hard work and obscurity. And finally, in Jerusalem, He died on a cross, exhausted with pain and anguish.

Let us pray…

O Jesus, my sweet Love! I too have kept You suffering through all Your life. Tell me, then, what I must do in order to win Your forgiveness. I am ready to do all You ask of me. I am sorry, O sovereign God, for all the offenses I have committed against You. I love You more than myself, or at least I feel a great desire to love You. Since it is You who had given me this desire, do also give me the strength to love You exceedingly.

It is only right that I, who have offended You so much, should love You very much. Always remind me of the love You have borne me, in order that my soul may ever burn with love of You and long to please You alone. O God of love, I, who was once a slave of hell, now give myself all to You. Graciously accept me and bind me to You with the bonds of Your love. My Jesus, from this day and forever in loving You will I live, and in loving You will I die.

O Mary, my Mother and my hope, help me to love your dear God and mine. This is the only favor I ask of you, and through you I hope to receive it. Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…