If we desire to obtain the special graces and blessings which the glorious Christmas Festival brings to all Christians who prepare for it, we must begin our preparations during the season of Advent, when the Church commemorates the coming of the Infant Jesus.   Two thousand and two years have passed since the Son of God, the second person of the Blessed Trinity, “was made flesh and dwelt among us.”  Cold indeed and unbelieving then would be the heart that heeds not the approach of the anniversary of this great event which brought salvation to fallen man.  What sublime lessons are taught at this season, - to the one who loves God!  How consoling and full of joy is the mission of the Infant Saviour:  He comes to preach, to heal, to relieve, to deliver. He will preach to us by His example.  He will preach humility by His lowliness, silence, by His speechlessness, charity, by His surpassing exercise of that sublime virtue.  He will preach the love of Mary by His own conduct towards His Blessed Mother.  The Divine Infant comes not now to confound the proud, to silence the boaster, to humble the haughty;  this will be His mission at another coming.  In this Advent, He manifests His mercy.

“Our Infant Jesus is coming to touch our lips with the kiss of peace.”  He comes to heal, and our healing will be in proportion to the depth of our contrition, for He comes to heal the contrite of heart.  He comes to release the captives.  And we should not forget that there is another day coming – a day of exceeding fear – a day when Jesus will come again, not to release, but to bind, and this day will be anticipated for us by the day of our death.  The year is fast passing away;  can we tell if we shall live to see the close of another? Are we sure that this terrible day will not come to us before another Advent?  If we have not prepared for it, and it does come, what will be our terror and dismay?  How then can we better prepare for this lamentable second coming, than by a heartfelt commemoration of the first coming, uniting ourselves in spirit with His Blessed Mother, and asking her to pray for us, as she prayed during the blessed Advent – when “He took flesh of her flesh, and bone of her bone?”  Then indeed may we hope that His second coming will be our salvation, and not our condemnation.

And as Christmas approaches shall we not prepare gifts and feasts and rejoicings for the Divine Babe of Bethlehem?  Some daily practice of virtue, some little daily thanksgiving for His love in coming to redeem us, some little daily self-denial.  And when the day of His birth dawns we can gather our thanksgivings and our devotions into one and lay them at His feet, or what is better still, give them to Our Mother to present for us to her Son.  The touch of her blessed hand will beautify them even if her love does not prompt her to add to them from her own treasures.