Introductory Prayer: Lord, you became man out of love for us. Mary contemplated such immense love on your part, and her heart was moved to an ever-increasing return of love toward you. When we know your infinite love, we are moved to love you more, and we desire to please you with all our thoughts, words and actions. Help us to contemplate your love and to strengthen our resolve to love you more each day.

Petition: Enable me to contemplate the humility and love of your Incarnation and let the knowledge of your goodness increase my humility and inflame my heart with love for you.

Gospel: Lk 2:16-21

The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them. When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

1.  The Goodness of the Father.

Contemplate the scene of these humble shepherds who one evening find themselves surrounded by light and a vision of angels singing and announcing glad tidings of the birth of a King. Imagine their joy as they hastened toward the manger in obedience to the angels command. Now, reflect upon the Father in heaven who, in addition to sending his son to be born for us with such love also reveals his plans to the meek and humble of heart. Goodness himself spreads goodness toward those who will accept it, to the lowly and good of heart. Let this scene move us to become lowly and humble in our thoughts, like the Blessed Mother herself. Let our hearts be moved to rejoice in the goodness and generosity of the Lord.

2.  Faith, Humility, Obedience, Peace, Joy

The shepherds believed what the angels said. They were men of faith, believing in the spiritual realm and in celestial beings greater than themselves. Their faith leads them to true humility. God is greater than they are, they recognize their own smallness and they can accept and rejoice in the goodness of the Father who cares for them with such kindness. And so they accept his messengers, they obey him, and they are able to receive the gift, the Savior God is sending. Their obedient humility leads them to the joy of encountering Christ, it leads them unerringly to where Christ is. Let us take a moment to reflect on our faith, on our willingness to do Gods will, and on what may be keeping his joy from entering into my life.

3.  Imitating the Meek and Humber Heart of the Lord.

In his letter to the Philippians St. Paul invites us to have the same attitude as Christ Jesus: Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself Jesus freely chose to humble himself and become a man for love of us and for our salvation. Humility is always freely chosen or accepted, it is always a result of free will. We can be humiliated from the outside, but that does not make us humble. Humility comes about only when freely and out of love choose we accept our status as a creation of God, created by him out of love, with many limitations and much weakness but loved nonetheless. In his incarnation Jesus freely chooses humility as a means for our salvation. He invites us in freedom to do the same: Learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart (Matthew 11:29).

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, you know how little I resemble you in meekness and humility of heart. You know how I resist serving and obeying and seeking your will above my own. You know how often I assume I will become virtuous without an interior effort to conquer myself and practice humility. Enable me, Lord, sincerely to pray for the strength to be humble. Enable me to correspond to your grace. Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like yours.

Questionnaire:  This optional questionnaire is intended to help you to examine your life in light of the inspirations God just gave you in these moments you spent with him in prayer.

1. How effective is my effort to contemplate the humility of those in the birth narrative of the Gospels (The Blessed Mother, Joseph, the shepherds, the wise men)? What could I do to come to understand their humility more deeply in my prayer and to allow this contemplation to change my life? In what ways could I imitate them?

2. What images from the Gospel speak to me of the meekness and humility of Christ? How does the harshness and poverty of Christ during his birth express humility? In what ways could I embrace the cross of my duty today?

3. How I can practice humility and meekness in my life? How do perseverance and fortitude play a role in practicing humility?