The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-12-20
CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS.

Christmas is once more at our
doors with it's cribs and it's carols,
its green trees glittering with the
things children love, it's bells peal
ing out in the darkness of the
early morning and all the sweet
and holy joys of the Christian fire
side that Christmas gave to the
world. 1t is welcomed by all, stir
ring in all the child-like heart the
Saviour loved, and when men are
deeply moved they are all strange
ly alike.
And the messages Christmas
brings no change can antiquate,
no lapse Of time make obsolete.
The world never grows weary of
hearing the tenderest love story
of all time-how "God so loved
the world that He gave His only
Begotten Son, that whosoever be-
heveth in Him shall not perish but
have life everlasting" The love
Of God for His children will be
understood in all it's fullness only
in the rapture of the Beatifc
Vision. That love, with it's vast
generosity and it's patience under
repulse and, it's meekness In the
midst of ingratitude and it's de-
light in pardoning, is truth that
would be beyond the utmost reach
Of thought were it not for the In
carnation and it's appeal. AS we
think Of the lowliness in which
Christ came among us-no child
Of human parents enters the world
in such misery-the love of God
begins to open out under our
gaze: we begin to see what that
love means. For each of us, as
for the whole world, the Son Of
God was made man; for each Of
us, as for the whole world, He
stopped to such awful condescen-
sion. This is the first message
that Christmas brings home to the
affectionate comprehension Of the
simplest and lowliest of mortals.
There is another message akin
to this, for love is ever humble
and humility is ever loving. HUI
mility is the golden chain of the
chaplet Of Christian virtues; it is,
indeed, the foundation of every
virtue as love is it's browning.
Without it there is no genuine
contentment, no peace, no pa
thence, no resignation, no true
kindness. To the humble, God
loves to give His grace. 1t was
a new and strange message Christ
preached to the world from His
manger-the message Of humility.
Out of all the conditions Of life
in their vast variety He chose one
which lacked all that most men
seek, most remote from the pride
and privilege the world covets
He was rich, yet for our sakes He
became poor, and from the pow
erty and baroness Of His birth
place He teaches us-and He
teaches us in action as He always
teaches us-a lesson that we
should follow in the ordering of
our affections and the discipline
of our desires. Year after year
He presents Himself to us as a
Babe in the loWliest surroundings,
bidding us to be like Him in His
humility if we would fain be made
like unto Him in His glory.
Thus is it. To the world, with
it's bewildering confusion Of de-
sires, Christmas sounds the sweet
simple messages Of Christ-the
that alone can save men
from the gospel of selfshness.
These messages made the first
Christmas the turning point in the
worlds history; and there is need
that in every age they be repeated.
In this restless age of ours, with
it's covetous, craving spirit, when
the lure of the things that are seen
is weaving the thoughts of men
from the things that are not seen,
Christmas reminds the world of
what it needs most sorely-the
humble loving spirit of the Babe
of Bethlehem. Without this spirit
men will seek the things that are
their own; with it they will pos
sess the only power that makes
men forget themselves and remem-
Der others.
LOOTING IN MEXICO.