01 January 2026
The Circumcision of Our Lord, & Octave of Christmas Day
From Dom Prosper Guéranger's Liturgical Year:
Our newborn King and Savior is eight days old today; the Star that guides the Magi is advancing towards Bethlehem and, five days hence, will be standing over the Stable where our Jesus is being nursed by his Mother. Today, the Son of Man is to be circumcised; this first sacrifice of his innocent Flesh must honor the eighth day of his mortal life. Mysteries abound on this day: let us not pass one of them over, but honor them with all possible devotion and love.
But this Day is not exclusively devoted to the Circumcision of Jesus. The mystery of the Circumcision forms part of that other great mystery, the Incarnation and Infancy of our Savior—a mystery on which the Church fixes her heart, not only during this Octave, but during the whole forty days of Christmastide. Then, as regards our Lord’s receiving the Name of Jesus, a special Feast, which we shall soon be keeping, is set apart in honor of it. There is another object that shares the love and devotion of the Faithful on this great Solemnity. This object is Mary, the Mother of God. The Church celebrates today the august prerogative of this divine Maternity, which was conferred on a mere creature, and which made her the cooperatrix with Jesus in the great work of man’s salvation.
The holy Church of Rome used formerly to say two Masses on the first of January; one was for the Octave of Christmas Day, the other was in honor of Mary. She now unites the two intentions in one Sacrifice, in the same manner as, in the rest of this Day’s Office, she unites together the acts of her adoration of the Son, and the expressions of her admiration for, and confidence in, the Mother.
The Greek Church does not wait for this Eighth Day in order to pay her tribute of homage to Her who has given us our Emmanuel. She consecrates to Mary the first Day after Christmas, that is, the 26th of December, and calls it the Synaxis of the Mother of God, making the two Days one continued Feast. She is thus obliged to defer the Feast of St. Stephen to the 27th of December.
But it is today that we, the children of the Roman Church, must pour forth all the love of our hearts for the Virgin Mother and rejoice with her in the exceeding happiness she feels at having given birth to her and our Lord. During Advent, we contemplated her as pregnant with the world’s salvation; we proclaimed the glory of that Ark of the New Covenant, whose chaste womb was the earthly paradise, chosen by the King of Ages for his dwelling place. Now she has brought him forth, the Infant God; she adores him, Him who is her Son. She has the right to call him her Child; and He, God as he is, calls her in strictest truth his Mother.
Let us not be surprised, therefore, at the enthusiasm and profound respect wherewith the Church extols the Blessed Virgin and her prerogatives. Let us, on the contrary, be convinced that all the praise the Church can give her, and all the devotion she can ever bear towards her, are far below what is due to her as Mother of the Incarnate God. No mortal will ever be able to describe or even comprehend how great a glory accrues to her from this sublime dignity. For as the glory of Mary comes from her being the Mother of God, one would have first to comprehend God himself in order to measure the greatness of her dignity. It is to God that Mary gave our human nature; it is God whom she had as her Child; it is God who gloried in rendering himself, inasmuch as he is Man, subject to her: hence, the true value of such a dignity, possessed by a mere creature, can only be appreciated in proportion to our knowledge of the sovereign perfections of the great God who thus deigns to make himself dependent upon that favored creature. Let us therefore bow down in deepest adoration before the Majesty of our God; let us therefore acknowledge that we cannot respect, as it deserves, the extraordinary dignity of Her whom he chose for his Mother.
The same sublime Mystery overpowers the mind from another point of view—what were the feelings of such a Mother towards such a Son? The Child she holds in her arms and presses to her heart is the Fruit of her virginal womb, and she loves him as her own; she loves him because she is his Mother, and a Mother loves her child as herself, nay, more than herself: but when she thinks upon the infinite majesty of Him who has thus given himself to her to be the object of her love and her fond caresses—she trembles in her humility, and her soul has to turn, in order to bear up against the overwhelming truth, to the other thought of the nine months she held this Babe in her womb, and of the filial smile he gave her when her eyes first met his. These two deep-rooted feelings—of a creature that adores, and of a Mother that loves—are in Mary’s heart. The being Mother of God implies all this—and may we not well say that no pure creature could be exalted more than she? and that in order to comprehend her dignity, we should first have to comprehend God himself? and that only God’s infinite wisdom could plan such a work, and only his infinite power accomplish it?
A Mother of God! —It is the mystery whose fulfillment the world, without knowing it, was awaiting for four thousand years. It is the work which, in God’s eyes, was incomparably greater than that of the creation of a million new worlds, for such a creation would cost him nothing; he has but to speak, and all whatsoever he wills is made. But that a creature should become Mother of God, he has had not only to suspend the laws of nature by making a Virgin Mother, but also to put himself in a state of dependence upon the happy creature he chose for his Mother. He had to give her rights over himself, and contract the obligation of certain duties towards her. He had to make Her his Mother, and Himself her Son.
It follows from this that the blessings of the Incarnation for which we are indebted to the love wherewith the Divine Word loved us, may and ought to be referred, though in an inferior degree, to Mary herself. If she be the Mother of God, it is because she consented to it, for God vouchsafed not only to ask her consent, but, moreover, to make the coming of his Son into this world depend upon her giving it. As this his Son, the Eternal Word, spoke his Fiat over chaos, and the answer to his word was creation; so did Mary use the same word Fiat: —let it be done unto me, she said. (Luke 1:38) God heard her word and, immediately, the Son of God descended into her virginal womb. After God, then, it is to Mary, his ever Blessed Mother, that we are indebted for our Emmanuel.
The divine plan for the world’s salvation included there being a Mother of God: and as heresy sought to deny the mystery of the Incarnation, it equally sought to deny the glorious prerogative of Mary. Nestorius asserted that Jesus was only man; Mary, consequently, was not Mother of God, but merely Mother of a Man called Jesus. This impious doctrine roused the indignation of the Catholic world. The East and West united in proclaiming that Jesus was God and Man, in unity of Person; and that Mary, being his Mother, was, in strict truth, “Mother of God” (Deipara and Θεοτόκος are the respective Latin and Greek terms). This victory over Nestorianism was won at the Council of Ephesus. It was hailed by the Christians of those times with an enthusiasm of faith, which not only proved the tender love they had for the Mother of Jesus, but was sure to result in the setting up of some solemn trophy that would perpetuate the memory of the victory. It was then that began, in both the Greek and Latin Churches, the pious custom of uniting, during Christmas, the veneration due to the Mother with the supreme worship given to the Son. The day assigned for the united commemoration varied in the several countries, but the sentiment of religion which suggested the Feast was one and the same throughout the entire Church.
The holy Pope Sixtus III ordered an immense Mosaic to be worked into the Chancel-Arch of the Church of St. Mary Major, in Rome, as a monument to the holy Mother of God. The Mosaic still exists, bearing testimony as to what was the faith held in the Fifth Century. It represents the various Scriptural types of our Lady, and the inscription of the holy Pontiff is still legible in its bold letters: Xystus Episcopus plebi Dei (Xystus Bishop to the People of God:), for the Saint had dedicated to the Faithful this his offering to Mary, the Mother of God.
Special Chants were also composed at Rome for the celebration of the great mystery of the Word made Man through Mary. Sublime Responsories and Antiphons, accompanied by appropriate music, were written to serve the Church and her children as the expression of their faith, and they are the ones we now use. The Greek Church makes use of some of these very Antiphons for the Christmas Solemnity; so that, with regard to the mystery of the Incarnation, there is not only unity of faith, there is also oneness of devotional sentiment.
MASS
This Station is at St. Mary’s across the Tiber. It was but just that this Basilica should receive such an honor, for it is the most ancient of all the Churches raised by the devotion of the Faithful of Rome in honor of our Blessed Lady. It was consecrated in the 3rd century by St. Callixtus, on the site of the ancient Taberna Meritoria, celebrated even among the Pagans for the fountain of Oil which sprang up in that spot, in the reign of Augustus, and flowed into the Tiber. The piety of the Christians interpreted this as a symbol of the Christ that was afterwards born; and the Basilica is sometimes called, even to this day, Fons Olei.
The Introit is that of the Third Mass of Christmas Day, as are also most of the portions that are chanted by the Choir. It celebrates the Birth of the Child who is born unto us, and is today eight days old.
A Child is born to us, and a Son is given to us: and the government is upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called the Angel of the great Counsel.
Ps. Sing to the Lord a new canticle: for he hath done wonderful things. ℣. Glory, etc. A Child.
In the Collect, the Church celebrates the Fruitful Virginity of the Mother of God, and shows Mary to us as the source whence God poured out upon mankind the blessing of the Incarnation. She expresses to God himself the hopes we have in the intercession of this privileged creature.
COLLECT
O God, who by the fruitful Virginity of Blessed Mary, hast given to mankind the rewards of eternal salvation; grant, we beseech thee, that we may experience Her intercession, by whom we received the Author of Life, our Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son. Who liveth, etc.
EPISTLE
Lesson of the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to Titus 2:11-15
Dearly Beloved: The grace of God our Savior hath appeared to all men; Instructing us, that, denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live soberly, and justly, and godly in this world, Looking for the blessed hope and coming of the glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and might cleanse to himself a people acceptable, a pursuer of good works. These things speak, and exhort: in Christ Jesus our Lord.
These counsels of our great Apostle, who warns the Faithful of the obligation they are under of making a good use of the present life, are most appropriate to this first day of January, which is now the beginning of the New Civil Year. Let us therefore renounce all worldly desires; let us live soberly, justly, and piously, and permit nothing to distract us from the expectation of that blessedness which is our hope. The great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who shows himself to us these days of his mercy, in order to instruct us—will come to us, in a second coming, in order to give us our reward. The beginning of a New Year tells us plainly enough that this last day is fast approaching—let us cleanse ourselves from all iniquity, and become a people acceptable to our Redeemer, a people doing good works.
The Gradual proclaims the grand tidings of the Birth of our Jesus, and invites all nations to give praise to him, as also to the Eternal Father, who had promised him by the Prophets, and at length sent him.
All the ends of the earth have seen the Salvation of our God: sing joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
℣. The Lord hath made known his Salvation; he hath revealed his justice in the sight of the Gentiles.
Alleluia, alleluia.
℣. God, who at sundry times, and in divers manners, spoke in time past to our fathers, by the Prophets, last of all, in these days, hath spoken to us by his Son. Alleluia.
GOSPEL
Sequel of the holy Gospel according to St. Luke 2:21
At that time: After eight days were accomplished, that the child should be circumcised, his name was called Jesus, which was called by the Angel, before he was conceived in the womb.
The Child is circumcised: he is now not only a member of the human race, his is made today a member of God’s chosen People. He subjects himself to this painful ceremony, to this symbol of one devoted to the Divine service, in order that he may fulfill all justice. He receives, at the same time, his Name: the Name is Jesus, and it means a Savior. A Savior! Then, he is to save us? Yes; and he is to save us by his Blood. Such is the divine appointment, and he has bowed down his will to it. The Incarnate Word is upon the earth in order to offer a Sacrifice, and the Sacrifice is begun today. This first shedding of the Blood of the Man-God was sufficient to the fullness and perfection of a Sacrifice; but he is come to win the heart of the sinner, and that heart is so hard that all the streams of that Precious Blood, which flow from the Cross on Calvary, will scarcely make it yield. The drops that were shed today would have been enough to satisfy the justice of the Eternal Father, but not to cure man’s miseries, and the Babe’s Heart would not be satisfied to leave us uncured. He came for man’s sake, and his love for man will go to what looks like excess—he will carry out the whole meaning of his dear name—he will be our “Jesus,” our Savior.
The Offertory extols the power of our Emmanuel. Now that he is humbled by the wound of the Circumcision, it must be our delight to proclaim his power, his riches, his independence. Let us also magnify his love for us, for it is in order to cure our wounds that he so humbly condescends to feel their smart himself.
Thine are the heavens, and thine is the earth: the world, and the fullness thereof, thou hast founded: justice and judgment are the preparation of thy throne.
SECRET
Receive, O Lord, our offerings and prayers: cleanse us by these mysteries, and mercifully hear us. Through, etc.
At the Communion, the Church rejoices in the Jesus, the Savior, who visits her, and acts up to his sweet Name with such perfection, by redeeming the inhabitants of the whole earth. In the Postcommunion, she prays that, by the intercession of Mary, the Holy Communion may cure our hearts of their sins, that thus we may offer to God the homage of that spiritual circumcision of which the Apostle so often speaks.
All the ends of the earth have see the salvation of our God.
POSTCOMMUNION
May this communion, O Lord, cleanse us from sin: and by the intercession of Blessed Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, make us partakers of thy heavenly remedy. Through, etc.
SECOND VESPERS
The Antiphons and Psalms are the same as in First Vespers. The Capitulum and Hymn of yesterday are repeated; after which are said the following:
℣. The Lord hath made known, alleluia.
℟. His salvation, alleluia.
ANTIPHON OF THE MAGNIFICAT
ANT. Great is the mystery of our inheritance! The womb of a most pure Virgin became the Temple of God. He is not defiled assuming to himself Flesh from her. All nations shall come, saying: Glory be to thee, O Lord!
LET US PRAY
God, who by the Fruitful Virginity of the Blessed Mary, hast given to mankind the rewards of eternal salvation; grant, we beseech thee, that we may experience Her intercession, by whom we received the Author of Life, our Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son. Who liveth, etc.
Commemoration of the Octave of St. Stephen
ANT. But Stephen, full of grace and fortitude, did great signs among the people.
℣. Stephen saw the heavens opened.
℟. He saw and entered; blessed man, to whom the heavens opened.
PRAYER
O Almighty and eternal God, who didst consecrate the first-fruits of Martyrdom in the blood of blessed Stephen the Levite; grant, we beseech thee, that he may intercede for us, who begged mercy, even for his persecutors, of our Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son. Who liveth, etc.
We now give a short selection, from the Offices of this Octave of Christmas Day, which will assist the Faithful in their devotion to the Holy Mother of God. We begin with the Roman Breviary, and take from it the following Responsories of the Matins of the Circumcision.
℟. Rejoice with me all ye that love the Lord: * For that I, when I was little in my own eyes, pleased the Most High, and gave birth to Him that is God and Man.
℣. All generations shall call me Blessed, because God hath regarded the humility of his Handmaid. For that I.
℟. The heart of the Virgin was strengthened, wherein at the message of the Angel, she conceived the divine mysteries. Then did she receive into her chaste womb Him, that is beautiful above all the children of men: * And She, that is Blessed forever, brought forth unto us Jesus, God and Man.
℟. Blessed and venerable art thou, Virgin Mary! that wast found to be Mother of the Savior, yet still the purest Virgin: * He was laid in the Crib, and yet filled heaven with his brightness.
℣. I have heard thy hearing, and I feared; I meditated on thy works, and I trembled: between two animals * He was laid in the Crib, and yet filled heaven with his brightness.
℟. A purest Virgin-Mother, brought forth, without travail, * The Savior of the world: He, that was very King of Angels, drank at the breast of the Virgin-Mother the food that heaven gave.
℣. This chastest living Dwelling becomes, in an instant, God’s own Temple: the purest of Virgins conceives, at the Angel’s word, her Son: * The Savior.
The Greek Church, on the 26th December, (the day she consecrates to the Mother of Jesus,) pours forth to Mary her praises with her wonted profusion. We take from the Menaea the two following strophes, the former of which is also the Benedictus-Antiphon for the Feast of the Circumcision, in the Roman Breviary.
An admirable mystery is this day revealed: the two Natures are united in a new way, God is made Man: he remained what he was, and he assumed what he was not, suffering neither confusion nor division.
When the mystic Vine had produced, without human aid, the Grape-bunch, she carried him in her arms, as the branches their fruit; and she said to him: Thou art my Fruit, thou art my Life, and I know from thyself, my God, that I am what I was: the treasure of my virginity is preserved, and therefore do I confess thee to be the Immutable One, the Word made Flesh. Man I know not; but I acknowledge thee as the Redeemer of lost man. Thy Birth impaired not the purity thou gavest me, for what I was when thou didst enter into my womb, that thou didst leave me at thy Nativity. Therefore is it, that every creature sings to me saying: Rejoice, full of grace!
On this the Eighth Day since the Birth of our Emmanuel, let us consider the great mystery which the Gospel tells us was accomplished in his divine Flesh — the Circumcision. On this day, the earth sees the first-fruits of that Blood-shedding, which is to be its Redemption, and the first sufferings of that Divine Lamb, who is to atone for our sins. Let us compassionate our sweet Jesus, who meekly submits to the knife which is to put upon him the sign of a Servant of God.
Mary, who has watched over him with the most affectionate solicitude, has felt her heart sink within her, as each day brought her nearer to this hour of her Child’s first suffering. She knows that the justice of God does not necessarily require this first sacrifice, or might accept it, on account of its infinite value, for the world’s salvation: and yet, the innocent Flesh of her Son must, even so early as this, be torn, and his Blood flow down his infant limbs.
What must be her affliction at seeing the preparations for this painful ceremony! She cannot leave her Jesus, and yet, how shall she bear to see him writhe under this his first experience of suffering? She must stay, then, and hear his sobs and heartrending cries; she must bear the sight of the tears of her Divine Babe, forced from him by the violence of the pain. We need St. Bonaventure to describe this wonderful mystery. “And if he weeps, thinkest thou his Mother could keep in her tears? No she, too, wept, and when the Babe, who was standing on her lap, perceived her tears, he raised his little hand to her mouth and face, as though he would beckon to her not to weep, for it grieved him to see Her weeping, whom he so tenderly loved. The Mother, on her side, was touched to the quick at the suffering and tears of the Babe, and she consoled him by caresses and fond words; and as she was quick to see his thoughts, as though he had expressed them in words, she said to him: If thou wishest me to cease weeping, weep not thou, my Child! If thou weepest, I must weep too. Then the Babe, from compassion for the Mother, repressed his sobs, and Mary wiped his eyes and her own, and put his Face to her own, and gave him her Breast, and consoled him in every way she could.” (Meditation on the Life of Christ, by St Bonaventure)
And now, what shall we give in return to this Savior of our souls for the Circumcision, which he has deigned to suffer, in order to show us how much he loved us? We must, according to the teaching of the Apostle, circumcise our heart from all its evil affections, its sins, and its wicked inclinations; we must begin, at once, to live that new life, of which the Infant Jesus is the sublime model. Let us thus show him our compassion for this his earliest suffering for us, and be more attentive, than we have hitherto been, to the example he sets us.
The following beautiful Sequence will assist us to praise this mystery of the Divine Infancy. We have taken it from the ancient Missals of the Church of Paris.
SEQUENCE
This day, there hath been shown to us the wonderful power of grace, in the Circumcision of the Infant-God.
A Name of heaven’s making, a Name that means Salvation — and it is “Jesus” — is given to him.
This Name imports Salvation to man: it is the Name which the month of the Lord hath uttered from eternity.
The Angel revealed it, months ago, to the Mother of God, and to her holy spouse.
Sacred name! thou conquerest Satan’s wicked power, and the sins of the world.
“Jesus,” our ransom! “Jesus,” hope of the afflicted! our souls are sick — do thou heal them.
What is wanting in man, supply by thy Name, which means and gives salvation.
May thy Circumcision be the cleansing and the healing of our heart’s wounds.
May the Blood thou didst shed purify our stains, refresh our parched hearts, and give consolation to the sad.
We are beginning now a New Year, when friends give Gifts to friends; let thine, dear “Jesus,” be the preparing us our recompense.
Amen.
Adam of Saint-Victor offers us one of his Hymns, to help us to speak the praises of the Holy Mother of Jesus. It is an extremely graceful poem, and, for a long period, was to be found in the ancient Roman-French Missals.
SEQUENCE
Hail, Mother of the Savior! Vessel elect, Vessel of honor, Vessel of heavenly grace!
Vessel predestined from eternity, Vessel of singular beauty, Vessel formed by the hand of the All- Wise One.
Hail, holy Mother of the Word! the Flower that grew midst thorns, thyself the thornless Flower, that decked the thorny Earth.
The thorny earth are we, bleeding from the prickly thorns of sin: and thou, Oh! thou art free from thorns.
Thou art the Gate of the sanctuary closed for the Prince. Thou art the Fountain of the gardens, the Casket of sweet ointments and perfumes.
Thy fragrance is sweeter than that of Cinnamon, or Myrrh, or Frankincense, or aromatic Balm.
Hail, Virgin of Virgins! Mediatrix of men! Mother of the Jesus who saved us.
Myrtle of temperance, Rose of patience, Spikenard most fragrant!
Vale of humility! Soil most fruitful, though untilled!
Flower of the field! matchless Lily of the valley, that broughtest forth Christ!
Heavenly Paradise! Cedar-tree untouched, yet breathing forth such sweetness!
Purity and beauty, sweetness and fragrance, are all in thee above measure.
Thou art the Throne of Solomon, the throne rich above all others in form and substance.
The whiteness of the Ivory prefigures thy Chastity; the glittering Gold, thy Charity.
The palm thou holdest is like no other: thou hast no equal among creatures on earth or in heaven.
Thou art the glory of the human race, and art privileged with virtues above Angels and men.
As the sun is brighter than the moon, and the moon is brighter than the stars; so is Mary exalted above all creatures.
The sun’s light, which no eclipse quenches, is Mary’s virginal purity: the sun’s unfailing heat, is her undying charity.
Hail, Mother of Mercy! Thou art the noble dwelling of the blessed Trinity;
But, for the majesty of the Incarnate Word, thou didst prepare a special sanctuary.
O Mary, Star of the Sea! Peerless Queen, set above all the heavenly choirs!
Seated on thy lofty throne, commend us to thy Son; nor suffer our enemies to defeat us by strength or craft.
In the battle we are fighting, may we be safely shielded by thy protection. Our enemy’s obstinacy and skill must needs yield to thy power, and his treachery to thy watchful care.
O Jesus! Word of the Eternal Father! save us the devoted servants of thy Mother. We are guilty, absolve us. Save us by thy grace, and make us like to thee in the brightness of thy glory.
Amen.
Feast of the Circumcision: From His Manger to His Throne
A sermon for today. Please remember to say 3 Hail Marys for the Priest.
St Eugendus, in French Oyend, Abbot
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From Fr Alban Butler's Lives of the Saints:
AFTER the death of the two brothers, St. Romanus and St. Lupicinus, the holy founders of the abbey of Condate, under whose discipline he had been educated from seven years of age; he was first coadjutor to Minausius, their immediate successor, and soon after, upon his demise, abbot of that famous monastery. His life was most austere, his clothes being sack-cloth, and the same in summer as in winter. He took only one small refection in the day, which was usually after sun-set. He inured himself to cold and all mortifications; and was so dead to himself, as to seem incapable of betraying the least emotion of anger. His countenance was always cheerful, yet he never laughed. By meekness he overcame all injuries, was well skilled in Greek and Latin, and in the holy Scriptures, and a great promoter of the sacred studies in his monastery. No importunities could prevail upon him to consent to be ordained priest. In the lives of the first abbots of Condate, of which a MS. copy is preserved in the Jesuits’ library in the college of Clermont, at Paris, enriched with MS. notes by F. Chifflet, it is mentioned that the monastery, which was built by St. Romanus, of timber, being consumed by fire, St. Eugendus rebuilt it of stone; and also near the oratory, which St. Romanus had built, erected a handsome church in honour of SS. Peter, Paul, and Andrew, enriched with precious relics. His prayer was almost continual, and his devotion so tender, that the hearing of a pious word was sufficient visibly to inflame his soul, and to throw him sometimes into raptures even in public, and at table. His ardent sighs to be united with his God, were most vehement during his last illness. Having called the priest among his brethren to whom he had enjoined the office of anointing the sick, he caused him to anoint his breast according to the custom, says the author of his life, and he breathed forth his happy soul five days after, about the year 510, and of his age sixty-one. 1 The great abbey of Condate, in Franche-comté, seven leagues from Geneva, on Mount Jura, or Mont-jou, received from this saint the name of St. Oyend; till in the thirteenth century it exchanged it for that of St. Claude; who having resigned the bishopric of Besanzon, which see he had governed seven years in great sanctity, lived fifty-five years abbot of this house, a perfect copy of the virtues of St. Oyend, and died in 581. He is honoured on the 6th of June. His body remains entire to this day; and his shrine is the most celebrated place of resort for pilgrims in all France. 2 See the life of St. Oyend, by a disciple, in Bollandus and Mabillon. Add the remarks of Rivet. Hist. Liter. T. 3. p. 60. 1
Note 1. The history of the first Abbots of Condate, compiled, according to F. Chifflet, in 1252, mentions a translation of the relics of St. Eugendus, when they were enshrined in the same church of St. Peter, which had been made with great solemnity, at which this author had assisted, and of which he testifies that he had already wrote the history here quoted. F. Chifflet regrets the loss of this piece, and adds, that the girdle of St. Eugendus, made of white leather, two fingers broad, has been the instrument of miraculous cures, and that in 1601 Petronilla Birod, a Calvinist woman in that neighbourhood, was converted to the Catholic faith, with her husband and whole family, having been suddenly freed from imminent danger of death and child-bearing, and safely delivered by the application of this relic. [back]
Note 2. The rich abbey of St. Claude gave rise to a considerable town built about it, which was made an episcopal see by Pope Benedict the XIVth, in 1743; who, secularizing the monastery, converted it into a cathedral. The canons, to gain admittance, must give proof of their nobility for sixteen degrees, eight paternal and as many maternal. St. Romanus was buried at Beaume, St. Lupicinus at Leuconne, and St. Oyend at Condate; whence this last place for several ages bore his name. [back]
The Circumcision of Our Lord
From Fr Alban Butler's Lives of the Saints:
CIRCUMCISION 1 was a sacrament of the Old Law, and the first legal observance required by Almighty God of that people, which he had chosen preferably to all the nations of the earth to be the depositary of his revealed truths.—These were the descendants of Abraham, whom he had enjoined it, under the strictest penalties, 2 several hundred years before the giving of the law to Moses on Mount Sinai; and this on two several accounts: First, as a distinguishing mark between them and the rest of mankind. Secondly, as a seal to a covenant between God and that patriarch: whereby it was stipulated on God’s part to bless Abraham and his posterity; whilst on their part it implied a holy engagement to be his people, by a strict conformity to his laws. It was therefore a sacrament of initiation in the service of God, and a promise and engagement to believe and act as he had revealed and directed. Circumcision is also looked upon by St. Austin, and by several eminent modern divines, 3 to have been the expedient, in the male posterity of Abraham, for removing the guilt of original sin: which in those who did not belong to the covenant of Abraham, nor fall under this law, was remitted by other means, probably by some external act of faith.
1
This law of circumcision continued in force till the death of Christ: hence our Saviour being born under the law, it became him, who came to teach mankind obedience to the laws of God, to fulfil all justice, and to submit to it. Therefore, he was made under the law, that is, was circumcised, that he might redeem them that were under the law, by freeing them from the servitude of it; and that those, who were in the condition of servants before, might be set at liberty, and receive the adoption of sons in baptism; which by Christ’s institution, succeeded to circumcision. On the day he was circumcised he received the name of JESUS, the same which had been appointed him by the angel before he was conceived. 4 The reason of his being called JESUS is mentioned in the gospel: 5 For he shall save his people from their sins. This he effected by the greatest sufferings and humiliations; having humbled himself, as St. Paul says, 6 not only unto death, but even to the death of the cross; for which cause God hath exalted him, and hath given him a name which is above all names; that at the name of JESUS every knee should bow: agreeably to what Christ says of himself, 7 All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 8 2
Christ being not only innocent, but incapable of sin, could stand in no need of circumcision, as an expedient then in use for the remission of sin. He was pleased, however, to subject himself to this humbling and painful rite of the Mosaic dispensation for several reasons: as, First, to put an end in an honourable manner to a divine, but temporary, institution, by taking it upon his own person. Secondly, to prove the reality of his human body; which, however evident from this and so many other other actions and sufferings of his life, was denied by several ancient heretics. Thirdly, to prove himself not only the son of man, but of that man in particular of whose seed the Messiah was promised to come; thus precluding any future objection that might be raised by the Jews against his divine mission in quality of Messiah, under the pretence of his being an alien; and hereby qualifying himself for free conversation with them for their own spiritual advantage: setting us all a pattern of undergoing voluntarily several hardships and restraints, which, though not necessary on our own account, may be of great use to promote the good of others. Christ not being like other Jewish children, who could not know or fear the pain of circumcision, when they were going to suffer the operation, was perfectly sensible of it beforehand, and with calmness and intrepidity offered himself willingly to suffer the knife, and shed the first fruits of his sacred blood in this painful manner. Under the smart this divine infant shed tears, but not as other children; for by them, with the most tender love and compassion, he bewailed chiefly our spiritual miseries, and at the same time presented with joy his blood as the price of our redemption to his Father. Fourthly, by thus humbling himself under this painful operation, he would give us an early pledge and earnest of his love for us, of his compassion for our miseries, and of his utter detestation of sin. The charity and zeal which glowed in his divine breast, impatient, as it were, of delay, delighted themselves in these first fruits of humiliation and suffering for our sakes, till they could fully satiate their thirst by that superabundance of both, in his passion and death. With infinite zeal for his Father’s honour, and charity for us sinners, with invincible patience, and the most profound humility, he now offered himself most cheerfully to his Father to undergo whatever he was pleased to enjoin him. Fifthly, he teaches us by the example of voluntary obedience to a law that could not oblige him, to submit with great punctuality and exactness to laws of divine appointment; and how very far we ought to be from sheltering our disobedience under lame excuses and frivolous pretexts. Sixthly, by this ceremony, he humbled himself to satisfy for our pride, and to teach us the sincere spirit of humility. What greater humiliation can be imagined than for Him who is the eternal Son of God, in all things equal to his Father, to conceal these glorious titles under the appearance of a sinner? What a subject of confusion to us, who, being abominable criminals, are ashamed to pass for what we are, and desire to appear and be esteemed what we are not! Shall we not learn from this example of Christ to love humiliations, especially as we cannot but acknowledge that we deserve every reproach and all manner of contempt from all creatures? Seventhly, by beginning the great work of our salvation in the manner he was one day to finish it; suffering in his own person the punishment of sin, to deliver us from both sin and its punishment, he confounds the impenitence of sinners who will suffer nothing for their own sins; and inculcates the necessity of a spiritual circumcision, whereof the external was but the type and figure, as the apostle puts us in mind. 9 3
It is manifest, beyond all contradiction, from several texts of the Old Testament, 10 that men under that dispensation ought not to have rested in the external act alone, but should have aspired from the letter to the spirit, from the carnal to a spiritual circumcision. These texts, at the same time that they set forth its necessity, describe it as consisting in a readiness and willing disposition to conform to the will of God, and submit to it when known, in every particular. They in consequence require a retrenchment of all inordinate and superfluous desires of the soul, the keeping a strict guard and government over ourselves, a total abstinence from criminal, and a prudent reserve even in the lawful gratifications of sense and appetite. If such instances of spiritual circumcision were required of those under the Old Law, to qualify them for acceptance with God, can any thing less than the same entitle us Christians to the claim of spiritual kindred with faithful Abraham, and to share of that redemption which Christ began this day to purchase for us at the expense of his blood? We must cut off whatever inordinate or superfluous desires of riches, honours, or pleasures reign in our hearts, and renounce whatever holds us wedded to our senses or the world. Though this sacrifice required the last drop of our blood, we ought cheerfully to make it. The example of Christ powerfully excites us not to spare ourselves. A thousand irregular affections reign in our souls, and self-love is master there. This enemy is only to be expelled by compunction, watchfulness over ourselves, perfect obedience, humble submission to correction, voluntary self-denials, and patience under crosses. To these endeavours we must join earnest prayer for the necessary grace to discover, and courageously crucify whatever opposes the reign of the pure love of God in our affections. If we are conscious to ourselves of having taken a contrary course, and are of the unhappy number of the uncircumcised in heart; what more proper time to set about a thorough reformation, by cutting off whatever is inconsistent with, or prejudicial to the true Christian spirit, than this very day, the first of the new year? that so it may be a new year to us in the most Christian and beneficial sense of the word. 11 4
Wherefore, after having consecrated its first fruits to God, by the most sincere and fervent homage of praise and adoration; after having paid him the just tribute of thanksgiving for all his benefits, and in particular for the mercy by which he vouchsafes us still time to appease his anger, and serve him; it becomes us to allot some part of this day to tears of compunction for our past offences, and to the diving into the source of our spiritual sloth and other irregularities, with a view to the amendment of our lives, and the preventing of relapses: not contenting ourselves with general purposes, which cost self-love so little, the insufficiency of which our own experience has convinced us of; we must lay the axe to the root, and seriously resolve to decline to the best of our power, the particular occasions which have betrayed us into sin, and embrace the most effectual means of reformation of life and improvement in virtue. Every year ought to find us more fervent in charity; every day ought our soul to augment in strength, and be decked with new flowers of virtue and good works. If the plant ceases to grow, or the fruit to ripen, they decay of course, and are in danger of perishing. By a rule far more sacred, the soul which makes not a daily progress in virtue, loses ground: a dreadful symptom in the spiritual life. 5
The more intense ought our fervour to be, as we draw the nearer to the end of our course: So much the more, says the apostle, as you perceive the day to approach, 12 the day of retribution to each according to his works, which will be that of our death, which may be much nearer than we are willing to imagine. Perhaps we may not live to the end of this very year: it will be the case of thousands, who at this time are as regardless of it as we can be. What security can we have against a surprise, the consequences whereof are infinite and irretrievable, except that of a sincere and speedy conversion, of being upon our guard against temptations, of dedicating effectually this ensuing year and the remainder of our short lives to God, our last end and only good, and frequently imploring his grace and mercy. It is our blessed Saviour’s advice and injunction: Watch ye therefore; praying at all times,… that you may be accounted worthy … to stand before the Son of man. 13 6
The Christian’s devotion on this day ought to consist, first, in the solemn consecration of the first fruits of the year to God; and secondly, in honouring the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God, particularly his birth and circumcision. The church invites us on this day to unite our homages with the seraphic ardours and transports of devotion with which the glorious Mother of God assisted at these wonderful mysteries which we commemorate, but in which she acted herself so great a part. With what sentiments did Mary bear in her womb, bring forth, and serve her adorable son, who was also her God? with what love and awe did she fix her eyes upon him, particularly at his circumcision? who can express in what manner she was affected when she saw him subjected to this painful and humbling ceremony? Filled with astonishment, and teeming affections of love and gratitude, by profound adorations and praise she endeavoured to make him all the amends in her power, and the best return and acknowledgment she was able. In amorous complaints that he would begin, in the excess of his love, to suffer for us in so tender an age, and to give this earnest of our redemption, she might say to him: Truly thou art to me a spouse of blood. 14 With the early sacrifice Christ here made of himself to his Father, she joined her own, offering her divine son, and with and through him herself, to be an eternal victim to his honour and love, with the most ardent desire to suffer all things, even to blood, for the accomplishment of his will. Under her mediation we ought to make him the tender of our homages, and with and through this holy Redeemer, consecrate ourselves to God without reserve. 7
Note 1. In the ancient Sacramentary of the Roman church, published by Cardinal Thomasius, (the finishing of which some ascribe to Pope Gelasius I., others more probably to Leo. I., though the ground was doubtless the work of their predecessors,) this festival is called the Octave of our Lord’s Nativity. The same title is given to it in the Latin calendar (or rather collection of the gospels read at Mass throughout the year,) written above 900 years ago, presented to the public by F. John Fronteau, regular canon of St. Genevieve’s at Paris, and by Leo Allatius. The inference which Baillet draws from hence, that the mystery of our Lord’s circumcision was not then commemorated in the office of this day, is a notorious mistake. For Thomassin takes notice from Ivo of Chartres, that the word Octave here implies the circumcision of our Lord, which was performed on the eighth day after his birth: and in the above-mentioned Sacramentary express mention is made of the circumcision in the Secret of the Mass. In F. Fronteau’s calendar the gospel read on this day is the history of the circumcision given by St. Luke. An old Vatican MS. copy of St. Gregory’s Sacramentary, and that of Usuard’s Martyrology, kept at St. Germain-des-Près, express both the titles of the Octave day and of the circumcision.
Durandus, in the 13th century, (Ration, offic. l. 6. c. 15.) John Beleth, a theologian of Paris, (c. 71.) and several missals of the middle ages, prescribe two masses to be said on this day, one on the circumcision, the other on the B. Virgin Mary. Micrologus (c. 39.) assigns this reason, that as the B. Virgin, who had so great a share in the birth of Christ, could not be mentioned in that solemn office, therefore a commemoration of her is deferred to the Octave day. The second Mass is now abolished; but in a great part of the office a regard is had to the B. Virgin. In F. Fronteau’s Roman calendar, after the title of the Octave is added, Natale S. Mariæ; for which Dom Martenne would have us read, S. Martinæ; but without grounds. For, as Pope Benedict XIV. observes, (Comment. de Festis Domine, c. 1.) the original unquestionably means a festival of the B. Virgin Mary. The word Natale, which was used originally for the birth-day of the Emperors, was afterwards taken for any annual feast. [back]
Note 2. Gen. xvii. [back]
Note 3. Grounding their opinion on Gen. xvii. 14, &c. [back]
Note 4. Luke i. 31. [back]
Note 5. Matt. i. 21. [back]
Note 6. Phil. ii. 8–10. [back]
Note 7. Matt. xxviii. 18. [back]
Note 8. The Jews generally named their children on the day of their circumcision, but this was not of precept. There are several instances of children named on the day of their birth, (Gen. xxx.) which could not be that of their circumcision by an express law requiring the interval of eight days from their birth; the child being presumed too weak and delicate to undergo the operation sooner, without danger of its life. It seems to have been the practice among the Jews for children to be circumcised at home: nor was a priest the necessary or ordinary minister, but the father, mother, or any other person could perform the ceremony, as we see in the time of Abraham (Gen. xvii.; Acts vii.) and of the Maccabees (1 Mac. 1.) St. Epiphanius (Hær. 20.) Whence F. Avala, in his curious work entitled Pietor Christianus, printed at Madrid in 1730, shows that it is a vulgar error of painters who represent Christ circumcised by a priest in the temple. The instrument was sometimes a sharp stone, (Exod. iv.; Jos. v.) but doubtless most frequently of iron or steel. [back]
Note 9. Rom. ii. 29. [back]
Note 10. Deut. x. 16; xxx. 6; Jer. iv. 4. [back]
Note 11. The pagan Romans celebrated the Saturnalia, or feast of Saturn, from the 17th of December during seven days: at which time slaves dined with their Masters, and were allowed an entire liberty of speech, in the superstitious remembrance of the golden age of the world, in which no distinction of ranks was yet known among men. (Macrob. l. 1. c. 10. Horat. &c.) The calends also of January were solemnized with licentious shows in honor of Janus and the goddess Strenia; and it is from those infamous diversions, that among Christians are derived the profane riots of new year’s day, twelfthtide, and shrovetide, by which many pervert these times into days of sin and intemperance. Several councils severely condemn these abuses; and the better to prevent them, some churches formerly kept the 1st of January a fast-day, as it is mentioned by St. Isidore of Seville (lib. 2. offic. c. 40.) Alcuin (lib. de div. offic.) &c. Dom Martenne observes (lib. de antiquis ritibus in celebr. div. offic. c. 13.) that on this account the second council of Tours in 567, ordered that on the calends of the circumcision the litany be sung, and high mass begun only at the eighth hour, that is, two in the afternoon, that it might be finished by three, the hour at which it was allowed to eat on the fasts of the stations. We have among the works of the fathers many severe invectives against the superstitions and excesses of this time. See St. Austin, (serm. 198. in hunc diem.) St. Peter Chrysologus, (serm. in calendas,) St. Maximus of Turin, (Hom. 5. apud Mabill. in Musæo Italico,) Faustinus the Bishop, (apud Boland. hac die. p. 3.) &c. The French name Etrennes is Pagan, from strenæ, or new year gifts, in honour of the goddess Strenia. The same in Poitou and Perche, anciently the country of the Druids, is derived from their rites. For the Poitevins for Etrennes use the word Auguislanneuf, and the Percherons, Equilans, from the ancient cry of the Druids, Au guy l’an neuf, i. e. Ad viscum, annus novus, or to the mistletoe the new year, when on new year’s day the Pagans went into the forests to seek the mistletoe on the oaks. See Chatelain, notes on the Martyr. Jan. 1. p. 7.
The ancients began the year, some from the autumnal, others from the vernal equinox. The primitive patriarchs from that of autumn, that is, from the month called by the Hebrews Tisri, which coincides with part of our September and October. Hence it seems probable that the world was created about that season; the earth, as appears from Gen. iii. 2, being then covered with trees, plants, fruits, seeds, and all other things in the state of their natural maturity and perfection. The Jews retained this commencement of the year, as a date for contracts and other civil purposes; as also for their sabbatical year and jubilee. But God commanded them to begin their ecclesiastical year, or that by which their religious festivals were regulated, from the spring equinox, or the Hebrew month Nisan, the same with part of our March and April, Exod. xii. 2. Christian nations commenced the year, some from the 25th of March, the feast of the Annunciation, and bordering upon the spring equinox; others from Christmas; others from its octave day, the first of January, in which our ancestors have often varied their practice. Europe is now agreed in fixing the first of January for this epoch.
The Julian year, so called from Julius Cæsar, from whom the Roman calendar received its last reformation, consisted of 365 days, and six hours, which exceed the true solar year by 11 minutes; for astronomers compute the yearly revolution of the sun not to exceed 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 37 seconds, according to Cassini, but according to Keil 57 seconds, or almost 49 minutes. This error, becoming daily more sensible, would have occasioned the autumal equinox to have at length fallen on the day reckoned the solstice, and in process of time, on that held for the vernal equinox. The Golden number, or Grecian cycle of the lunar years, was likewise defective. To remedy both which, Pope Gregory XIII. in 1582, established the new style. Scaliger, Tachet, and Cassini, have demonstrated that cycles might be chosen still more exact by some few seconds; however, this adopted by Pope Gregory, besides being the easiest in the execution, admits of no material error, or sensible inconveniency. This correction of the style was received by act of parliament, in Great Britain, in 1752; for the promoting of which great praise is due to the two illustrious ornaments of the republic of letters, the Earls of Chesterfield and Macclesfield. [back]
Note 12. Heb. x. 25. [back]
Note 13. Luke xxi. 36. [back]
Note 14. Exod. iv. 25. [back]
Collect of St Eugendus, Abbot & Confessor ~ Indulgenced on the Saint's Feast (See Note)
According to the Apostolic Penitentiary, a partial indulgence is granted to those who, on the feast of any Saint, recite in his honour the oration of the Missal or any other approved by legitimate Authority.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto thee.
Let us pray.
O God, who by the preaching of Thy blessed servant Eugendus Thou didst cause the light of the Gospel to shine in the Jura: Grant, we beseech Thee, that, having his life and labours in remembrance, we may show our thankfulness to Thee by following the example of his zeal and patience
Let us pray.
O God, who by the preaching of Thy blessed servant Eugendus Thou didst cause the light of the Gospel to shine in the Jura: Grant, we beseech Thee, that, having his life and labours in remembrance, we may show our thankfulness to Thee by following the example of his zeal and patience
Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
R. Amen.
Collect of the Circumcision of Our Lord ~ Indulgenced on the Saint's Feast (? See Note)
According to the Apostolic Penitentiary, a partial indulgence is granted to those who, on the feast of any Saint, recite in his honour the oration of the Missal or any other approved by legitimate Authority.
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V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto thee.
Let us pray.
Let us pray.
O God, Who, by the fruitful virginity of the Blessed Mary, hast given unto mankind the rewards of everlasting life; grant, we beseech thee, that we may continually feel the might of her intercession, through whom we have worthily received the Author of our life, our Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son:
Who with thee liveth and reigneth, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end.
Who with thee liveth and reigneth, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end.
R. Amen.
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