appeared to mankind first clothed in flesh; but now He communicates Himself to you under the form of bread, in order to impart to your soul the living bread of immortality. Approach, then, this divine mystery in such a manner that this little one may again be born in your heart; and convince yourself that this will be the case, if you begin to lead a life conformable to His own; if you love nothing but what He loved, so that you may be able to say, with the Apostle, " I live, now not I; but Christ liveth in me." (Gal. ii. 20.)
III. In order that you may enjoy this little one, you must become such a one yourself. " Amen, I say to you, unless ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matt, xviii. 13.) "Be little in your own eyes," that you may be the " head of the tribes of Israel" (1 Kings xv. 17), that is, great among the Saints. To such as these only God communicates the secrets of His wisdom. "I give thanks to Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth," says Christ Himself, " because Thou hast hidden these things from the wise and the prudent, and hast revealed them to little ones." (Matt. xi. 25.) And David says: " The testimony of the Lord is faithful, giving wisdom to little ones." (Ps. xviii. 8.)
ST. STEPHEN'S DAY-DECEMBER 26.
The Birth of Christ— I.
I. The blessed Virgin having entered into the stable at Bethlehem, and perceiving the time of her happy delivery approaching, was wholly fixed upon God, in high contemplation, when the eternal Word made His first appearance upon earth. The divine Infant issues from His mother's womb, without detriment to her virginal integrity,
