24. O Clavis David. (Advent Meditations)
by VP
Posted on Tuesday December 20, 2022 at 12:00AM in Advent Sermons
"O Key of David, and Scepter of the house of Israel ; Who openest and no man shutteth, and shuttest and no man openeth ; come and deliver from the prison-house the captive who sits in darkness and in the shadow of death"
1. The key and the scepter are the symbols of supreme authority ; they indicate the sway that the Savior is to hold over His faithful people, and the right which He alone possesses of opening the gate of heaven to the children of men, and of extending to them the golden scepter of His mercy and forgiving love. To me, O Key of David, unworthy though I am, open in Thy mercy the door of heaven ; stretch out to me,all undeserving, the scepter of Thy favor and Thy love.
2. Thou shuttest, O Lord, and no man opens. O shut not upon me the door which will admit me to draw nigh to Thee! Shut not upon me the door of Thy mercy and grace. Shut not the door which leads me into the inner sanctuary of Thy love. Shut not the door of that fold wherein Thy favorite children dwell in peace and happiness. Shut not, above all, the door of paradise at my last hour.
3. Come then, O Lord, and open to me now the door of my captivity. I am a captive to my own self-will ; a captive to my want of charity ; a captive to my vanity and love of display; a captive to my self-indulgence and dislike of mortification ; a captive to a thousand faults of which I am scarcely conscious. Come, O Lord, and set the captive free. I am weak, and cannot break my chains unless I receive from Thee the necessary strength ; come, O Lord Jesus, come quickly. "
Meditations for Advent . By Rev. Richard F. Clarke S.J. The Catholic Truth Society, London 1891
Saint Andrew Christmas Novena:
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment In which the Son of God was born Of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, [here mention your request] through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen. (15 times)
Prayer to the Holy Infant for priestsJesus, Divine Infant, I bless and thank Thy most loving Heart for the institution of the priesthood. Priests are sent by Thee as Thou were sent by the Father. To them Thou entrusted the treasures of Thy doctrine, of Thy Law, of Thy Grace, and souls themselves.
Grant me the grace to love them, to listen to them, and to let myself be guided by them in Thy ways. Jesus, send good laborers into Thy harvest. May priests be the salt that purifies and preserves; may they be the light of the world; may they be the city placed on the mountain. May they all be formed after Thy own Heart. And in heaven may they be surrounded by a joyous throng of those they shepherded on earth. Amen.
Glory Be (three times).
Infant Jesus, make me love Thee more and more
