Our Lady of Victory Roman Catholic Church

" Christ is born to us: let us adore Him."
In Bethlehem of Juda, according to the prophecies, the Christ, expected by all nations as the Redeemer, was to be born. Today the Church desires each of her priests to say three Masses, and each of those Masses has a special Gospel assigned to it.   In these extracts from the Evangelists are given the reasons why St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary went to Bethlehem, and also the circumstances of the Nativity of Our Lord.   Read them with attention, and you will admire the goodness of Him Who, being so great and so rich, made Himself so little and so poor for love of us.

At the first Mass (Gospel, Luke ii. 1-14): At that time " there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that the whole world should be enrolled. This enrolling was first made by Cyrinus, the governor of Syria; and all went to be enrolled, every one into his own city. And St. Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with the Blessed Virgin Mary, his espoused wife, who was with child. And it came to pass that when they were there her days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her first-born Son, and wrapped Him up in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger: because there was no room for them in the inn.   And there were in the
same countries shepherds watching, and keeping the night-watches over their flock. 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."
At the second Mass (Gospel, Luke ii. 15-20): At that time " the shepherds said one to another: Let us go over to Bethlehem, and let us see this word that is come to pass, which the Lord hath showed to us. And they came with haste: and they found Mary and Joseph, and the Infant lying in a manger. And seeing, they understood of the word that had been spoken to them concerning this Child. And all that heard wondered: and at those things that were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them."

At the third Mass (Gospel, John i. 1-14): "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.   All things were made by Him, and without Him was made nothing that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.   And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.   This man came for a witness, to give testimony of the light, that all men might believe through him.   He was not the light, but was to give testimony of the light.   That was the true light which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world.   He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not.   He came into His own, and His own received Him not.   But as many as received Him, He gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in His name: who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.   And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, the glory as it were of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

It appears from the Gospel that the Blessed Virgin brought forth her Son Jesus Christ in a stable at Bethlehem; that an angel came down from heaven to announce these happy tidings to poor shepherds, who went to the stable, where they found the Divine Babe with Mary and Joseph, and that they returned, glorifying and praising God. Is it surprising that all that heard wondered? He Who was born " is the Son of God, the Word of God. The same Who made all things," who had now come to live among men, that He might give all men of good will the power to become "the sons of God."

While we are endeavoring to write about Christmas we cannot but deplore the misfortune of those who are out of the Catholic Church. What is Christmas for them? Another anniversary of the birth of Christ; that is all. But Christ Himself is not with them. They do not believe in the Real Presence; or if they do, they adore that which is mere bread, since their ministers have no power to consecrate.

Not so in the Catholic Church. Listen to the solemn invitation addressed by the priests to their people: " Christ is born for us: come, let us adore Him." We need not tell you whither to go to adore the newborn Christ. Even at twelve o'clock in the night many churches are brilliantly illuminated, and crowds of people are making their way thither. So it will be during the whole of Christmas day. On this blessed day the heart of every devout Catholic will be filled with as much joy as if he had received from an angel the news of the birth of Our Lord. Come, then, let us go to our parish church and see how all the events of Bethlehem are continued there.

Have we not had here our heavenly messengers ?  During four weeks we heard them repeat to us: "Prepare the way of the Lord; the Lord is now nigh. . . . Do penance." Have you not heard the sound of the holy bell, telling you in merry, sweet strains, that the hour has now come ?  Mass is begun, and to the fervent supplication, Kyrie Eleison has succeeded the joyous Gloria in Excelsis Deo. When He brought the first-begotten into the world He said: "Let all the angels of God adore Him."   A multitude of the heavenly host stood near the shepherds.   And in the parish church I behold invisibly present hundreds of guardian angels, bent in adoration towards the altar, whilst sheltering under their wings the worshippers committed to their care. Prayers and thanksgivings ascend from this sanctuary to the throne of God; and together with the angels and archangels, with the thrones and dominations, and with all the heavenly host, we sing an everlasting hymn to the glory of God!

Another sweet, solemn sound, well understood by the congregation, is now heard. With the sound of the sanctuary bell I hear a voice saying: " Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord." This bell reminds us of Him Whom we invoked during Advent: "Come, O Lord! delay not." And now another warning is given; "while all things are in quiet silence, and the night in the midst of her course."

The consecration has taken place.   Thy Almighty Word (or Son), O Lord! has come down from Thy royal throne.  He is born again; He is living on the altar!   Here, I would fain say, see the white linen on the altar, reminding you of the swaddling clothes with which His mother wrapped Him in the manger! He was silent in the stable; He is silent on the altar.   In the stable His Divinity was hid: only a lovely Babe, shivering with cold, was to be seen.   In the tabernacle His humanity also remains concealed under the appearances of bread.   In the stable He appeared all lovable to the shepherds, to all who visited Him. What is there more pleasing than the sight of an infant ?   In the Holy Eucharist He also veils His glory.   He abides among men under the appearances of bread.   So we love to behold Our Saviour, our heavenly bread, under these common appearances.   At Bethlehem, however, angels, men, the elements themselves, proclaimed Him to be the Lord; and we also proclaim this to be our faith in presence of the altar. We burn incense before Him; we bow down in His presence: we praise, we bless, we adore Him as our God.

In presence of the altar at Christmas we understand, and to some extent we feel, the truth of the words, " A Child is born to us, and a Son is given to us." In our churches on Christmas He is not far away. We know that His love to His children now is equal to the love He had for the shepherds, and therefore He comes among us by His Eucharistic presence; He comes to us through Holy Communion; He comes for us in the Holy Sacrifice, that He may cleanse our souls from their sins and apply to them the merits of His bloody sacrifice on Calvary.

Never-ending thanks be given to God for His unspeakable blessings ! Take away the Real Presence, Holy Communion, and the Mass, and Christmas would no longer be a day of joy. Take away the Blessed Eucharist: how could the poor, the sick, and the dying rejoice ? Take away the Blessed Eucharist: where could we find the peace of Jesus Christ? Take away the Blessed Eucharist: how shall we know that we have become the "sons of God ?"

But now at Christmas we can adore Him Whose delight is to be with the sons of men; we can go to Him in the sacrament of penance and obtain remission of our sins; we can receive at the holy table His sacred Body and Blood, that we know to be the bread of life, the pledge of a glorious resurrection!