Page:Beautifulpearlso00oreirich.djvu/183

 babe. Joseph too,  if  not  in  very  deed  a  Nazarite  like  John,  received  a  portion  above  his  brethren:  Christ,  during  His  helpless  infancy and  boyhood,  was  to  be  his  sole  care  and  portion. Christ and His  Mother  were  to  look  up  to  him,  under  God's  providence, as their  head,  guide  and  support. He could  not  but  understand, once the  Angel  of  the  Lord  had  revealed  to  him  Mary's  secret,  that of all  just  men  whom  Heaven  had  most  favored  till  then,  none  were so privileged  as  himself. For beneath  his  lowly  roof  he  now  held the new  Parents  of  restored  humanity  foreshown  to  Adam  and  Eve in the  Garden. On his  head  were  accumulated  the  blessings prophesied by  Jacob  to  the  first  Joseph  (Gen.  xlix.  25,  26):  'the blessings of  Heaven  above,  with  the  blessings  of  the  deep  that  lieth beneath, until  the  desire  of  the  everlasting  hills  shall  come.'  He has  come;  ere  long  Joseph  shall  look  upon  His  face,  and  hold  Him in his  arms,  and  hear  His  voice  uttering  words  of  filial  love  and gratitude." — (Heroic Women  of  the  Bible  and  the  Church.)

The glory  of  our  Second  Eve  is,  that  her  life,  from  this  period lo the  Ascension  of  her  Son,  will  be  identified  with  His;  and  that from His  Ascension  till  her  death  at  Ephesus,  her  sole  care  was  to sustain  and  comfort  the  infant  Church,  so  sorely  tried  in  Palestine.

In Bethlehem  Joseph  was  born,  and  to  Bethlehem  a  mere  accident compels  Joseph  and  Mary  to  go,  just  as  she  is  about  to  give birth to  her  child. They went  thither  in  obedience  to  an  Imperial Decree enjoining  on  all  persons  within  the  Roman  empire  to  be registered  in  their  native  places. S. John  the  Evangelist,  a  near relative of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  the  disciple  so  dearly  loved  by her  Son,  says  of  the  Incarnate  Word,  the  Light  of  the  World: " He  was  in  the  world,  and  the  world  was  made  by  Him,  and  the World  knew  Him  not.  He  came  unto  His  own,  and  His  own  received Him  not." Whatever may  have  been  the  circumstances that explain  the  fact — the  fact  is  recorded  by  the  Gospel,  that  in Bethlehem,  the  city  of  David,  where  Booz  bestowed  on  Ruth,  the Moabite, such  kindly  countenance  and  courteous  hospitality,  no  one house was  opened,  at  the  hour  of  her  sorest  need,  to  the  greatest  of David's  daughters,  the  gentle  Mother  of  the  Messiah. . .  .  They arrived, sore-footed  and  weary,  at  its  gates,  when  night  had  already fallen. The town  was  full. " There  was  no room  for  them  in  the Inn." They sought,  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  one  of  those natural caves,  the  shelter  for  the  shepherd  in  stormy  weather,  the refuge of  the  poor  way-farer  at  all  times. " And  she  brought  forth her  first-born  Son  and  wrapped  Him  up  in  swaddling  clothes,  and laid  Him  in  a  manger."

We do  not  deplore  that  it  so  befell  both  mother  and  Babe. It was meet  that  He  who  came  to  "make  all  things  new"  in  the world of  morality,  should  have  elected  to  be  born  in  the  most  abject destitution. He had  come  to  condemn  the  ill-uses  of  wealth, and to  inculcate  the  blessedness  of  that  spirit  which  despises  riches in themselves,  and  sets  store  solely  on  the  Eternal  Kingdom  and the supernatural  virtues  that  lead  to  it. . .  .  So,  she  looks,  first  of all  human  beings,  at  that  midnight  hour,  on  the  face  of  her  Babe and her  Saviour. What ecstacy  filled  her  soul  as  the  light  of  that countenance, that  so  many  generations  had  vainly  wished  to  behold, made all  bright  for  her  and  for  her  saintly  guardian,  Joseph,  in  that hillside cavern! These two  were  the  first  worshippers,  as  they  were to be  the  two  inseparable  companions  and  faithful  Disciples  of  the Divine Master — the  great  Teacher  of  the  Manger  and  the  Cross. They were  called  "  His  Parents." And as  such  they  are  unspeakably dear  to  the  Christian  world. Who are  those  who  are  first  summoned  to  the  presence  of  the new-born King,  the  Day-Star  of  Israel,  the  Hope  of  the  world? Shepherds guarding  their  flocks  by  night. " And  behold,  an  angel of  the  Lord  stood  by  them,  and  the  brightness  of  God  shone round  about  them,  and  they  feared  with  a  great  fear.  And  the Angel  said  to  them:  Fear  not.  For  behold  I  bring  you  good tidings  of  great  joy,  that  shall  be  to  all  the  people.  For  this  day is  born  to  you  a  Saviour,  who  is  Christ  the  Lord,  in  the  city  of David.  And  this  shall  be  a  sign  unto  you.  You  shall  find  the Infant  wrapped  in  swaddling  clothes,  and  laid  in  a  manger."

To these  poor  folk,  the  first  called  to  the  knowledge  of  Christ and to  the  everlasting  glories  of  His  Kingdom,  a  foretaste  is  there given of  the  society  which  Christians  are  to  share  here  and  hereafter. " Suddenly  there  was  with  the  Angel  a  multitude  of  the heavenly  army,  praising  God  and  saying.  Glory  to  God  in  the highest,  and  on  earth  peace  to  men  of  good  will." These first  courtiers  of  the  Saviour-King,  as  well  as  all  His  followers  to  the  end  of time,  must  accustom  themselves  to  behold  with  the  eyes  of  faith the splendors  of  that  unseen  world,  in  which  Christ  reigns,  ministered to  by  myriads  of  these  bright  angelic  spirits.

There is  one  sentence  recorded  of  Mary,  in  the  passage,  which recounts the  visit  of  the  Shepherds  to  the  new-born  Babe. They had found  "  Mary  and  Joseph,  and  the  Infant  lying  in  the  manger." And, seeing,  they  understood  of  the  word  that  had  been  spoken  to them  concerning  the  Child. And all  that  heard  wondered. . . But  Mary  kept  all  these  words,  pondering  in  her  heart."  The  sole study  of  this  Mother  of  the  incarnate  God,  was  to  know  Him  and His  mysteries.  Knowing  Him,  therefore,  better  than  all  others, she  walked  more  closely  in  His  footsteps,  treading,  not  in  the  paths where  honor  and  applause  might  reach  her  on  His  account,  but  in the  ways  of  obscurity,  deep  enlightened  love  and  heroic  suffering.

The eighth  day  came,  and  the  parents,  following the  guidance  of the  Holy  Spirit,  took  the  Child  to  the  Priest  to  have  Him  circumcised, in  conformity  with  the  Law. In every  particular  both  He and  they  wished  to  give  an  example  of  perfect  obedience. He had taken to  Himself  the  flesh  of  Adam,  in  order  so  to  hallow  it  by  the union, that  it  might  be  our  ransom  on  the  cross. In circumcision the redeeming  blood  begins  to  flow,  and  the  divine  humility  that was to  shine  forth  in  His  Passion,  already  manifests  itself  in  Bethlehem. Then was  He  given  the  name  of  Jesus,  by  Joseph,  in  compliance with  the  injunction  of  the  Angel.

Mary and  Joseph  were  soon  afterward  gladdened  by  the  coming of the  Magi— the  "Three  Wise  Men,"  or  "Three  Kings"  from the East. It was  a  memorable  event. Jerusalem, where  the standards and  eagles  of  Imperial  Rome  were  displayed  on  the Antonia Tower,  overlooking  the  temple,  and  where  the  Idumean Herod was  acknowledged  as  king,  knew  that  the  "sceptre  had passed  out  of  Juda,"  and,  therefore,  that  the  promised  Saviour must be  nigh. He had  already  come,  and  Jerusalem  and  Judaea knew it  not. They expected  a  mighty  Prince,  manifesting  himself with more  than  the  warlike  genius  of  David  and  the  far-reaching wisdom of  Solomon. And lo! He lay  hidden  in  a  wayside  cavern  , at Bethlehem,  swathed  with  the  clothes  of  infancy,  and  laid  in  a manger! This was  not  the  Messiah  who  could  challenge  the  acceptance and  worship  of  the  worldly-minded  Jews.

But in  the  depths  of  the  mysterious  East,  through  which  the Israelites had  been  scattered,  God  had  ever  had  among  the  idolatrous nations  men  who  cherished  the  universal  belief  in  a  future Redeemer and  Restorer,  and  looked  anxiously  forward  to  His  coming. This faith  of  the  Patriarchs,  preserved,  though  obscured, among the  Gentiles,  was  confirmed  by  contact  with  the  dispersed Israelites, and  by  the  holy  lives  of  such  men  as  the  elder  Tobias