"And she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him up in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." - Luke 2:7
The picture of Mary and Joseph kneeling in adoration and the ox and ass lending the warmth of their breath to comfort the new born Babe of Bethlehem can never fail to arouse within us the deepest emotions of gratitude and love towards the Infant Savior. The meekness and dependence of the Holy Infant awakens within us a heaven-born desire to aid and console His Mother and St. Joseph in their tender efforts to care for and protect Him. The cruelty of the inn which excluded them from its shelter stirs us to just indignation; but the gentleness and submission of Mary and Joseph elicit from us an act of faith and resignation. Not the grandeur of this world, but the unending bliss of heaven is the portion of those who adore at the crib of Bethlehem.
Once in Royal David's city,
Stood a lonely cattle shed.
Where a mother laid her baby.
With a manger for his hed.
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ, her only child.
He came down to earth from heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable,
And His cradle was a stall.
With the poor and meek and lowly
Lived on earth. Our Savior holy.
Saturday - The Joyful Mysteries
Saint Michael, Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And you, Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into Hell Satan and the other evil spirits who prowl the world for the ruin of souls. Amen. – Pope Leo XIII
To thee, O blessed Joseph, do we come in our tribulation, and having implored the help of thy most holy Spouse, we confidently invoke thy patronage also. Through that charity which bound thee to the immaculate Virgin Mother of God and through the paternal love with which thou embraced the Child Jesus, we humbly beg thee to graciously regard the inheritance which Jesus Christ has purchased by his Blood, and with thy power and strength to aid us in our necessities. O most watchful Guardian of the Holy Family, defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ; O most loving father, ward off from us every contagion of error and corrupting influence; O our most mighty protector, be propitious to us and from heaven assist us in our struggle with the power of darkness; and, as once thou rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril, so now protect God’s Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity; shield, too, each one of us by thy constant protection, so that, supported by thy example and thy aid, we may be able to live piously, to die holy, and to obtain eternal happiness in heaven. Amen.
- text taken from The Rosary Devotions for Every Day by Father Mark J Smith, SJ, International Catholic Truth Society, 1924; audio is from Rosary Army