Produced by Karina Aleksandrova, JoAnn Greenwood, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries) ORTUS CHRISTI Works by the same Author: SPONSA CHRISTI Meditations on the Religious Life. PASSIO CHRISTI Meditations for Lent. MATER CHRISTI Meditations on Our Lady. DONA CHRISTI Meditations for Ascension-tide, Whitsun-tide and Corpus Christi. LONGMANS, GREEN & CO. London, New York, Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras. ORTUS CHRISTI _Meditations for Advent_ BY MOTHER ST. PAUL RELIGIOUS OF THE RETREAT OF THE SACRED HEART HOUSE OF RETREATS--BIRMINGHAM AUTHOR OF "SPONSA CHRISTI," "PASSIO CHRISTI," "MATER CHRISTI," "DONA CHRISTI," ETC. PREFACE BY REV. JOSEPH RICKABY. S.J. "_Ambulabunt gentes in lumine tuo et reges in splendore ortus tui._" (Is. lx. 3). LONGMANS, GREEN AND CO. 39 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON, E.C. 4 FOURTH AVENUE AND 30TH STREET, NEW YORK BOMBAY, CALCUTTA AND MADRAS 1921 Nihil obstat JOSEPHUS RICKABY S. J. Censor deputatus. Imprimatur [+] EDUARDUS ILSLEY Administrator Apostolicus. Die 19 Aprilis 1921. PREFACE. Reading these Meditations we discover with surprise how much spiritual food is obtainable from a study of the lessons and liturgy of Advent. Mother St. Paul is always a heart-searcher. She presses self-reform upon souls, who to the eye of outward observers and perhaps in their own conceit, have little or nothing to amend. We must always be following Christ, and Christ is ever moving forward. Deliberately to stand still is to widen the distance between ourselves and Him, an ungenerous, not to say a dangerous thing to do. What are called here Meditations may well be taken for daily spiritual reading in preparation for Christmas. Advent after all is a season of joy, and these Meditations must be taken in a joyful spirit. Courage and enthusiasm in the cause of Christ is the supreme need of all Catholics who really _love His coming_. (2 Tim. IV. 8) JOSEPH RICKABY, S. J. St. Beuno's College. NOTE. Although there are twenty-eight Meditations given in this book they will not all be needed every year, for the length of Advent varies between twenty-two and twenty-eight days. The Third Sunday of Advent _may_ fall as late as December 17th (the first day of the "Great O's") and the Fourth Sunday of Advent be Christmas Eve. The plan suggested, which will suit all years, is to use No. 1 on Advent Sunday and the rest according to choice till December 17th; from then to December 24th Nos. 21-28 should be used. CONTENTS. PAGE 1. Ortus Christi (_Advent I_) 1