The Nativity
From "Mysteries of the Rosary" by Msgr. Edward I. Hession
“And it came to pass while they were there, that the days for her to be delivered were fulfilled. And she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger” Lk. 2:6-7
1. Journey to Bethlehem
Lo, at this time it comes to pass
That there comes forth from pagan Rome
A bold decree, that all should go
Into the city of their sires
And be enrolled ‘neath Caesar’s sway.
To satisfy his haughty pride,
Augustus Caesar seeks to fin
How many subjects he commands.
And Joseph, humble carpenter,
Takes Mary, his espoused wife;
And sets out on the dusty road
From Nazareth to Bethlehem,
Because he is of David’s blood.
O ready, prompt obedience,
That seeks no reasons nor complains!
O wondrous providence of God,
That uses human foolishness
And turns it to His own design.
For lo, the prophecy proclaims
That there in Juda’s Bethlehem
That Captain will be born, to rule
The chosen people, Israel.
The holy pair accompany
The many pilgrims on their way.
And Joseph seeks as best he can
To make the trip less burdensome
Unto the Mother of his Lord.
Why did he ever doubt this maid
Or think for just a moment’s time
That she had shown disloyalty!
But now the two are stronger knit
Than any chain of brass or steel
FIRST ANGEL:
“Who comes here, riding on a beast,
Through sand of Palestine?”
SECOND ANGEL:
“This is the Maid of Nazareht,
Of David’s royal line.”
FIRST ANGEL:
“How fair, this Maid of Nazareth,
A light shines on her face.”
SECOND ANGEL:
“Because she soon will bear a Son,
The Author of all grace.”
FIRST ANGEL:
“This man, his staff within his hand,
He guides the Maid with care.”
SECOND ANGEL:
“‘Tis Joseph; him God chose to be
Spouse of His Mother fair.”
FIRST AND SECOND ANGELS:
“O humble man and humble maid;
Who would suspect that they
Have been so singled out by God
In this most special way.”
“Let foolish man choose princely homes,
But wiser men will see
That real worth is found within
This Holy Family.”
* * *
‘Tis dusk when Mary and her spouse
Perceive the lights of Bethlehem;
The city is in merry mood,
And crowds appear outside its gates.
The thoughts of Joseph turn at once
To Mary and her unborn Babe-
Where might he find a lodging place
And food and drink and fire’s warmth?
Be surely of his kith and kin
He will find one who will receive
And give them food and sheltering.
But little does he realize
The coldness and the bitter sneers
That wait for him where’er he goes.
Tonight their space will be reserved
For those of riches and prestige.
* * *
“I seek a place to spend the night,”
Speaks Joseph at the spacious inn.
“No room!” - Of course, no room -
For he is of the poorer class.
“I beg a room; my wife -.” “No room!”
Returns the keeper of the inn,
And slams the door in Joseph’s face.
But no disheartened at this thrust,
Together with his Virgin spouse
He seeks another lodging place.
But ‘tis in vain - there is no room.
2. Birth of Christ
A cold and tired holy pair
See refuge in a lonely cave
Nearby the gates of Bethlehem.
It is a place where shepherd folk
Are wont to take their flocks at night,
A place of shelter from the winds,
Of refuge from the driving rains,
A manager there - and straw and wood -
At least a place to spend the night.
A star above shines brilliantly;
Tonight it seems to light the sky -
And Joseph sees it, growing bright,
It does appear as if a flame
Of fire descends upon this place;
It glows and fills the countryside.
Ah, surely, this is not of earth!
* * *
An infant’s crying fills the cave -
The hour has come! The time is now!
A Child - A Child is born tonight,
Redeemer of the human race,
The holy Babe of Bethlehem.
Sing out, ye Angel Choir, sing out!
ANGEL CHOIR:
“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,
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.”
* * *
The Mother takes her new-born Babe
And wraps Him up in swaddling bands
And lays Him in a manger-bed.
The Virgin, silent, bows her head
And Joseph falls upon his knees;
Yes, this is Flesh of Mary’s flesh,
But no less It’s the Son of God.
And Angel Choirs, clad with light,
Sing praises to the new-born Child.
“All glory to our God on high,
And peace on earth unto all men.”
3. Adoration of the Shepherds
Within Judea’s spreading hills,
Outside the town of Bethlehem,
Are simple shepherds, minding sheep,
When lo! and Angel of the Lord
Appears to them in glowing light.
It shines far brighter than the sun
And melts the darkness into day.
A great fear falls upon the men
Until the Angel speaks to them:
“Fear not; behold I bring to you
Good tiding of exceeding joy
With shall be yours and all the world’s.
For on this day is born to you
A Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign to you:
The Infant, wrapped in swaddling clothes,
Is lying in a manger-bed.”
And suddenly an Angel host
Accompanies the messenger
And sings the praises of the God
Who comes to earth this Christmas Day:
“To God on High all glory be,
And peace on earth unto all men.”
And as the Angels leave their sight,
The shepherds to each other say:
“Let us make haste to Bethlehem
And see this word that’s come to pass
And which the Lord hath showed to us.”
They come with speed and find the Babe
Asleep within the manger-bed.
Then they are made to understand
The word the Angel spoke to them.
They tell the tidings to a few
Of faithful souls drawn by the light;
And all who come are much amazed.
As Mary hears these wondrous words
She ponders them within her heart.
* * *
The simple guests prepare to leave;
But first they will present a gift
Unto the Babe on bed of straw.
And from their flocks they choose a lamb,
The best of all their animals,
And place it near the manger-bed.
The Lamb of God returns His thanks,
Bestowed grace a hundredfold.
And they return home, praising God
For all that they have seen and hear.
FIRST SHEPHERD:
“Great marvels we have seen this night -
The Angels with respendent light,
The Babe within the manger-bed
Exactly as the Angel said.”
SECOND SHEPHERD:
“We’ve seen His Mother beautiful,
As one who lives above this earth;
We’ve seen the Savior of the world
Choose out a stable for His birth.”
THIRD SHEPHERD:
“And wondrous things we’ve heard tonight -
The song of Angels in their flight,
And tiding of exceeding joy,
The coming of an Infant Boy.”
FOURTH SHEPHERD:
“We’ve heard His Mother as she spoke,
As one aflame with heaven’s grace.
Oh, truly holy night is this,
That we should see Christ face to face.”
4. Circumcision of Christ
The next day Joseph is enrolled
To show his prompt obedience,
Then seeks a lodging for his spouse
And for the Infant she has borne.
There in a home of Bethlehem
Owned by a poor but holy pair,
He finds a welcome dwelling place
For Mary and her tender Child.
* * *
Now on the eighth day after birth
The Infant Son is circumcised,
And sheds these first red drops of blood
According to Mosaic Law,
Enough to satisfy for all
The sins of all the human race.
And as the Angel had announced,
Before the Word had been conceived,
The name of “Jesus” is bestowed
Upon the Saviour of all men.
5. Visit of The Magi
Jerusalem is all aghast -
Three strangers from the East have come
With shocking news to Herod’s court,
For they have seen a brilliant star;
That star foretells a prophecy -
The coming of a Jewish King.
Its light they’ve followed from afar,
And only now have lost its beams.
They ask a question of the court,
“Where shall the Jewish King be born?”
The King is troubled at these words,
And calls the chief priest and the scribes;
And asks them what the prophecies
Proclaim about the birth of Christ.
These men, versed in the Scriptures, say:
“He shall be born in Bethlehem;
For so Micheas has foretold.”
The wise men are called secretly,
And Herod diligently seeks
The time at which the star appeared.
For this new threat unto his throne,
However distant it might be,
Must be erased immediately.
And plotting out this treachery,
He sends the magi on their way:
“Go ye; inquire for the child,
And when ye find him, bring me word,
That coming, I too may adore.”
ANGEL:
“Herod!
Why this secret treachery,
Why this awful jealousy,
Why this animosity
Toward Christ the Lord?
“Don’t portray the role of fool!
You are placed here as His tool -
You receive your pow’r to rule
From Christ, your Lord.
“Herod!
Will you make the devils sing,
Plotting this most fiendish thing!
Traitor unto heaven’s King,
Your Christ and Lord?
“Stop this scheme of deicide!
Open up your kingdom wide,
Bid this King to come inside -
It’s Christ the Lord.”
* * *
The wise men leave Jerusalem,
With promise to return when they
Have found the Object of their search.
And as they pass the city’s wall,
Balthasar to his comrades speaks:
“Lo, do you not see there ahead
A burning light within the sky,
Far brighter than all other stars?”
Says Gaspar: “Yes - it seems to grow
Like an unfolding lily bloom.
And see - the other start grow dim
And it is growing brighter still.”
In joyous tones cries Melchior:
“The star! It is our star,
Come back once more to guide our way!”
The magi spur their camels on;
Their long and weary search, it seems,
Is soon to find its just reward.
And with the start their beacon light,
The wise men soon reach Bethlehem.
And there the start is seen to shine
In all its splendor o’er the house
Wherein the Infant Jesus stays.
The wise men thank Almighty God
Who brought them safely to this place.
And entering within the house,
They find the Child of their quest.
And falling down upon their knees,
the Infant Saviour they adore.
BALTHASAR:
“Thou King, descended from above
To teach the world of truth and love,
We Thee adore.”
GASPAR:
“Thou King by right e’en from Thy birth,
Thy rule shall spread throughout the earth.
We Thee adore.”
MELCHIOR:
“Thy kingly reign shall never cease
To fill men’s hearts with lasting peace.
We Thee adore.”
The wise men ope their treasure chest
To offer gifts unto their King -
Of gold and frank-incense and myrrh.
The gold is for His kingly crown,
The incense for divinity,
The myrrh for His humanity.
Each one in turn presents his gift.
BALTHASAR:
“Accept this gift of gold, O King;
Thy wisdom shall exceed by far
Its luster and its brilliancy.”
GASPAR:
“Receive this gift of frank-incense;
Thy life shall be a steady prayer
That ever rises up to God
Like incense from a thurible.”
MELCHIOR:
“Accept this gift of myrrh, I pray;
Thy life shall be a sacrifice
To save Thy people from their sins.”
* * *
The Virgin-Mother and her spouse
Show forth their hospitality
As well befits their visitors.
They hear the story of the star,
The journey from their distant land,
The visit to Jerusalem.
How great the works of Providence!
* * *
As time forbids a longer stay,
The three wise men prepare to leave;
But being warned, while in their sleep,
Of Herod’s treacherous designs,
They start for home another way,
With joyful hearts, and praising God.
Reprinted for Council 13307 with the permission of Abbey Press, Inc.