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The Christmas Cycle
complete trust in Him? “To Thee I have lifted up my soul. In Thee, O my God, I put my trust;
let me not be ashamed” (Introit).
How wonderful is the mystery of Advent! We are already redeemed, and yet in a real sense we
remain in need of redemption. Our sins have been destroyed, and God has been reconciled with
His rebellious children. The power of Satan has been broken, and heaven is again attainable; grace
is now within easy reach of all men. We have been redeemed as a race, and as members of that
race we have only to reclaim our share of that redemption. We have now merely to cooperate
with God’s plan of redemption and we shall be saved. The merits of the redemption have been
deposited by Christ in the treasury of the Church. Each of us must, however, assert his claim
to membership in the kingdom of Christ in order to profit by the fruits of the redemption.
We are indeed redeemed, but in our present state our personal salvation is not assured. We
are children of God, children of grace, branches of the vine that is Christ; and we draw upon
that vine for spiritual life and vigor. Yet we are by no means perfect. We still need an increase
of grace, of virtue, of union with God. Our faith needs to be strengthened, our hope needs to
become more unwavering, our love must become more fervent. For an increase of these virtues
we pray earnestly and perseveringly during the season of Advent. Perfection is our goal, and we
must not be satisfied with less. Our spiritual life must never be allowed to become stationary.
We are redeemed, and yet have need of redemption. Even when we have become perfect,
with the help of divine grace, we shall still be subject to the power of death. But from this we
are to be freed when Christ appears on the last day. He will summon our wretched bodies and
bid them to be joined again to our souls, that they may share in the eternal happiness we have
merited by our lives. Only when this has been accomplished will our redemption be complete.
“Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God
hath prepared for them that love Him” (1 Cor 2:9). “Your redemption is at hand.”
Prayer
Establish in our hearts, we beseech thee, O Lord, the mysteries of the true faith, and lead us to
eternal life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Friday
“It is now the hour for us to rise from sleep. . . . Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness
and put on the armor of light” (Epistle).
“It is now the hour for us to rise from sleep.” The time has come. The Apostle admonishes
not merely the heathens and the unbelievers, but us also who have been baptized, who have
received the gift of faith, and who should of ourselves see the necessity of arising from our sins.
Even for those who practice daily meditation, who attend Mass regularly, who receive Holy
Communion frequently, and who engage in other pious practices, this admonition is timely.
In spite of all these good works, we are still asleep. Perhaps our sleep is not that of grievous sin,
but we are retarded in our spiritual progress by tepidity, by the routine of our daily life, and by
our negligence. We lack zeal for the interests of God, we are slothful in our search for union with
Him. We must strive to purify our intentions and perfect our prayer. By the judicious practice of
penance we must strive to make satisfaction for our own sins and for those of our brethren. Our
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