The Nativity by Federico Barocci, 1597 via Wikimedia Commons
O food and bread of angels,
the angels are filled by you, are satisfied by you,
but not to the point of satiety.
They live by you; they have wisdom by you.
By you they are blessed.
Where are you for my sake? In a mean lodging, in a manger.
For whom? He who rules the stars sucks at the breast.
He who speaks in the bosom of the Father is silent in the Mother’s lap.
But he will speak when he reaches a suitable age,
and will fulfill for us the Gospel.
For our sakes he will suffer, for us he will die.
As an example of our reward, he will rise again.
He will ascend into Heaven before the eyes of his disciples,
and will come from Heaven to judge the world.
Behold him lying in the manger; he is reduced to tininess,
yet he has not lost anything of himself.
He has accepted what was not his,
but he remains what he was.
Look, we have the infant Christ; let us grow with him.
St. Augustine, 354-430, from a Christmas sermon
____________________________
While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,
and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.
She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger,
because there was no guest room available for them.
prayer & verse 
Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year, Eric. Thank you for blessing me with your careful selection and posting of these powerful and uplifting prayers from the community of faith through the ages.
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