THE PRE-ETERNAL GOD -- A LITTLE
BABE...
Christ
is Born, Glorify ye Him! Glory to Thee, O Lord! Glory to
Thee!
Make
ready, O Bethlehem. * Open wide to all, O Eden. * Prepare thineself, O
Ephratha. * In a cave, a Virgin's womb shall soon bring forth the Tree
of Life, * and, like paradise itself, * She will bear the Divine Fruit.
* Wherewith, if we eat of it, we shall never die like Adam -- *
for, by His birth, Christ will raise the image that fell so long ago.
Though He holds the universe in the palm of His hand, * we shall soon
see Him in Bethlehem, wrapped in swaddling clothes. * Let us prepare
for this feast by singing to that Maiden Who will bring Him into this
world, * for, like every mother, She is filled with joy over the Son
She carrieth in her womb. By summoning the wise men with a star, * the
heavens lead the first among the Gentiles to worship Thee. * When they
find Thee, it is neither throne nor sceptre that amazeth them, * but
the utter poverty of that awesome birth. * And indeed, what could be
more lowly than a cave, * more humble than swaddling clothes? * Yet,
for all that poverty, the riches of Thy divinity shine forth
resplendently. * O, Infant Lord and Saviour, glory to Thee! When
Mariamne and Joseph went to register at Bethlehem as members of David's
house, * She was carrying the Child of virginity in Her womb. * As the
time for Her delivery drew near, * there was no room for them at the
inn. * And when a cave was shown to them, * it seemed like a palace to
that royal Mother. * So it was that Christ was born, * to raise the
image that had fallen so long ago. Today, the virgin maketh Her way to
a cave, * and there She will bear the eternal Word in a way beyond our
understanding. * Let all creation rejoice in this news; * with the
shepherds and the angels, * let us give glory to the eternal God, * Who
cometh to all humankind as a newborn Child! *
(From
the prefestal hymns of Christmas...)
May all the best
of every good thing
that heaven and earth have to offer come the way of everyone who reads
this during this bright and beautiful sacred feast of the God-Man's
birth into the human race, and throughout the new year as well --