Page:The liturgical year (GB 4yInMCP6Sc4C).pdf/562

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
546
ADVENT.

God has still lower to descend than merely coming on our earth. He goes from house to house of his people: not one will receive him. He must go and seek a crib in the stable of poor dumb beasts. There, until such time as the Angels sing to him their hymn, and the Shepherds and the Magi come with their offerings, he will meet "the ox that knoweth its Owner, and the ass that knoweth its Master's crib"![1] O Saviour of men, Emmanuel, Jesus! we, too, will go to this stable of Bethlehem. Thy New Birth, which is to-night, shall not be without loving and devoted hearts to bless it. At this very hour, thou art knocking at the doors of Bethlehem, and who is there that will take thee in? Thou sayest to my soul in the words of the Canticle: "Open to me, my sister, my beloved! for my head is full of dew, and my locks of the drops of the night"![2] Ah! sweet Jesus! thou shalt not be refused here! I beseech thee, enter my house. I have been watching and longing for thee. Come, then, Lord Jesus! come![3]

END OF ADVENT.

  1. ↑ Is. i. 3.
  2. ↑ Cant. v. 2.
  3. ↑ Арос. xxii. 20.
This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.