to Thy little ones; through the same Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.
January 25th.
TO JESUS, OBJECT OF OUR FAITH.
O holy faith, unfold to us Who Jesus Christ is, Who this Man is Who appears as insignificant as the rest of men. St. John assures us that He is the Eternal Word, the only-begotten Son of God: "The Word was made flesh" (John i. 14).
O my amiable and sweet Infant! although I behold Thee so poor and lying on straw, yet I confess and adore Thee as my Lord and Creator. I know what reduced Thee to so miserable a state; it was the love that Thou didst bear me. But when I remember, O my Jesus! how I have treated Thee in times past, my offences against Thee, I wonder in myself how Thou hast borne with me. Accursed sins, oh, what have you done! You have made me cause bitterness to the Heart of my beloved Saviour. O my dearest Redeemer, for the sake of the sufferings Thou didst endure and the tears Thou didst shed in the stable of Bethlehem, give me tears, give me a great sorrow, that may make me all my life long lament the displeasure I have caused Thee. Grant me love for Thee, but such love as may compensate for the offences I have committed against Thee. I love Thee, my Infant Saviour, my Infant God; I love Thee, my Life, my Love, my All; I promise Thee from this day forth to love none but Thee. Do Thou help me by Thy grace, without which Lean do nothing. Mary, my hope, thou dost obtain whatever thou wiliest from thy Son; obtain for me His holy love. My Mother, hear me!
Recite the Steps of Our Saviour's Childhood, page 377.
