This is the month that carries every joy: freedom for slaves, honor for the free, crowns for the gates, refreshment for bodies, and purple robes as well. In its love it clothes us like kings.
Refrain: Praise to You, beautiful Child of virginity.
This is the month that carries every victory: it frees the spirit, disciplines the body, brings forth life among mortals, and in its love makes the Godhead dwell in humanity.
In this month slaves slept on bedding, the free on rugs, and kings on fine coverings; in a manger slept the Lord of all, for the sake of all.
See Bethlehem of King David: the Lord of David wore fine linen, and the Son of David was wrapped in swaddling clothes. He hid His glory, gave His swaddling clothes, and gave humanity a garment of glory.
On this day our Lord exchanged splendor for disgrace in His humility, because Adam exchanged truth for injustice in rebellion. The Good One had mercy on the one who had turned aside; His restorations prevailed over those who had gone astray.
Let everyone drive away weariness, since that Majesty did not grow weary of dwelling in the womb nine months for us, and of living thirty years in Sodom among the lawless.
When the Good One saw the human race poor and brought low, He made the feasts into treasure-houses and opened them to the idle, so that the feast might stir the idle person to rise and become rich.
See, the Firstborn has opened His feast to us like His treasury. This one day alone in the year opens that treasury. Come, let us strive and grow rich from it before they close it.
Blessed are the watchful, for they have plundered from it the spoil of Life. It is a great shame when someone sees a neighbor carrying treasure out, while he sits asleep inside the treasure-house and comes out empty.
On this feast let each of us crown the doorway of his heart. The Holy Spirit longs for its gate, to enter, dwell there, and sanctify it. He goes around all the doors, seeking where He may dwell.
On this feast the gates rejoice before the gates; Holiness rejoices in the holy temple; a voice resounds from the mouths of children; and Christ rejoices in His feast like a mighty warrior.
At the Son’s birth, the king registered humanity for the head tax, making them debtors to him. Then the King came forth to us: He erased our bonds and wrote another bond in His own name, making Himself our debtor.
The sun gained strength and traced a mystery in the steps by which it rose. Twelve days have passed since its rising, and today is the thirteenth—a complete mystery of the Son’s birth and of His Twelve.
Moses shut up a lamb in Nisan on the tenth day—a mystery of the Son, who came into the womb and confined Himself there on the tenth. He came forth from the womb in this month, when the light prevailed.
Darkness was defeated, proclaiming Satan’s defeat; the light prevailed, proclaiming the Firstborn’s victory. The Dark One fell with the darkness, and our Light conquered with the shining sun.
Joseph loved the Son as a child; he served Him as God. He rejoiced in Him as the Good One and stood in awe of Him as the Just One—greatly astonished.
Who has given me the Son of the Most High to be a son to me? I was suspicious of Your mother and wanted to dismiss her. I did not know that within her womb was a great treasure that suddenly enriched my poverty.
King David arose from my line and wore the crown. I have come to great lowliness—instead of a king, I became a carpenter. Yet a crown has come to me, for the Lord of crowns rests in my bosom.
Mary burned with answering words as she lulled Him: ‘Who has granted the barren woman to conceive and bear One who is many—the Little One who is also great, wholly with me and wholly with all?’
On the day Gabriel entered my lowliness, he suddenly made me both free and a handmaid. For I am the handmaid of Your divinity, and I am also the mother of Your humanity, O Lord and Son.
Suddenly the handmaid became the King’s daughter through You, Son of the King. See, the lowliest in David’s house, because of You, Son of David, a daughter of earth has reached heaven through the Heavenly One.
How greatly I marvel that before me lies a Child older than all! His eye is fixed on heaven without ceasing. The murmuring of His mouth seems to me to say that His silence speaks with God.
Who has ever seen a Child whose whole gaze takes in every place? His look is the look of One who governs every creature above and below; His countenance is like that of the Commander who commands all.
How shall I open a fountain of milk to You, O Fountain? How shall I give nourishment to You, who feed all from Your table? How shall I bring swaddling cloths to the One wrapped in rays of light?