St. Alphonsus' prayer-book/Part 3.5: Prayers for the Infant Jesus
5. The Twenty-fifth Day of each Month, Consecrated to the Infant Jesus. [1]
The Steps of Our Saviour's Childhood.
An excellent Devotion for Advent and until Epiphany.
O dearest Infant Jesus, from the bosom of the Father descending for our salvation, conceived of the Holy Ghost, abhorring not the Virgin's womb, Word made flesh, receiving the form of a slave; have mercy on us.
R. Have mercy on us, Infant Jesus.
II. O dearest Infant Jesus, with Thy Virgin Mother visiting Elizabeth, filling John the Baptist, Thy forerunner, with the Holy Ghost, and sanctifying him while yet in his mother's womb; have mercy on us.
R. Have mercy on us, Infant Jesus.
III. O dearest Infant Jesus, nine months imprisoned in the womb, anxiously expected by the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, and by God the Father offered for the world's salvation; have mercy on us.
R. Have mercy on us, Infant Jesus.
IV. O dearest Infant Jesus, born in Bethlehem of the Virgin Mary, wrapped in swaddling-clothes, and laid in the manger, heralded by angels, and visited by shepherds; have mercy on us.
R. Have mercy on us, Infant Jesus.
V. O dearest Infant Jesus, after eight days wounded in Thy circumcision, called by the glorious name of Jesus, and thus foreshadowing both by name and blood a Saviour's office; have mercy on us.
R. Have mercy on us, Infant Jesus.
VI. O dearest Infant Jesus, revealed to the three wise men by a star, adored by them on Thy Mother's bosom, and presented with mystical gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh; have mercy on us.
R. Have mercy on us, Infant Jesus.
VII. O dearest Infant Jesus, presented in the temple by the Virgin Mother, caressed in the arms of Simeon, and by Anna the prophetess made known to Israel; have mercy on us.
R. Have mercy on us, Infant Jesus.
VIII. O dearest Infant Jesus, sought for by wicked Herod to be put to death, carried by St. Joseph with Thy Mother into Egypt, rescued from the cruel slaughter, and glorified by the fame of the martyred innocents; have mercy on us.
R. Have mercy on us, Infant Jesus.
IX. O dearest Infant Jesus, in Egypt remaining with most holy Mary and the holy patriarch Joseph, until the death of Herod; have mercy on us.
R. Have mercy on us, Infant Jesus.
X. O dearest Infant Jesus, returning back from Egypt to the land of Israel, wearied by many labors in the way, and retiring into the city of Nazareth to dwell there; have mercy on us.
R. Have mercy on us, Infant Jesus.
XI. O dearest Infant Jesus, obediently remaining in the holy house of Nazareth, there dwelling piously with Thy parents, and rapidly advancing in wisdom, age, and grace; have mercy on us.
R. Have mercy on us, Infant Jesus.
XII. O dearest Infant Jesus, led to Jerusalem at the age of twelve, there sought by Thy parents with great sorrow, but after three days found with joy among the Doctors; have mercy on us.
R. Have mercy on us, Infant Jesus.
V. The Word was made flesh.
R. And dwelt among us.
Prayer.
Almighty and everlasting God, Lord of heaven and earth, Who revealest Thyself to the humble; grant, we beseech Thee, that, commemorating with due honor, and following with worthy imitation, these most sacred mysteries of Thy Son, the Infant Jesus, we may happily arrive at that heavenly kingdom which Thou hast promised 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.
February 25th.
TO JESUS, OUR HOPE.
In Jesus we find all that we can desire; we find light, strength, peace, confidence, love, and eternal glory; for Jesus Christ is a gift containing all the gifts that we can seek or desire.
My Jesus, I should indeed do great injustice to Thy mercy and Thy love if after Thou hast given me so many proofs of the love Thou bearest me, and the desire Thou hast of saving me. I should still distrust Thy mercy and Thy love. My beloved Redeemer, I am a poor sinner; but Thou hast said that Thou, didst come to seek sinners: "I am not come to call the just, but sinners" (Matt. ix. 13). I am a poor, infirm creature. Thou camest to cure the infirm, and Thou didst say, "They that are whole need not the physician, but they that are sick" (Luke v. 31). I was lost through my sins; but Thou didst come to save the lost: "The Son of man is come to save that which is lost" (Matt, xviii. 11). What, then, can I fear if I am willing to amend my life and to become Thine? I have only myself and my own weakness to fear; but my own weakness and poverty ought to increase my confidence in Thee, Who hast declared Thyself to be the refuge of the destitute: "The Lord is become a refuge for the poor" (Ps. ix. 10). And Thou hast promised to grant their desires: "The Lord hath heard the desire of the poor" (Ps. x. 17). Therefore I implore this favor of Thee. O my Jesus: give me confidence in Thy merits, and grant that I may always recommend myself to God through Thy merits. Eternal Father, for the love of Jesus Christ, save me from hell, and first from sin; for the merits of this Thy Son, enlighten my mind to obey Thy will; give me strength against temptations; grant me the gift of Thy holy love; and, above all, I beseech Thee to give me the grace of praying to Thee to help me, for the love of Jesus Christ. He has promised that Thou wilt grant to him who prays in His Name whatever he asks of Thee. If I continue to pray to Thee in this way, I shall certainly be saved; but if I neglect so doing, I shall certainly be lost. Most holy Mary, obtain for me this great gift of prayer, and also that I may persevere in recommending myself constantly to God, and also to thee, who dost obtain from God whatever thou wiliest.
Recite the Steps of Our Saviour's Childhood, page, 377.
March 25th.
TO JESUS, KING OF LOVE.
The Son of God wished to present Himself under the form of a sweet little child, that thus He might the more readily and the more forcibly draw to Himself the love of man. Little children of themselves are loved at once, and to see them and to love them is the same thing. With this view the Eternal Word chose first to be seen among men as an infant, that He might conciliate to Himself the love of all mankind.
O Divine Word, become man for me, though I behold Thee thus humbled and become a little Infant, yet I confess and acknowledge Thee for my Lord and King, but a King of love. My dearest Saviour, since Thou hast come down upon earth and clothed Thyself with our miserable flesh in order to reign over our hearts, I beseech Thee come and establish Thy reign in my heart also, which was once, alas! ruled over by Thine enemies, but is now, I hope, Thine, as I desire that it may be always Thine, and that from this day forth Thou mayest be its only Lord. Other kings reign by the strength of arms, but Thou comest to reign by the power of love; and therefore Thou dost not come with regal pomp, nor clothed in purple and gold, nor adorned with sceptre and crown, nor surrounded by armies of soldiers. Thou wast born in a stable — poor and forsaken; Thou wast placed in a manger on a little straw, because thus Thou wouldst begin to reign in our hearts. Ah, my Infant King, how could I so often rebel against Thee, and live so long Thine enemy! O Jesus, my King, Who art so amiable and so loving to our souls, take possession, I pray Thee, of mine; I give it entirely to Thee: accept it, that it may serve Thee forever, but serve Thee only for love. Thy majesty deserves to be feared, but Thy goodness still more deserves to be loved. Thou art my King, and Thou shalt be always the only object of my love. O Mary, our dear Lady! it is for thee to obtain for me that I may be faithful to this beloved King of my soul.
Recite the Steps of Our Saviour's Childhood, page 377.
April 25th.
TO JESUS MOST CHARITABLE.
Earthly physicians, when they love their patients, use all their efforts to cure them; but what physician, in order to cure his patient, ever took upon himself the sick man's disease? Jesus Christ was the physician Who charged Himself with our infirmities in order to cure them: "He hath borne our infirmities, and carried our sorrows" (Is. iii. 4).
May Thy charity, O my Redeemer! be forever praised and blessed. And what would become of my soul, infirm and afflicted with the many wounds of my sins, if I had not Thee, my Jesus, Who art both able and willing to heal me? O Blood of my Saviour, I trust in Thee; wash me and cure me. I repent, O my Love, of having offended Thee. Thou didst lead a life of tribulations, and didst die a bitter death, to prove to me what love Thou bearest me. I would fain show Thee how much I love Thee; but what can I do who am so miserable and weak? O God of my soul! Thou art omnipotent; Thou canst heal me and make me holy. Oh, awake in me a great desire of pleasing Thee. I renounce all my pleasures to please Thee, my Redeemer, Who dost deserve to be pleased at all costs. O Sovereign Good! I esteem Thee and love Thee above every good; make me love Thee with all my heart, and always implore Thy love. I have hitherto offended Thee, and have not loved Thee, because I have not sought Thy love. I now beg of Thee this love, and the grace always to seek it. Oh, grant my prayer by the merits of Thy Passion. O Mary, my Mother! thou art always prepared to hear the prayer of him that calls upon thee. Thou lovest him that loveth thee. I love thee, my Queen; obtain for me the grace to love God, and I ask nothing more of thee.
Recite the Steps of Our Saviour's Childhood, page 377.
May 25th.
TO JESUS IN POVERTY.
O blessed straw, fairer than roses or lilies! what favored land produced you? Oh, what an enviable lot is yours, to serve as a bed for the King of heaven! But, alas! you are cold for Jesus; but you are fire and flame for us. since you supply us with a flame of love which rivers of water shall never quench.
MY Jesus, Thou art the Son of the Lord of heaven and earth, and yet Thou liest in this cold grotto without other cradle than a manger, with nothing but straw for Thy bed, and with only miserable rags to cover Thee. The angels stand round Thee, and sing Thy praises, but they do not relieve Thy poverty. My dear Redeemer, the poorer Thou art the more lovable Thou dost render Thyself in our eyes, because Thou hast embraced so great a poverty for the very end of making us love Thee more. If Thou hadst been born in a palace, if Thou hadst had a cradle of gold, if Thou hadst been assisted by the first princes of the earth, Thou wouldst have acquired more respect from men but less love; but this stable where Thou dost sleep, these miserable rags that cover Thee, this straw that serves Thee as Thy bed, this manger that is Thy only cradle — oh, how do they attract our souls to love Thee! " The viler He was for me," says St. Bernard, "the dearer He is to me." Thou hast made Thyself poor to enrich us with Thy riches; that is, with grace and glory. Ah, my Jesus! this Thy poverty has induced many saints to leave all — riches, honors, and kingdoms — in order to become poor with Thee. Oh, detach me also, my Saviour, from all affection to worldly goods, so that I may be made worthy to acquire Thy holy love, and thus to possess Thee, Who art the Infinite Good. With St. Ignatius of Loyola I will say to Thee: " Give me Thy love and Thy grace, and I shall have all the riches I crave." I wish for nothing more; Thou alone art sufficient for me, my Jesus, my Life, my All. O my Mother Mary! do thou obtain for me the grace that I may always love Jesus, and that I may always be loved by Him.
Recite the Steps of Our Saviour's Childhood, page 377.
June 25th.
TO JESUS INFINITELY PURE.
All other infants are born in original sin; but Jesus was born " holy, innocent, unpolluted." "My beloved is white and ruddy, chosen out of thousands" (Cant. v. 10). In this Infant only did the Eternal Father find His delight, because in Him alone did He rind no fault.
O MY innocent Saviour, Mirror without spot, Love of the Eternal Father, chastisements and maledictions did not belong to Thee, but to me, a miserable sinner; but Thou wouldst show to the world the excess of Thy love by sacrificing Thy life in order to obtain for us pardon and salvation, and thus by Thy sufferings pay the penalties which we had incurred by our sins. May all creatures bless and praise Thy mercy and Thy infinite bounty! I thank Thee on behalf of all men, but especially for myself; because as I have offended Thee more than others, so Thou hast suffered the pains which Thou didst endure more for me than for others. Accursed a thousand times be all those sinful pleasures which I have delighted in, and which have cost Thee so much sorrow! But since Thou hast paid the price of my ransom, I beseech Thee let not the Blood which Thou hast spilled for love of me be lost to me. I love Thee, O Infinite Bounty, but I desire to love Thee more; I desire to love Thee as much as Thou deservest to be loved. O my Jesus, do Thou cause Thyself to be loved by me and by all men; for Thou dost indeed deserve to be loved. I pray Thee, enlighten the minds of those sinners who neither know nor love Thee; make them understand what Thou hast done for the love of them, and the ardent desire Thou hast for their salvation. Most holy Mary, pray to Jesus for me and for all sinners; obtain for us light and grace to love Thy Son, Who has loved us so much.
Recite the Steps of Our Saviour's Childhood, page 377.
July 25th.
TO JESUS OBEDIENT.
During thirty years Jesus Christ respected St. Joseph as a father, and obeyed him as such. Without the order of St. Joseph He performed no action, took no step, tasted no food, indulged in no repose. He was all attention in listening to and executing whatever St. Joseph enjoined upon Him.
MY beloved Jesus, Thou art the Sovereign of heaven and earth; but for the love of me Thou didst make Thyself a servant even of the executioners who tore Thy flesh, pierced Thy head, and finally left Thee nailed on the cross to die of sorrow. I adore Thee as my God and Lord, and I am ashamed to appear before Thee when I remember how often, for the sake of some miserable pleasure, I have rent asunder Thy holy bonds, and have told Thee that I would not serve Thee. But still. O my Saviour, Thy merits and Thy goodness, which despise not a heart that repents and humbles itself, give me the hope of pardon. I confess, my Jesus, that I have offended Thee greatly; I confess that I deserve a thousand hells for the sins I have committed against Thee; chastise me as Thou seest fit, but do not deprive me of Thy grace and love. I repent above every other evil of having despised Thee, and I love Thee with my whole heart. I purpose from this day forth to desire to serve Thee and love Thee alone. I pray Thee, bind me by Thy merits with the chains of Thy holy love, and never surfer that I be again released from them. I love Thee above everything,
O my deliverer; and I would prefer being Thy servant to being master of the whole world. And of what avail would all the world be to one who lives deprived of Thy grace? " My sweetest Jesus, permit me not to separate myself from Thee." This grace I ask of Thee, and I intend always to ask it to the end of my life. I ask this favor of thee also, O Mary, my Mother: help me that I may never separate myself again from God.
Recite the Steps of Our Saviour's Childhood, page 377.
August 25th.
TO JESUS MOST HUMBLE.
An angel announced to the shepherds the birth of the Messias; and the signs which He gave them wherewith to find Him and recognize Him were all signs of lowliness. " When you shall find a child," said he, " in a stable, wrapped up in rags, and lying in a manger on the straw, know that it is your Saviour."
O my despised Jesus! by Thy example Thou hast rendered reproaches and contempt sweet in the eyes of those that love Thee. But how is it, then, that instead of embracing them, as Thou hast done, when I have received some little slight from men, I have behaved with so much pride, and taken therefrom occasion to offend Thy infinite majesty, proud sinner that I was? Ah, Lord, I see why it is; I did not know how to bear an affront patiently, because I did not know how to love Thee. If I had loved Thee truly, it would have been sweet and pleasing to me. But since Thou dost promise pardon to him who repents, I repent with all my heart of all the faults of my whole life — a life so unlike Thine. But I desire to amend; and therefore I promise Thee to be willing to suffer patiently from this day forward all the contempt which I shall meet with for Thy love, O my Jesus! Who wast so much despised for the love of me. I understand that humiliations are precious mines from which Thou d rawest eternal treasures to enrich souls. I deserve far greater humiliations and reproaches for having despised Thy grace; I deserve to be trampled on by the devils. But Thy merits are my hope. I will change my life, and will no longer displease Thee; henceforth I will seek for nothing but Thy divine pleasure. For the future I will love Thee only; I desire that my heart should belong to Thee alone. Ah, take possession of it, and keep it forever, that I may be always Thine, and Thou mayest be always mine; that I may love Thee; and that Thou mayest love me forever. Yes, this is my hope, O my God! always to love Thee and always to be loved by Thee. I believe in Thee, Infinite Goodness; I hope in Thee, Infinite Goodness; I love Thee, Infinite Goodness; I love Thee and I will always say: I love Thee, I love Thee, I love Thee. O Mary, help me always to love God.
Recite the Steps of Our Saviour's Childhood, page 377.
September 25th.
TO JESUS A MODEL OF MORTIFICATION.
The Eternal Word came from heaven to teach us the love of suffering; and He began as a child to teach it to us by choosing for Himself the most acute sufferings that an infant can endure. It was He Himself Who inspired His Mother to put Him away from her tender arms, and to replace Him on the hard bed that He might feel the more the cold of the cave and the pricking of the rough straw.
O Lover of souls, my loving Redeemer! is not, then, the sorrowful Passion that awaits Thee, and the bitter death that is prepared for Thee on the cross, sufficient, but that, even from the commencement of Thy life, from Thy very infancy, Thou shouldst begin to suffer? Yes, because even as an infant Thou wouldst begin to be my Redeemer, and to satisfy the divine justice for my sins. Thou didst choose a bed of straw to deliver me from the fire of hell, into which I have deserved so many times to be cast. Thou didst cry and mourn on this bed of straw to obtain for me pardon from Thy Father. Oh, how these Thy tears afflict and yet console me! They afflict me from compassion at seeing Thee, an innocent babe, suffering so much for sins not Thine own; but they console me, because Thy sufferings assure me of my salvation, and of Thy immense love for me. But, my Jesus, I will not leave Thee alone to cry and to suffer. I myself will also weep. I do not seek for consolation in this life; he does not deserve consolation or pleasure who has had the temerity to offend Thee, O Infinite Goodness. I am content to suffer all the crosses Thou shalt send me; but, my Jesus, I will love Thee still. O Mary, who didst sympathize by thy sufferings with the sufferings of Jesus, obtain for me the grace to suffer all my trials with patience.
Recite the Steps of Our Saviour's Childhood, page 377.
October 25th.
TO JESUS IN SOLITUDE.
Jesus disposed of events so as to be born out of the city, in a solitary cave, in order to recommend to us the love of solitude and of silence. In fact, if we enter the grotto we shall see that solitude and silence reign therein. Jesus remains in silence in the manger; Mary and Joseph adore and contemplate Him in silence. Happy the soul that shuts itself up in the solitude of Bethlehem to contemplate the love that God has borne to men!
MY dearest Saviour, Thou art the King of heaven, the King of kings, the Son of God; and how is it, then, that I see Thee in this cave, forsaken by all? I see no one with Thee but Joseph and Thy holy Mother. I desire to unite myself to them in keeping Thee company. Do not reject me. I do not deserve it; but I feel that Thou dost invite me by Thy sweet voice, speaking to my heart. Yes, I come, O my beloved Infant! I will leave all things to pass my whole life along with Thee, my beloved little Hermit, only love of my soul. Fool that I was, I have hitherto forsaken Thee and left Thee alone, O my Jesus, whilst I was seeking miserable and baneful pleasures from creatures, but now, enlightened by Thy grace, I desire nothing but to live in solitude with Thee, who didst Thyself live in solitude on this earth. "Who will give me wings like a dove, and I will fly and be at rest" (Ps. liv. 7). Ah, who will enable me to fly from this world, where I have so often found my ruin — to fly, and to come and remain always with Thee, Who art the joy of paradise and the true Lover of my soul? Oh, bind me, I pray Thee, to Thy feet, so that I may no longer be separated from Thee, but may find my happiness in continually keeping company with Thee! Ah, by the merits of Thy solitude in the cave of Bethlehem, give me a constant interior recollection, so that my soul may become a solitary little cell, where I may attend to nothing but conversing with Thee; where I may take counsel with Thee in all my thoughts and all my actions; where I may dedicate to Thee all my affections; where I may always love Thee, and sigh to leave the prison of this body to come and love Thee face to face in heaven. I love Thee, O Infinite Goodness, and I hope always to love Thee, in time and in eternity. O Mary, thou who canst do all things, pray to Him to enchain me with His love, and not to permit me ever again to lose His grace.
Recite the Steps of Our Saviour's Childhood, page 377.
November 25th.
TO JESUS PRAYING.
Oh. how beautiful, perfect, and dear to God were the prayers of tne Infant Jesus! At every moment He prayed to His Father, and His prayers were all for us. and for each one of us in particular. All the graces that each one of us has received from the Lord are the effect of the prayers of Jesus.
My dear Redeemer, how much do I owe Thee! If Thou hadst not prayed for me, in what a state of ruin should I find myself! I thank Thee, O my Jesus; Thy prayers have obtained for me pardon of my sins, and I hope that they will also obtain for me perseverance unto death. Thou hast prayed for me, and I bless Thee with my whole heart for so doing, but I beseech Thee not to leave off praying. I know that Thou dost continue even in heaven to be our advocate and to pray for us. Continue, therefore, to pray; but pray more particularly, O my Jesus, for me, who am so much in want of Thy prayers. I hope that God has already pardoned me through Thy merits; but as I have already so often fallen, I may therefore fall again. Hell does not cease, and will never cease, tempting me, in order to make me again lose Thy friendship. Ah, my Jesus, Thou art my hope; it is Thou that must give me fortitude to resist; from Thee I seek it, and of Thee I hope for it! But I will not content myself only with the grace of not falling again; I desire also the grace of loving Thee exceedingly during the days that remain to me, so that I may love Thee still more in eternity. O Mary, my Mother! do thou also pray, and beseech Jesus for me; thy prayers are all-powerful with thy Son, Who loves thee so much. Thou who desirest so much that He should be loved, beseech Him to give me a great love for His goodness, and let this love be constant and eternal.
Recite the Steps of Our Saviour's Childhood, page 377.
- ↑ St. Alphonsus all his life had a most tender devotion to the Sacred Infancy of Jesus. He sought to propagate it by every means in his power, looking on this devotion as an efficacious means for inspiring divine love in souls. To this end he composed various discourses and meditations of heavenly unction. Not finding it sufficient to draw the attention of the faithful to the Infant Jesus during Advent and the Octave of Christmas, he wished that that sweet mystery of the Divine Childhood should be celebrated on the 25th of each month. We therefore enter into the holy Doctor's spirit by here placing suitable prayers for each 25th day of the month, and we have tried to select such as harmonize with the Virtue proposed for each month.