Page:Stalphonsuspraye00ligu.djvu/385

 rags that  cover  Thee,  this  straw  that  serves  Thee  as Thy  bed,  this  manger  that  is  Thy  only  cradle — oh,  how do they  attract  our  souls  to  love  Thee! " The  viler He  was  for  me,"  says  St.  Bernard,  "the  dearer  He  is to  me." Thou hast  made  Thyself  poor  to  enrich  us with  Thy  riches;  that  is,  with  grace  and  glory. Ah, my Jesus! this Thy  poverty  has  induced  many  saints to leave  all — riches,  honors,  and  kingdoms — in  order to become  poor  with  Thee. Oh, detach  me  also,  my Saviour,  from  all  affection  to  worldly  goods,  so  that I may  be  made  worthy  to  acquire  Thy  holy  love,  and thus to  possess  Thee,  Who  art  the  Infinite  Good. With St.  Ignatius  of  Loyola  I  will  say  to  Thee:  "  Give me  Thy  love  and  Thy  grace,  and  I  shall  have  all  the riches  I  crave." I wish  for  nothing  more;  Thou alone art  sufficient  for  me,  my  Jesus,  my  Life,  my All. O my  Mother  Mary! do thou  obtain  for  me the  grace  that  I  may  always  love  Jesus,  and  that  I may  always  be  loved  by  Him.

All other infants  are  born  in  original  sin;  but  Jesus  was  born  "  holy, innocent,  unpolluted." "My beloved  is  white  and  ruddy,  chosen out  of  thousands"  (Cant.  v.  10). In this  Infant  only  did  the  Eternal Father  find  His  delight,  because  in  Him  alone  did  He  rind  no  fault.

MY innocent  Saviour,  Mirror  without  spot, Love of  the  Eternal  Father,  chastisements and maledictions  did  not  belong  to  Thee,  but to me,  a  miserable  sinner;  but  Thou  wouldst  show to the  world  the  excess  of  Thy  love  by  sacrificing Thy life  in  order  to  obtain  for  us  pardon  and  salvation, and  thus  by  Thy  sufferings  pay  the  penalties which we  had  incurred  by  our  sins. May all  creatures bless and  praise  Thy  mercy  and  Thy  infinite  bounty! I thank  Thee  on  behalf  of  all  men,  but  especially  for myself; because  as  I  have  offended  Thee  more  than