In order to the devout preparation of ourselves for the glorious Birthday of
our most loving Saviour, Jesus Christ, which the holy Church recalls to our
memory every year on the 25th of December, and at the same time to render Him thanks for this great benefit, Pope Pius VII., by a Rescript of the
Segretaria
of the Memorials, dated August 12th, 1815 (which said Rescript is preserved in
the Segretaria of the Vicariate), granted to all faithful Christians who, being
contrite in heart, should prepare themselves for that great solemnity
by a novena, consisting of pious exercises, prayers, acts of virtue, &c. -
i. An indulgence of 300 days each day of the said novena, and -
ii. A plenary indulgence to be gained on Christmas day, or on some day in its
octave, by those who, after Confession and Communion, shall have made the said novena every day, and
who shall pray according to the intentions of the Sovereigns Pontiff: and note that
the Confession and Communion may be made on any one of the days of the said
novena,
provided the novena is correctly kept. This was declared by Pope Pius VIII.,
of holy memory, by means of the S. Congr. of Indulgences, July 9, 1830. These
indulgences were extended by the above-named Pius VII. to one other time in the year, besides the
the specified, when any one should make the aforesaid novena in honour of the
Child Jesus.
In order to call to mind more frequently the august Mystery of the
Incarnation and Birth of the Divine Word made Man, his Holiness the Sovereign Pontiff Pius IX., by a decree of
the S. Congr. of Indulgences, dated
Sept. 23, 1846, grants -
An indulgence of one year, to be gained each day of the following novena, which may be made either
in public or private, nine days previous to the 25th day of any month provided that the faithful assist at it with a
contrite heart.
The Novena is to be begun on the 16th day of every month.
i. Offering. Eternal Father, I offer to Thy honour and glory, and for my own salvation, and for the salvation of all the world, the mystery of the Birth of our Divine Saviour.
Gloria Patri, &c.
ii. Offering. Eternal Father, I offer to Thy honour and glory, and for my eternal salvation, the sufferings of the most holy Virgin and of St. Joseph in that long and weary journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem; I offer Thee their anxiety of heart when they found no place wherein to shelter themselves, when the Saviour of the world was to be born.
Gloria Patri, &c.
iii. Offering. Eternal Father, I offer to Thy honour and glory, and for my eternal salvation, the stable where Jesus was born, the hard straw which served Him for a bed, the cold He suffered, the swaddling clothes which bound Him, the tears he shed, and His tender infant cries.
Gloria Patri, &c.
iv. Offering. Eternal Father, I offer to Thy honour and glory, and for my eternal salvation, the pain which the holy Child Jesus felt in His tender infant body when He submitted it to the keen knife of circumcision; I offer Thee that Precious Blood which then first He shed for the salvation of the whole race of man.
Gloria Patri, &c.
v. Offering. Eternal Father, I offer to Thy honour and glory, and for my eternal salvation, the humility, mortification, patience, charity, all the virtues of the Child Jesus; and I thank Thee, and I love Thee, and I bless Thee without end, for this ineffable mystery of the Incarnation of the Divine Word.
Gloria Patri, &c.
V. Verbum caro factum est.
R. Et habitavit in nobis.
Oremus.
Deus, cujus Unigenitus in substantia nostra carnis apparuit; praesta quaesumus,
ut per Eum, quem similem nobis foris agnovimus, intus reformari mereamur.
Qui tecum vivit et regnat in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
V. The Word was made Flesh.
R. And dwelt amongst us.
Let us pray.
O God, whose only begotten Son was made manifest to us in the substance of our
flesh; grant, we beseech Thee, that through Him our souls may be internally
renewed, whom we acknowledge externally like unto ourselves. Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee for ever and ever. Amen.
In order to increase the devotion of all faithful Christians towards the feast
of the birthday of our Divine Saviour Jesus Christ, and that they may celebrate
it with spiritual profit to their souls, Pope Sixtus V., by his brief, Ut
fidelium devotio, dated Oct. 22, 1586, granted the following Indulgences,
viz.:
i. The indulgence of 100 years to all those who, being truly penitent,
having Confessed and Communicated, shall recite the Divine Office on that day,
or assist in person in any church where Matins and Lauds are said;
ii. One hundred years indulgence for the Mass, and the same for first and
second Vespers;
iii. The indulgence of forty years for each of the hours of Prime, Tierce, Sext,
None, and Compline.
In order that Christians might meditate mere frequently on the Incarnation,
Birth, and all the other mysteries relating to the holy Childhood of our Divine
Saviour Jesus Christ, and might render Him meet and worthy thanks, as well
as imitate those virtues which lie in his Childhood has taught us by His example, Pope Pius VII., of holy memory, by a decree of the S. Congr. of
Indulgences, dated Nov. 23, 1519, granted -
i. The plenary indulgence, on the 25th of every month, to all those who, being
penitent, having Confessed and Communicated, should be present at any church
or public oratory in which is practised the pious exercise in honour of the
Child Jesus, and who shall then, in veneration of the mysteries of His Sacred
Infancy, say the following prayers revised and approved by the S. Congr. of
Rites; provided also they pray according to the intentions of the Sovereign
Pontiff.
ii. The indulgence of 300 days, once a day, to those who, in private, with a
contrite heart, devoutly practise this pious exercise.
THE MYSTERIES.
V. Deus in adjutorium meum intende.
R. Domine ad adjuvandum me festina.
V. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto.
R. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
Pater noster.
i. Jesu Infans dulcissime e Sinu Patris propter nostram salutem descendens, de
Spiritu Sancto conceptus, Virginis uterum non horrens, et
Verbum caro factum formam servi accipi nos, miserere nostri.
R. Miserere nostri, Jesu Infans, miserere nostri.
Ave Maria.
ii. Jesu Infans dulcissime per Virginem Matrem tuam visitans Elisabeth, Joannem
Baptistam praecursorem tuum Spiritu Sancto replens, et adhuc in utero
Matris
suae sanctificans, miserere nostri.
R. Miserere, &c.
Ave Maria.
iii. Jesu Infans dulcissime novem mensibus in utere clausum, summis votis
a Maria Virgine, et a Sancto Joseph expectatum, et Deo Patri pro salute mundi
oblatus, miserere nostri.
R. Miserere, &c.
Ave Maria.
iv. Jesu Infans dulcissime in Bethlehem ex Virgine Maria natus, pannis
involutus, in praesepio reclinatum, ab Angelis annuntiatum, et a Pastoribus
visitatus, miserere nostri.
R. Miserere, &c.
Ave Maria.
Jesu tibi sit gloria,
Qui natus es deVirgine,
Cum Patre et Sancto Spiritu.
In sempiterna saecula. Amen.
V. Christus prope est nobis.
R. Venite adoremus.
Pater noster.
v. Jesu Infans dulcissime in circumcisione post dies octo vulneratus,
glorioso Jesu uonsiae vocatus, et in nomine simul et sanguine Salvatoris
officio praesignatus, miserere nostri.
R. Miserere, &c.
Ave Maria.
vi. Jesu Infans dulcissime stella duco tribis Magis demonstratus, in sinu
Matris adoratus, ut mysticis muneribus auro, thure et myrrha donatus, miserere
nostri.
R. Miserere, &c.
Ave Maria.
vii. Jesu Infans dulcissime in Templo a Matre Virgine presentatus, inter
brachia a Simeone amplexatus, et ab Anna prophetissa Israeli revelatus, miserere
nostri.
R. Miserere, &c.
Ave Maria.
viii. Jesu Infans dulcissime ab iniquo Herode ad mortem quaesitus, a Sancto
Joseph in Aegyptum cum Matre deportatus, a crudeli caede sublatus,
et a praeconiis martyrum innocentium glorificatus, miserere nostri.
R. Miserere, &c.
Ave Maria.
Jesu tibi sit gloria, &c.
V. Christus, &c.
Pater noster.
ix. Jesu Infans dulcissime in Aegypto cum Maria sanctissima, et patriarcha
Sancto Joseph usque ad obitum Herodis commoratus, miserere nostri.
R. Miserere, &c.
Ave Maria.
x. Jesu Infans dulcissime ex Aegypto cum parentibus in terram Israel reversus, multos labores in itinero perpessus, et in civitatem Nazareth
ingressus, miserere nostri.
R. Miserere, &c.
Ave Maria.
xi. Jesu Infans dulcissime in sancta Nazarena domo subditus parentibus
sanctissime commoratus, paupertate at laboribus fatigatus, in sapientia, aetatis,
et gratia profectu confortatus, miserere nostri.
R. Miserere, &c.
Ave Maria.
xii. Jesu Infans dulcissime in Jerusalem duodennis ductus, a parentibus cum dolore quaesitus, et post triduum cum gaudio inter doctores
inventus, miserere nostri.
R. Miserere, &c.
Ave Maria.
Jesu tibi sit gloria, &c.
For the Nativity and its Octave.
V. Verbum caro factum est. Alleluia.
R. Et habitavit in nobis. Alleluia.
Throughout the rest of the year the Alleluia is omitted.
For the Epiphany and its Octave.
V. Christus manifestavit se nobis. Alleluia.
R. Venite adoremus. Alleluia.
Oremus.
Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, Domino coeli et terrae, qui te revelas parvulis,
concede quaesumus ut flos sacrosancta Filii tui Infantis Jesu mysteria digno
honore recolentes, ac digna imitatione sectantes; ad regnum coelorum promissum
parvulis pervenire valeamus. Per eumdem, &c. R. Amen.
TRANSLATION OF THE MYSTERIES.
V. Incline unto my aid, O God.
R. O Lord, make haste to help mc.
V. Glory be to the Father, &c.
Pater noster.
The Incarnation.
i. Jesu, sweetest Child, who didst come down from the bosom of the Father for
our salvation, who wast conceived by tile holy Ghost, who didst not abhor the
Virgin's womb, and, as the Word made flesh, didst take upon Thee the form of a
servant; have mercy upon us.
R. Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us.
Ave Maria.
The Visitation.
ii. Jesu, sweetest Child, who, through Thy Virgin Mother, didst visit Saint
Elisabeth, and fill Thy forerunner the holy Baptist with the Holy Ghost,
sanctifying him whilst yet in his mother's womb; have mercy upon us.
R. Have mercy, &c.
Ave Maria.
The Expectation of the Birth.
iii. Jesu, sweetest Child, who, shut up for nine months in lily Mother's womb,
wast looked for with eager expectation by Mary and by Joseph, and wast offered
to God the Father for the salvation of tile world; have mercy upon us.
R. Have mercy, &c.
Ave Maria.
The Birth.
iv. Jesu, sweetest Child, born in Bethlehem of Mary ever Virgin, swathed in
rags, laid in the manger, announced by angels, visited by shepherds ; have mercy
upon us.
R. Have mercy, &c.
Ave Maria.
O, Jesu, born of Virgin bright,
Immortal glory be to Thee;
Praise to the Father Infinite,
And Holy Ghost eternally.
V. Christ is at hand.
R. Come, let us worship.
Pater noster.
The Circumcision.
v. Jesu, sweetest Child, wounded in Thy circumcision the eighth day, called by
the glorious Name of Jesus, and at once by Thy Name and Thy Blood foreshown as
thin Saviour of the world ; have mercy upon us.
R. Have mercy, &c.
Ave Maria.
The Adoration of the Magi.
vi. Jests, sweetest Child, made known to the three Magi by a star, adored in the
arms of Thy Mother, presented with the mystic gifts of gold, frankincense, and
myrrh; have mercy upon us.
R. Have mercy, &c.
Ave Maria.
The Presentation.
vii. Jesu, sweetest Child, who wrist presented in the Temple by Thy Virgin
Mother, who wast embraced by Simeon, and revealed to Israel by Anna the
prophetess; have mercy upon us.
R. Have mercy, &c.
Ave Maria.
The Flight into Egypt.
viii. Jesu, sweetest Child, whom wicked Herod sought to slay, whom Joseph
carried with Mary into Egypt, who wast withdrawn from a cruel death and wast
glorified by the blood of innocents; have mercy upon us.
B. Have mercy, &c.
Ave Maria.
O Jesu, &c. as above. V. and R. as above. Pater noster, &c.
The Sojourn in Egypt.
ix. Jesu, sweetest Child, who didst dwell in Egypt with most holy Mary and the
Patriarch holy Joseph until the death of Herod; have mercy upon us.
B. Have mercy, &c.
Ave Maria.
The Return out of Egypt.
x. Jesu, sweetest Child, who, after Herod's death, didst return out of Egypt
into the hand of Israel, who didst suffer many toils by the way, and didst enter
into thin city of Nazareth; have mercy upon us.
B. Have mercy, &c.
Ave Maria.
Early Life.
xi. Jesu, sweetest Child, who, in time holy house at Nazareth, subject to
Thy parents, didst dwell most holily, wast wearied by poverty and labours, and
didst
advance iii wisdom, age, and grace; have mercy upon us.
R. Have mercy, &c.
Disputation with the Doctors.
xii. Jesu, sweetest Child, at twelve years old brought to Jerusalem, sought for
by Thy parents with sorrow, and found with joy after three days amongst the
doctors; have mercy upon us.
R. Have mercy, &c.
Ave Maria.
O Jesu, &c. as above.
For Christmas-day and its Octave.
V. The Word was made flesh. Alleluia.
R. And dwelt amongst us. Alleluia.
The Alleluia is omitted during the year.
For the Epiphany and its Octave.
V. Christ hath manifested Himself to us. Alleluia.
R. Come, let us adore. Alleluia.
Let us pray.
Almighty and everlasting God, Lord of Heaven and earth, who dost reveal
Thyself to little ones; grant, we beseech Thee, that we, duly honouring the
holy mysteries of Thy Son the infant Jesus, and daily imitating Him in our
lives, may come to the kingdom of heaven promised by Thee to little children.
Through the same Jesus Christ, &c.
APPENDIX
In order to increase in the souls of the faithful devotion and homage towards the
Crib of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is religiously preserved in the Patriarchal Basilica of St. Mary Major, the Sovereign Pontiff Pius
IX., by a Brief of Oct. 1, 1861, granted to all the faithful who with contrite heart
and devotion shall say, on any day in the above-named Basilica of St. Mary Major, the following prayer, in any language, provided the
translation be faithful - 200 days of indulgence.
Moreover, to those also who shall say it in any other place, and on any day, be granted
- 100 days of indulgence.
THE PRAYER.
I adore Thee, O Word Incarnate, true Son of God from all eternity, and true Son of Mary ever Virgin in the
fullness of time. Whilst, then, I adore Thy Divine Person, and the Humanity
which is thereunto united, I cannot but venerate the poor manger which welcomed Thee
when an Infant, and which was truly the throne of Thy love. Let me prostrate myself before it, with the simplicity of the shepherds, with the
faith of Joseph, with the love of Mary! Let me incline myself in lowly veneration of this precious
memorial of our salvation with the same spirit of mortification, poverty, and
humility with which Thou, though the Lord of heaven and of earth, didst choose for Thyself a
manger as a receptacle of Thy poor infant limbs. And Thou, O Lord, who in Thine Infancy
didst deign to lay Thyself in this manger, vouchsafe at the same time to pour
into my heart one drop of that joy which both the sight of Thy lovely Infancy, and the
miracles which accompanied Thy Birth, must needs have caused. In virtue of that holy Birth, here
I now implore Thee to grant to all the world peace and good-will; and I desire,
in the name of the whole human race, to render all thanks and all honour to the Father, and to the
Holy Spirit, who with Thee liveth and reigneth one God world without end. Amen.