mother. Recommend yourself earnestly to her, "for/ as St. Bernard says, " it is the will of Christ that we should have all through Mary."
SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT.
Christ the Expectation of the Gentiles.
" I will look towards the Lord: I will wait for God my Saviour."— (Micheas vii. 7.)
I. Consider what is read in this day's gospel: "Art thou he, that art to come, or do we look for another?" (Matt. xi. 3.) Christ was the expected of all nations: as it is said in Genesis, " he shall be the expectation of nations" (Gen. xlix. 10), and by the prophet Aggeus, " the desired of all nations shall come." (Agg. ii. 8.) Christ with good reason was the expectation of the Gentiles, for He came to enlighten those that sat in darkness and in the shadow of death; He came to give sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and the use of their limbs to the lame; He came, in fine, to bring salvation to all. " He shall save His people from their sins." (Matt. i. 21.)
II. This Messias, this expectation of the Gentiles, will visit you to-day in the Eucharist, to free you from your iniquities, to cure your infirmities, to bestow on you the gifts of His grace, in a wTord, to save you. O, what a benefit is this! " Behold God is my Saviour," says Isaias, "I will deal confidently and will not fear." (Is. xii. 2.) Do you also act confidently with Him and surrender yourself entirely to His holy will.
III. In order to prepare for His coming, you must exercise yourself beforehand in fervent desires and longing sighs for Him. He is hence called " the expectation of nations and the desire of the everlasting hills (Gen xlix. 10. 26), that is, of the holy Patriarchs and Proph-
