The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-12-27
THE CIRCUMCISION OF OUR
LORD.
The Lessons of this Feast-The Be-
ginning of Christ's Sacrifice-He
Becomes Our Saviour.

The divinity of Our Lord, His holt
ness, His eternal generation in
heaven, His temporal generation in
Mary's womb, scarcely less admirable
than the eternal, all these exempted
Him from the law of the circumcision;
to submit to it is beneath His dignity,
writes Father Chaignon in his Medl-
tations Yet He complies with the
law-the law that supposes the one
that is circumsised to be sinner.
What a humiliation for God-made
man! Sin and holiness, sin and the
divinity blended together. Surely
there seems to be a contradiction in
this. But no, for the Son of God is
become man in order to save man
from sin He comes to atone for 1t, so
He takes it as a garment; the shame
full garment of sin is upon the Son of
God His majesty is yelled, His
glorious privileges, His divinity, His
eternal holiness, make no exception.
He comes to work; the Word made
flesh is, as it were, annihilated; in
becoming man, He put Himself below
the angels; when He takes on this
day the name of Saviour, He puts
Himself even lower than man, for He
takes upon His shoulders the burden
of the sins of man. 1t was on the day
of His Circumcision that the words
of the Apostle st. Paul, were realized:
Him who knew no sin, He hath made
sin for u.s." And these others from
the same Apostle: In Thee shall all
nations be blessed Christ
has redeemed us from the curse of
the law, being made a curse for us. y
He suffers. From the very first
moment of His existence, and while
He was yet in Mary's womb, Jesus
offered Himself to His Father as the
Lamb Who was to take away the sins
of the world. 1t was an oblation of
Himself, but today the sacrifice may
be said to begin. His innocent flesh
is wounded, His blood flows. Today
He is really priest and victim. With
His own blood He entered the Holy
of holes. Today He gives few drops
only, later He will give the same
precious blood to the very last drop
His Circumcision is, as it were, the
first act; the sacrifice will one day
be completed on the tree of the cross
Even now He may apply to Himself
the words of the prophet: l am pre-
pared to suffer; for this l took
human body. AS God, l could mo-
suffer; but in order to obtain mercy
for man, | became man: o children
of men, acknowledge your Saviour,
promised to give My life-behold the
first drops of My blood are spilled
and how | long to give the last of i
for you! o Father Thy majesty has
been offended; revenge Thyself nov
on Thy Son; strike Him, but spare
the children of men!
He saves us. Yes, all the children
of Adam He saves, for to all that ar
willing He offers the necessary mean
of sanctification. He saves US from
sin by atoning for our sins. To atom
for our transgressions, He submits t
a law that never was intended TO
Him. To free us from pride H
humbles Himself, taking unto Himsel
the resemblance of sinful mai
He condescends to suffer, though bU
a few days old. "He saves us fror
SIM" says Bossuet, 'in forgiving u
the sins already committed, next i
giving us grace to trespass no more
and finally in taking us to life wher
sin is not known" o infant Coo
Thou mayst we'll take the name {
Jesus, for in Thee is realized all thi
name implies, and the blood Tho
didst shed entities Thee to it. Yes
take the sweet name of Jesus, ths
name which speaks of peace and low
and victory and triumph, that powe
full name which eXpels terror, give
hope to the sorrowful heart, and col
quers demons. o my beloved Jesus
blessed by Thy name from the risin
of the sun to the going down thereof
Blessed be it for ever and ever, the
name which is above all other name
Be it always on our lips for it mean
salvation.