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The Christmas Cycle
“The Lord hath reigned” (Alleluia); “the right hand of the Lord hath exalted me; I shall not
die, but live” (Offertory).
In the Offertory we draw near to Christ like one of the afflicted men of the Gospel. We have been
prostrated by sickness, and we now long to live a strong, healthy, normal life. We approach Christ
and cry out, “Stretch forth the right hand of Thy majesty to protect us.” We recognize Christ as
our King and wish Him to rule over us completely, even over our mind and heart and will. Let us
offer all that we have and place it on the paten today. Soon He will come to offer His own sacrifice
to the Father, and He will unite to this whatever we have placed at His disposal. He will free us
from our sickness and consecrate and sanctify our life. “The right hand of the Lord hath exalted
me.” In the sacrificial offering He joins our works and prayers and sufferings with His own. In this
manner our works and prayers acquire a supernatural value in the sight of God. “I live, now not I;
but Christ liveth in me” (Gal 2:20). Christ asserts His right to reign over us in Holy Communion.
At this moment He comes and takes up His abode in our hearts. He places His hand on our
soul and nourishes it and consecrates it, that it may be restored to health, resemble His soul, and
show forth His life in its works. “All wondered at these things which proceeded from the mouth
of God” (Communion), concerning God’s Eucharistic power in souls. “Thy kingdom come.”
Meditation
“The Lord hath built up Sion [His Church]; and He shall be seen in His glory” (Gradual). This
is the feast of the Epiphany, the manifestation of Christ, the divine King, in His Church. He
has always manifested Himself in His Church and will continue to live there and carry on His
works of love and mercy. Today we acknowledge His royalty. “The Lord hath reigned; let the
earth rejoice” (Collect).
“The Lord hath built up Sion” (Gradual). Sion is the Church, the congregation of the faithful
gathered about the altar of sacrifice. They draw close to the altar, for there the Lord is soon
to appear in their midst. They approach with a faith like that of the centurion of the Gospel:
“Lord, only say the word and my servant shall be healed.” Whatever their afflictions may
be, they are confident with the leper: “Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean.” The
Apostle of the Gentiles admonishes them in the Epistle: “Brethren, be not wise in your own
conceits. To no man rendering evil for evil; providing good things not only in the sight of
God, but also in the sight of all men. . . . Revenge not yourselves, my dearly beloved, but
give place unto wrath. For it is written: Revenge is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. But
if thy enemy be hungry, give him to eat; if he thirst, give him to drink; for doing this, thou
shalt heap coals of fire upon his head. Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good.”
The kingdom of God is within the hearts of men. Christ puts aside His divine estate for
the moment that He may minister to the needs of souls. “And Jesus, stretching forth His hand,
touched him, saying: I will. Be thou made clean. And forthwith his leprosy was cleansed”
(Gospel). It is not difficult for us to recognize ourselves in the leper of the Gospel. In His
boundless love for us, Christ stretched forth His hand at baptism and said: “I will. Be thou made
clean.” It is His love that has moved Him to cleanse us. He is the manifestation of God’s love for
us. He demands of us only what He demanded of the leper and the centurion — faith. We have
this faith when we cry out, “Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean.”
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