NOVENA IN HONOUROF THE NATIVITY AND INFANCYOF OUR LORD

I

Eternal Father,

I offer to Thine honour and glory,

for my eternal salvation

and for the salvation of the whole world,

the mystery of the birth of our divine Redeemer.

II.

Eternal Father,

I offer to Thine honour and glory,

for my eternal salvation

and for the salvation of the whole world,

the sufferings of the most holy Virgin and Saint Joseph

on that long and weary journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem,

and the anguish of their hearts

at not finding a place of shelter

when the Saviour of the world was about to be born.

III.

Eternal Father,

I offer to Thine honour and glory,

for my eternal salvation

and for the salvation of the whole world,

the sufferings of Jesus in the manger where He was born,

the cold He suffered,

the tears He shed and His tender infant cries.

IV.

Eternal Father,

I offer to Thine honour and glory,

for my eternal salvation

and for the salvation of the whole world,

the pain which the Divine Child Jesus felt in His tender Body,

when He submitted to the rite of circumcision:

I offer Thee that Precious Blood

which He then first shed for the salvation of all mankind.

V.

Eternal Father,

I offer to Thine honour and glory,

for my eternal salvation

and for the salvation of the whole world,

the humility, mortification, patience, charity

and all the virtues of the Child Jesus;

I thank Thee, I love Thee,

and I bless Thee infinitely

for this ineffable mystery of the Incarnation of the Word of God.

V. The Word was made flesh;

R. And dwelt amongst us.

Let us pray.

O God, whose onlybegotten Son

hath appeared in the substance of our flesh;

grant, we beseech Thee,

that through Him,

whom we acknowledge to have been outwardly like unto us,

we may deserve to be renewed in our inward selves.

Who liveth and reigneth with Thee for ever and ever.

Amen.