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Novena to the Child

How to pray the Novena

The Novena de Aguinaldos consists of several prayers that are repeated and a meditation for each day. It is said every day from the 16th through the 24th of December typically around 6pm before Dinner.

Begin with the Sign of the Cross and then recite the  Prayer for Every Day.  Meditation for each specific day. Read aloud the meditation for the day. Finish the session with the following individual prayers (same for every day):  Prayer to the Blessed Virgin  Prayer to St. Joseph  “Los Gozos” - or Aspirations for the coming of the Christ Child  The Memorare to the Child

Prayer for Every Day Most gracious God of infinite charity who so loved mankind you gave us, in the person of your Son, the most perfect gift of your love so that, once made man in the womb of a Virgin, He might be born in a for our health and salvation. On behalf of all mortals we give you infinite thanks for such a regal gift. In return, we offer you the poverty, humility and other virtues of your Son made man, beseeching you on His divine merits, on the discomforts of His birth and the tender tears He shed in the manger, to also prepare our hearts with deep humility, passion, and such disdain of all earthly things, so that the newborn Jesus might make his cradle and bide in them forever. Amen. Glory be to the Father... (3 times)

Meditation for the First Day In the beginning, the Word was one with God in the heights of Heaven. This was both the cause and the model for all creation. From these depths of untold eternity came the Christ child of ; before He deigned to descend to Earth and visibly take possession of the grotto of Bethlehem. This is where we must search for His beginnings that have no beginning or end. From there we date the genealogy of eternity, which has no precedent, and contemplate the life of infinite satisfaction He had there. The life of the Eternal Word in the breast of His Father was a marvelous life; and yet as a sublime mystery, it sought another place in a constructed mansion. It was not for lack of anything in His eternal mansion, but because His infinite mercy longed for the redemption and salvation of mankind, which could not be obtained without Him. Adam’s sin had offended God and that infinite offense could only be condemned by the merits of God Himself. Adam's race had disobeyed and deserved eternal punishment. In order to save them and

redeem their sins it was necessary for God to take the form of man on earth and with obedience to His Father's wishes, expiate that disobedience, ingratitude and rebelliousness. It was necessary, in His loving eyes, that He take on the form, the weaknesses and inherent ignorance of man; that He grow in order to show man the path to spiritual growth; that He suffer that man might overcome his passions and pride. For these reasons the Eternal Word was filled with a burning desire to save man and decided to make Himself a man and thus redeem the guilty. (On subsequent days, substitute the appropriate day's meditation)

Prayer to the Most Holy Virgin Mary Oh Sovereign Mary who, for your great virtues, and especially for your humility, merited that God made man should choose you as His mother; I beg you to prepare and open my and the of all those who pray this Novena, for the spiritual birth of your beloved Son. Oh sweet Mary! Convey to us something of the deep adoration and divine tenderness of your awaiting, that we might be more worthy of seeing, loving and adoring Him for all eternity. Amen. (Hail Mary... 3 times)

Prayer to Oh Blessed Joseph, husband of Mary, and foster father of Jesus! We give endless thanks to God for choosing you for such sovereign ministry and adorning you with all the graces required for such excellence. We beseech you, for your love of the Divine Child, to endow us with your fervent desire to see Him, and receive Him sacramentally until we see Him and delight in His Divine Essence in heaven. Amen. (Our Father... Hail Mary… Glory be ….)

Aspirations for the Coming of the Christ Child - “Gozos”

(Choruses are sung, verses spoken)

Chorus 1: repeat after every other verse, alternating with chorus 2 Oh my dear sweet Jesus, child whom we adore, come into our hearts now, make us wait no more, make us wait no more. --- Oh consummate Wisdom of the Sovereign God, who lowered your sacredness for a child to obtain it. Oh divine child, come teach us the Prudence that makes men truly wise. Come into our hearts, make us wait no more. --- Chorus 2: repeat after every other verse, alternating with chorus 1 Come, come, come. Come into our hearts oh Lord Come, come, come. Come into our hearts oh Lord, Come into our hearts.

Don't keep us waiting, Oh Lord we're waiting, Oh Lord, come, come. --- Oh Mighty Lord who gave the Law to Moses for the people of Israel. Come promptly to our rescue. Let a helpless child be your powerful arm. Come into our hearts, make us wait no more. (chorus 1) --- Oh sacred root of Jesse who from on high gave the world your fragrant flower. Sweetest child who has been called Lily of the valley, beautiful country flower. Come into our hearts, make us wait no more. (chorus 2) --- Key of David who opens the locked doors of the royal palace for the exiled. Lead us out, oh child, with your pure hand, from the sad prison of our sin. Come into our hearts, make us wait no more. (chorus 1) --- Oh Light of Dawn, sun of eternal rays, whose splendor shines among the shadows. Child most precious, joy of Christians, whose smile radiates from sweetest lips. Come into our hearts, make us wait no more. (chorus 2) --- Unstained mirror, holy of holies, there is no more perfect image of the sovereign God. Erase our sins, save the exiled, and in the person of a child, give comfort to the miserable. Come into our hearts, make us wait no more. (chorus 1) --- King of the nations, Emmanuel of the dawn. Israel's hope, shepherd of the flock. Child who calms with soft shepherd’s crook

first the troubled sheep, then the gentle lamb. Come into our hearts, make us wait no more. (chorus 2) --- Open up the heavens and rain from above benevolent dew as holy water. Come beautiful child. Come oh God made man. Shine beautiful star. Blossom oh country flower. Come into our hearts, make us wait no more. (chorus 1) --- Come now that Mary prepares her arms to receive you in short time. Come now that Joseph with sacred longing prepares to be the guardian of the temple of your love. Come into our hearts, make us wait no more. (chorus 2) --- Relief for the weak; comfort for the suffering; consolation for the sad, light for the exiled. Life of my life, my most adored Master, my steady friend, my divine brother. Come into our hearts, make us wait no more. (chorus 1) --- These eyes that see you adore you. Kissing now your feet, and now your hands. Prostrate before you, I open my arms and my silent tears say more than my words. Come into our hearts, make us wait no more. (chorus 2) --- Come oh Savior for whom we sigh. Come into our hearts, make us wait no more. (chorus 1)

Prayer to the Christ Child Remember, Oh most sweet Jesus that you said to Venerable Margaret of the Most Holy Sacrament, and in her name to all the faithful, these most consoling words for a weary and suffering humanity: "Anything you want to ask, ask it by the merits of my childhood and nothing shall be denied you." Full of confidence in you, oh Jesus, truth incarnate, we come to you in all our misery. Help us to live a holy life, that we may attain a blessed eternity. Grant us by the infinite merits of your

incarnation and childhood, the graces that we so need. We entrust our lives to you, omnipotent child, certain that our hopes will not be in vain and that, in virtue of your divine promise, you will hear and grant our prayer. Amen.

Finish with Hymns/Christmas Carols

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Meditation for the Second Day The Eternal Word was about to take its nature created in the Holy House of Nazareth, where Mary and Joseph lived. When the shadow of the divine secret passed over Mary, she was alone and deep in prayer. She spent the silent hours of the night in closest union with God, and while she prayed, the Word took up His place within her. However, He did not come unannounced. Before arriving, He sent a messenger who was the Archangel Gabriel to ask Mary on God's behalf her consent for the Incarnation. The Creator did not wish to perform this great mystery without the consent of his daughter. That was a most solemn moment. It was within Mary’s power to decline... With what adorable treats, with what unspeakable happiness the Holy Trinity awaited Mary's pronunciation of her Fiat. It must have been like a melody for His ears and with which was confirmed her deep humility towards the omnipotent divine will. In all the realm of Heaven was heard a sudden outburst of immense angelic jubilation, but the Virgin Mary neither heard nor would have paid great attention to it. Her head was bowed; her soul was immersed in a silence like that of God himself. The Word had made Himself flesh and, though still invisible to the world, He now dwelled within the realm of men and women, for whom His immense love would bring salvation. He was not now just the Eternal Word, but also the child Jesus clothed as a human and justifying all the worship and praise that generations have given unto Him by calling him the most beautiful of all the children of men and women.

Meditation for the Third Day And thus began the incarnate life of the Child Jesus. Let us consider the glorious soul and the holy body that He had taken, to worship them deeply. Marveling first at the soul of the Divine Child, let us consider it in the fullness of its sanctifying grace; of its beatific science and through which, from the first moment of life, it could see the Divine Essence more clearly than all the angels and could read the past and the future with full arcane knowledge and wisdom. From the Soul of the child Jesus we turn our thoughts now to His body, which was a world of marvels, a masterpiece of God’s hands. He wanted Him to be small and weak like all children and subject to all the discomforts of childhood in order to seem more like us and participate in our humiliations. The beauty of the body of the Divine Child was beyond anything that has ever been imagined and the divine blood that flowed in his veins from the moment of His Incarnation was the same that washed

clean all the sins of a guilty world. Let us ask Him to wash clean our sins in the Sacrament of Penance, so that on the day of His blessed , He might find us purified, forgiven and yearning to receive Him with love and a willing spirit.

Meditation for the Fourth Day Within the womb of his Mother, the child Jesus began to implement his complete submission to God the Father, which would continue without interruption throughout His entire life. He adored His Eternal Father, loved Him, and submitted to His will, accepting without complaint the state in which He was, knowing well all His weakness, His humiliations, and all His discomforts. Who among us would wish to step down to such a state with full use of reason and reflection? Knowing the exact nature of the prolonged martyrdom that awaited, who among us could sustain it? But this is precisely where the Divine Child began His painful and humiliating career: this is how He began to empty Himself to be filled by His Father; to teach us what God truly deserves from His creatures and to atone for our pride -- source of all our sins, and to make us aware of all the criminality and disorder rooted in this pride. If we wish to formulate a perfect prayer, let us begin by forming a precise idea of the Christ Child in the womb of His Mother. The Divine Child prays in the most perfect manner; He does not speak, He does not meditate, or gesture. He accepts His human state with the intention of honoring God with His prayers and in that state He expresses perfectly all that God deserves and how He would like to be loved by us. Let us join in the prayers of the Christ Child in Mary’s womb. Let us join His perfect humility and let this be the first effect of our sacrifice to God -- not to be something, as our own vanity continually seeks, but rather to be nothing in order to be eternally consumed and subjugated; to renounce our own idea of self-worth, all thoughts of importance, even when spiritual, and all types of vanity. Let us disappear before our own eyes, that God might be all-present within us.

Meditation for the Fifth Day We have seen the life that Jesus has begun in the womb of His most pure Mother. Let us also see today the life of Mary during that same period of time. Today we need to understand through her feelings, and as far as possible with our limited capability, the sublime mysteries of the Incarnation and the way we should respond to it. Mary longed to see the beautiful sight of the face of God Incarnate. She was soon to see that human face that was to illuminate Heaven for all eternity. She was about to feel the love that those beautiful eyes would radiate, spreading happiness in millions of the chosen. She was going to see His face every day, all day, for many years. She would see Him in the apparent innocent ignorance of childhood and the particular charms of youth, and in all the introspective serenity of maturity. She would have complete and prolonged exposure to that Divine Face. She could cuddle Him with all the freedom of maternal love, covering with kisses those lips that will pronounce the judgement on all men. She could contemplate His face as she wished during His sleeping and waking hours, until she had learned it by memory. How she longed for that day to come! Such was the expectant life of Mary… it was unprecedented in itself, while also a magnificent

example of Christian life. Let us not be content admiring Jesus as He dwelled within Mary; rather let us feel and believe that He also dwells within us by His essence, strength and presence. Yes, Jesus is continually born in us by the good works He enables us to accomplish, and by our cooperation with those graces, and then the soul of the one who finds him or herself in such a state of grace is like a perpetual womb of Mary, an interior Bethlehem without end. After holy communion Jesus dwells in us for a time, and is essentially both God and Man, because that same Child that was within Mary is also in the Blessed Sacrament. And what is this if not a kind of participation in the life of Mary during those marvelous months, and her delightful expectations?

Meditation for the Sixth Day Jesus had been conceived in Nazareth, home of Joseph and Mary, and it would have been natural to think that he would be born there as well. But God had other plans, and the prophets had announced that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem of Judea, the city of David. To fulfill this prediction, God made use of a means that did not seem to have any connection at all with His object: the order given by the Emperor Augustus that all subjects of the Roman Empire register for a census in their place of origin. As descendants of David, Mary and Joseph were required to go to Bethlehem, and neither Mary's pregnancy nor Joseph's work would be sufficient cause to excuse them such a long and arduous voyage during one of the most difficult times for travel in the entire year. Jesus was not unaware of the place where he must be born, and so inspired his parents to turn themselves over to the hands of Divine Providence and cooperate with God's plan. Our souls should learn from this perfect example of the working of the Divine Child, which is the most important of the interior spiritual life: see how He places His will completely in the hands of God, not belonging to Himself, nor desiring anything other than what God wants for Him, following blindly His will even in worldly matters, such as the change of scenery wherever He pleases to lead the . We shall have many opportunities to observe this dependence and inviolable fidelity to the Father throughout all the life of Jesus, and this is the focal point around which so many saints and truly spiritual souls have centered their imitation of Christ, in the perfect renunciation of their self-will.

Meditation for the Seventh Day Let us imagine the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, carrying with them the unborn Creator of the Universe, made man. Let us contemplate the humility and obedience of that Divine Child, who, although of Jewish heritage and having loved for centuries this people with an inexplicable predilection, obeys the order of a foreign prince taking a census of his provinces. It is as if there was something for Him in that circumstance which pleased Him and He chose that occasion to be registered and authenticated officially as a subject, in the moment in which he arrived in the world. Is it not strange that this humiliation, that causes such insurmountable difficulty for us, seems to be the one thing created by man that was attractive to the Creator? Does not the humility of Jesus teach us to love that beautiful truth? Ah! Let the moment arrive for the appearance of the one desired by the nations, because all things clamor for that happy occurrence. The world submerged in darkness and evil, searching for but failing to find reprieve from its woes, sighs for the coming of its liberator. The yearning of Joseph and the

expectant waiting of Mary are feelings that human language is not fit to describe. The Eternal Father finds himself, if we may be permitted to use the expression, adorably impatient to give His only Son to the world, and see him take his place among the living creatures. The burns with desire to see the light of day shine upon that beautiful Holy Humanity that He himself has formed with such divine and special care. As far as the Divine Child, object of so much longing, let us remember that He advances toward us as He does to Bethlehem. Let us hasten in our desire to reach the moment of His arrival. Let us purify our hearts that they may be His earthly mansions. May our acts of mortification and detachment prepare the way of and make straight His paths.

Meditation for the Eighth Day Joseph and Mary arrive in Bethlehem searching for room in the inns, but find none, either because everything is taken, or because they look too poor. But none can disturb the interior peace of those who are firm in the ways of the Lord. If Joseph felt sadness at being turned away from house after house because he was concerned about Mary and the Child, he surely smiled with holy tranquility as well whenever his gaze fell upon his chaste wife. The Child, yet unborn, rejoiced in their rejection, which was a prelude of His sufferings to come. Each rough voice, the slam of each door before them was what he had come for. The desire for those humiliations was precisely what had impelled Him to take human form. Oh Divine Child of Bethlehem! These days that so many have passed in parties or distractions or sloth in comfortable and rich mansions, have been for your parents days of fatigue and deprivation of all sorts. Ah, the spirit of Bethlehem is one of a world that has forgotten God. How many times has it not been our spirit also? Don't we often slam the door with rude ignorance on the callings of God, who asks that we mend our ways, make ourselves holy and conform to His will? Do we not make poor use of our own sufferings, failing to see their celestial nature even though each one has Christ engraved within it? God comes to us many times in life, but we fail to recognize His face, and we don't call for Him until we have distanced ourselves from Him after our own denials. The sun sets on the 24th of December behind the rooftops of Bethlehem and its final rays bathe in the peaks of the steep rocks that surround the town. Rude men roughly elbow the Lord in the streets of that Eastern village, and close the doors upon seeing His mother. The heavens appear purplish above the hills frequented by local shepherds. The stars begin to appear one after another. A few more hours and the Eternal Word shall appear.

Meditation for the Ninth Day Night has fallen over the area around Bethlehem. Rejected by all and finding themselves without shelter, Mary and Joseph have left the inhospitable town and taken refuge in a grotto at the foot of a hill. The donkey that had served the Queen of the Angels as a humble ride during the trip was still following her. Inside the cave they find a tame ox, probably left there by some traveler who has gone into town seeking lodging. The Divine Child, still unknown to His human family, will need to rely on these irrational creatures to warm with their breath the chilly winter night air and thus show Him, with their humble attitudes the

respect and adoration denied Him by Bethlehem. The reddish lantern Joseph holds in his hand dimly lights the humble shelter, the straw-filled manger that is a prophetic figure of the marvels of the altar and of the intimate and prodigious Eucharistic compact that Jesus will offer to mankind. Mary waits in quiet adoration in the center of the grotto, and the hours pass silently in this night so full of mystery. Now midnight has come, and suddenly we find in that once empty manger the hoped for Divine Child, so longed after for four thousand years of inexpressible yearning. At His feet we find His Most Holy Mother enraptured in adoration of a sort we can never fully comprehend. Joseph is also nearby paying homage and watching over the Child to commence his mysterious and constant charge of adoptive father of the of Mankind. A multitude of angels descends from heaven to witness this unequalled marvel and lets loose their joy and make the sky echo with the sounds of, "Gloria in Excelsis," that are the echoes of adoration emanating from around the throne of the Most High and made audible for an instant to the ears of an impoverished world. Called by these joyous strains, the shepherds of the region come in droves to adore the newborn babe and present him their humble offerings. By now the mysterious star of Jacob shines brightly in the East. And the splendid caravan of the Wise Men is beginning its voyage toward Bethlehem, to lay at the foot of the Divine Child in a few days’ time the gold, incense and that are symbols of charity, prayer and mortification. Oh most adored Child! We, who have prayed this novena to prepare for the day of your Nativity, wish also to offer you our humble adoration. Do not reject it: come into our souls; come into our loving hearts. Ignite in us the fires of devotion to your Holy Infancy -- not just intermittently around the time of your birth but always and everywhere -- which with faithful practice and propagation will lead us to eternal life, freeing us from sin and sowing within us all the Christian virtues we so desperately need.

***************** Prepared and distributed by the evangelization committee of St. Scholastica Catholic parish, Erie, CO.

Away in a Manger

Away in a manger, No crib for His bed The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head The stars in the bright sky looked down where He lay The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

The cattle are lowing the poor Baby wakes But little Lord Jesus no crying He makes I love Thee, Lord Jesus look down from the sky And stay by my side, 'til morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay Close by me forever and love me I pray Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care And take us to heaven to leave with thee there.

Silent Night

Silent night! Holy night! All is calm; all is bright ’round yon virgin mother and child! Holy infant, so tender and mild, sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night! Holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight. Glories stream from heaven afar, heav'nly hosts sing: “Alleluia! Christ the Savior is born! Christ the Savior is born!”

Silent night! Holy night! Son of God, love’s pure light radiant beams from Thy holy face with the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth! Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth!

Silent night! Holy night! Wondrous star, lend thy light; with the angels let us sing "Alleluia" to our King: “Christ the Savior is born! Christ the Savior is born.”

Joy to the World

Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King! Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room, and heav'n and nature sing, and heav'n and nature sing, and heav'n, and heav'n and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ, while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy, repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found,

far as the curse is found, far as, far as the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove the glories of His righteousness and wonders of His love, and wonders of His love, and wonders, wonders of His love.

Angels We HaveHeard on High

Angels we have heard on high, Singing sweetly through the night, And the mountains in reply Echoing their brave delight. Gloria in excelsis Deo. Gloria in excelsis Deo.

Shepherds, why this jubilee? Why these songs of happy cheer? What great brightness did you see? What glad tiding did you hear? Gloria in excelsis Deo. Gloria in excelsis Deo.

Come to Bethlehem and see Him whose birth the angels sing; Come, adore on bended knee Christ, the Lord, the new-born King. Gloria in excelsis Deo. Gloria in excelsis Deo.

See him in a manger laid Whom the angels praise above; Mary, Joseph, lend your aid, While we raise our hearts in love. Gloria in excelsis Deo. Gloria in excelsis Deo.

O Little Town of Bethlehem O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see the lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by; Yet in thy dark streets shined the everlasting Light; The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee to-night.

For Christ is born of Mary, and gathered all above, While mortals sleep, the angels keep their watch of wondering love. O morning stars, together proclaim the holy birth! And praises sing to God the King, and peace to men on earth.

How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given! So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven. No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin, Where meek souls will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in.

Where children pure and happy pray to the blessed Child, Where misery cries out to thee, son of the mother mild; Where charity stands watching and faith holds wide the door, The dark night wakes, the glory breaks, And Christmas comes once more.

O holy Child of Bethlehem! Descend to us, we pray; cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us to-day.

We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell; O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel!

What Child is this

What Child is this who laid to rest on Mary's lap is sleeping? Whom Angels greet with anthems sweet, while shepherds watch are keeping?

So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh, come Peasant, King to own Him The King of Kings salvation brings, let loving hearts enthrone Him.

This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and Angels sing Haste, haste, to bring Him laud, the Babe, the Son of Mary.

Oh, raise, raise a song on high, His mother sings her lullaby. Joy, oh joy for Christ is born, the Babe, the Son of Mary.

This, this is Christ the King, Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing

Haste, haste, to bring Him laud, the Babe, the Son, of Mary.

What Child Is this Who laid To rest on Mary's lap, on Mary's lap He is sleeping

This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and Angels sing Haste, haste, to bring Him laud, the Babe, the Son, of Mary The Babe, the Son of Mary The Son of Mary ______