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We take the following Sequence from the ancient Missals of the Churches of Germany.
| Sequence | |
| Nato nobis Salvatore Celebremus cum honore Diem natalitium. | Our Savior is born unto us! Let us solemnly celebrate his Birthday. |
| Nobis datus, nobis natus, Et nobiscum conversatus, Lux et salus gentium. | To us was he given, unto us was he born, and with us has he lived, he the light and salvation of the Gentiles. |
| Eva prius interemit; Sed Salvator nos redemit Carnis suæ merito. | In the beginning Eve caused our death; but Jesus, by the merits of the human nature he assumed, has redeemed us. |
| Prima parens nobis luctum, Sed Maria vitæ fructum Protulit cum gaudio. | Our first mother brought us woe; but Mary joyfully brought forth for us the fruit of life. |
| Negligentes non neglexit, Sed ex alto nos prospexit Pater mittens Filium. | We neglected our heavenly Father, but he did not neglect us; he looked down upon us from heaven, and sent us his only Son. |
| Præsens mundo, sed abconsus De secreto tamquam sponsus Prodiit in publicum. | This Jesus, though in the world, was hidden from the world; but, at length he came forth as a Bridegroom from the nuptial chamber, and made himself known. |
| Gigas velox, gigas fortis, Gigas nostræ victor mortis, Accinctus potentia. | He is the Giant foretold by the Psalmist—swift, and strong, and vanquishing our death, for he was girt with power. |
| Ad currendam venit viam, Complens in se prophetiam Et Legis mysteria. | He came that he might run his course, and so verify the prophecy, and the mysteries of the Law. |
| Jesu, nostra salutaris Medicina, singularis Nostra pax et gloria; | Jesus, thou our saving medicine, our only Peace and glory! |
| Quia servis redimendis Tam decenter condescendis, Te collaudant omnia. Amen. | May all creatures give thee praise, for that thou didst so mercifully condescend to redeem us thy servants! Amen. |
This beautiful canticle in honor of the Infant Jesus is from the pen of St. Ephrem, the sublime bard of the Syrian Church.
| Hymn | |
| Hebræ virgines assuetæ alias Jeremiæ Threnos recantare, pro lugubri suarum Scripturarum carmine, indidem acceptos lætitiæ hymnos hujusmodi refuderunt, Spiritu ipsarum ora movente: | The Hebrew maidens, who heretofore had been wont to chant the Lamentations of Jeremias in the plaintive strain of their Scriptures, now borrowed from the same holy volume joyful thoughts, and, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, sang them thus in hymns: |
| Læta jam nunc oculos ab inferis attollat Eva hunc visura diem, in quo ipsius nepos vitæ auctor descendit extinctam Matris suæ genitricem excitaturus. Adorandus puer caput serpentis contudit, cujus illa olim infecta veneno periit. | ‘Let Eve, in Limbo, now raise up her eyes, and see this day whereon one of her race, and he the author of life, descends to raise up from death the mother of his own dear Mother. The adorable Infant crushed the head of the serpent, by whose poison Eve had perished. |
| A cunis decori Isaac, Sara mater tuam speculabatur infantiam, teque illo adumbratum suo mulcebat cantu; relegensque infantiæ tuæ mysteria in eo puero expressa: Euge, fili, votorum fructus meorum, cantabat; jam nunc video in te, qui latet in te Dominum, omnium piorum vota precesque suscipiens, et ratas efficiens. | ‘Sara, the fair Isaac’s mother, foresaw thine Infancy, O Jesus, in her own son’s crib; the lullaby she sang over him told the mysteries of thy Childhood, which were foreshadowed and prefigured in her own child. Thus did she sing: “Sweet Babe! fruit of my prayers! I see in thee the Lord, who is hidden in thee as in his type: ’tis his receives the wishes and the prayers of pious hearts, and grants them their requests.” |
| Nazaræus Samson juvenis fortissimus tuæ fortitudinis umbra fuit; leonem laceravit, mortis quam concidisti typum; rupisti scilicet mortem, vitamque ex ejus amarissimo ventre exclusisti, cujus usura nobis futura erat jucundissima. | ‘The Nazarite Samson, the youth of exceeding strength, was a figure of thy strength, O Jesus! He tore a lion to pieces, typifying the death thou didst slay, for thou didst crush death, and from its bitter entrails didst draw forth life, whose taste would be most sweet to us. |
| Anna pariter te in Samuele figuratum, suo non semel pectorio oppressit, tum primum, quando tuam præsensit justissimam severitatem ab illo repræsentatam eo die, quo regem Agag in frusta dissectum occidit, expressam diaboli imaginem: tum iterum, quando tuam contemplabatur clementiam ab eodem velut rudiore manu descriptam, eo tempore quo Saulis ruinam piis et veris lacrymis lugere non destitit. | ‘Anna, too, pressed thee to her bosom in the person of Samuel the Prophet, who was twice a figure of thy ministry: firstly when he prefigured thy most just severity on the day when he slew King Agag, the figure of the devil, and cut him to pieces; secondly, by imitating thy mercy, though imperfectly, when he unceasingly shed his tears of loving and sincere compassion over the fall of Saul.’ |
The Menæa of the Greek Church furnish us with these beautiful stanzas in honor of the holy Mother of God.
| Die xvi Januarii | |
| Terra inarata apparuisti, o augustissima, quæ apicam nobis protulisti, univeri nutritorem Dominum Jesum, ex quo nos comedentes, ad vitam revocamur. | O most august Queen! thou wast the untilled land that gavest us our Wheat, Jesus, the Lord and feeder of the universe; by eating this Bread we are restored to life. |
| Deum ex te incarnatum videntes, o Virgo casta, Deiparam te proprie confitemur, quæ omnium reformationis, absque ulla dubitatione, causa fuisti. | Seeing our Lord made incarnate from thee, chaste Virgin! we confess thee to be in very deed the Mother of God, that didst thus become, we hesitate not to proclaim it, the cause of the regeneration of all things. |
| Superessentialis ille, qui carnis erat expers, ex venerandis sanguinibus tuis incarnatus est, o castissima; et caro sine ulla mutatione factus, cum hominibus conversatus est. | He, the Being above all beings, who was a pure spirit, took flesh to himself from thy pure blood, O Spotless Maid! and, remaining God as before, he was made Flesh, and lived among men. |
| Naturæ leges in te, o purissima Virgo, revera inovantur: Virgo quippe post partum manes, velut ante partum, Christum legislatorem enixa. | Nature’s Laws were truly suspended in thee, most pure Virgin! for thou remainest a Virgin after thy delivery, as thou wast before it, for thou didst give birth to Him who is the giver of all laws, Christ. |
| Miserabilis animæ meæ passionibus medere, o Dei Genitrix castissima; mentem tranquilla hostilibus invasionibus velut tempestatibus jactatam, et cor meum pacatum redde, o puella. | Spotless Mother of God! heal the passions of my wretched soul: appease my mind, tossed by the attacks of my enemy as with tempests, and bring, O Virgin, peace unto my heart. |
| Rosam in medio spinarum te vere invenit in hujus mundi convallibus, o casta Virgo, Jesus omnium plantator, atque ex utero tuo natus, nos divinæ cognitionis suavissimo perfudit odore. | Jesus, the divine Husbandman of the world, thound thee, chaste Virgin! in the lowly valley of this earth, growing as a Rose amidst thorns. He entered thy womb, and was born of thee, refresing us with the delicious fragrance of the knowledge of divine things. |
| Te spirituale candelabrum, quæ lucem inaccessibilem suscepisti, agnovimus, o Virgo Maria, quæ omnium fidelium animos illuminasti, et peccati tenebras eliminasti. | O Virgin Mary! we acknowledge thee to be the mystic candlestick, on which was placed the Light inaccessible; thereby, thou hast enlightened the minds of all the faithful, and hast put to flight the darkness of sin. |
| Vocibus gratiarum actione plenis ad te clamamus: Ave, immaterialis, lucis habitaculum purissimum; ave, causa deificationis omnium; ave, maledictionis dissolutio; ave, terrigenarum expulsorum revocatio. | Thus do we cry out to thee in words of thankful love: Hail, most pure dwelling of spiritual Light! Hail, cause of our union with God! Hail, destroyer of the curse! Hail, O thou that didst call from their exile the children of this earth! |
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This text is taken from The Liturgical Year, authored by Dom Prosper Gueranger (1841-1875)