the smallest refreshment to the holy travellers worn out from the fatigues of the long journey. "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air nests; but the Son of man hath not whereon to lay his head" (Luke, ix. 58). After passing from inn to inn, and door to door; after repeated refusals, quite wearied out and exhausted from the fatigues of the long journey, Mary and Joseph, in calm, serene, and joyous resignation to God's Divine will, left the inhospitable city; and retired into a cave in a rock to seek shelter from the winter's blast, and to seek repose for their wearied limbs. In this cave or stable, which served to shelter the brute creation, the ass and the ox, the Eternal Son of God, the long-expected Messias, the Redeemer of the world was born!

In these trying circumstances, in these privations on whom did Mary lean for help? On St. Joseph. Who liberally supplied all her wants? St. Joseph. Whose hands prepared the royal cradle of state, the rude manger, for the birth of the Redeemer? St. Joseph's. Who, first after Mary, with reverential love, looked into the Divine countenance of the Saviour of the world, and adored Him? St. Joseph. Here in the зrib at Bethlehem, the glories and privileges

of St. Joseph expand before the soul! Not only does the Mother of God look to him for every help and comfort, but the Son of God Himself, to Whom thousands of thousands minister, and to Whom ten thousand times a hundred thousand pay homage, needs and accepts the services of St. Joseph.

SECTION VIII.

St. Joseph and the Nativity of Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

The next fact in the life of St. Joseph, according to the Gospel narrative, is connected with the Nativity of Our Blessed Saviour:

"And it came to pass," says the Gospel, "that when they were there, her days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her first-born Son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for him in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds watching, and keeping night-watches over their flocks. And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them, and they feared with a

great fear. And the angel said to them: Fear not; for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy that shall be to all the people. For this day is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord in the city of David. And this shall be a sign to you: You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God and saying: Glory be to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will. And it came to pass after the angels departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another: Let us go over to Bethlehem and let us see this word that is come to pass, which the Lord hath showed to us. And they came with haste, and they found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger" (Luke, xi, 6-16).

Oh, thrice happy the lot of St. Joseph! The poverty and humiliations of the King of heaven in the manger only intensified his faith and love in the Incarnate Son of God. The shepherds heard the Angels, "the heavenly army," praising God. For of these heavenly spirits, "thousands of thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand times a hundred thousand stood before him"

(Dan. vii. 10).

Yet of all mankind then living only two were chosen by God to welcome, thank, adore, and love the longexpected Messias! Who were the favourites of heaven? Who were those thus chosen by heaven? Mary and Joseph. The shepherds "found Mary and Joseph and the infant lying in the manger." We join Mary and Joseph; and with them, we welcome, adore, thank, and love the Divine Infant Jesus, our Blessed Saviour.

SECTION IX.

St. Joseph and the Circumcision. By God's command St. Joseph calls the Divine Infant Jesus.

By God's order every male descendant of Abraham was to be circumcised on the eighth day after birth: first, to distinguish the people of God from all the nations of the earth; and, secondly, as a covenant between God and His chosen people. "God said to Abraham And thou shalt therefore keep my covenant, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant which you shall observe between me and you, and thy seed after thee. All the male

kind of you shall be circumcised. And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin that it may be a sign of the covenant between me and you. An infant eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations. And my covenant shall be in your flesh for a perpetual covenant" (Gen. xvii. 9-13).

We have the authority of St. Ephrem for stating that this painful operation was performed by the hands of St. Joseph. But on this fact the Gospel is silent.

According to the Hebrew custom, each child received from his parents his name on the day of circumcision; thus on that day our Divine Redeemer received the holy and sweet name of Jesus. In calling the Saviour of the world by the adorable name of Jesus, Mary and Joseph had no choice; they were but obeying the orders of the Almighty God's ambassador; the Archangel Gabriel had said to the Blessed Virgin: "Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son and thou shalt call his name Jesus" (Luke, i. 30). Of St. Joseph the Gospel says, "Behold the angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived