With every passing day, the Church reveals the richness of Her prayer. The collects take on such a joy and beauty as She prepares for the birth of Her Savior, and Her anticipation can be felt. While She does not yet enter into the full glory of that holy night, She is hastening to prepare the place for the Lord.

 As we draw nearer to that night, today’s prayer addresses God simply as “Majesty,” recognizing His royalty. It looks again to the Queen, Mary, now seen as the New Ark of the Covenant, the dwelling place of the Most High. We also have a glimpse of the heavenly ministers, the angels, whose role in the Nativity of Christ is ubiquitous. They are not yet singing the glory of God or radiating heavenly light, but they are humbly, quietly, and lovingly preparing to do so.

 The whole of the royal court is on display here, and, as the O Antiphon suggests, it is because the gates of heaven are about to be opened again for the first time since they were closed in the Garden of Eden. The Son of God, incarnate in the womb of Mary, is the very Key Who will open those gates and lead His own to the kingly chamber of the Father.

The joyous (and perhaps frightening) tension is palpable! The King is about to make His presence known, and there is much to get ready: the whole of the Church and the whole of our hearts must be prepared, even by Mary and the heavenly host of angels, to celebrate anew the Nativity of Christ and the opening of the gates to the Kingdom of God. Christmas is only five days away—are you preparing right well?

Reflection Questions

• Have I made a good confession in preparation for Christmas?
• Do I have recourse to the angels as I prepare to meet Christ? Or do I forget that they are there at all?
• Every appearance of God requires change in our hearts and on our parts. Am I prepared to come to Christ at Christmas and “in humility hold fast to His will,” or do I pridefully want to hold to my own will?
• Do I recognize the true majesty and splendor of the coming feast, the true reality of which is only glimpsed by the many lights and decorations of the season?

The Cristeros Rule of Life

As Cristeros, we dedicate ourselves to a a life of true devotion to Jesus through Mary, particularly in the form of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pray for Us.

We begin our days with a Morning Offering dedicating our day:

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the remission of my sins, for the intentions of my family and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.

At a high or low point during the day, we pray to the Holy Spirit, handing over our accomplishments or sufferings:

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle in us the fire of thy love, send forth thy spirit and we shall be created, and though shall renew the face of the earth. Amen.

At some point each day, on our own or with our family or friends, we pray to our Mother Mary in the form of Guadalupe, giving all that we have and are to Jesus through Mary by reciting one of the following:

• A daily Rosary, focusing on the Fruits of the Mystery.
• The Hail Holy Queen

Every night before we go to sleep, by ourselves or with our wife, we pray a nightly examine using the ACTS formula:

• Adoration: We adore you and Christ and we bless You, because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
• Contrition: Ask God for forgiveness for all the times you have sinned or fallen short that day,
• Thanksgiving: Thank God for all the gifts he has given you that day, including the grace for those moments you have acted virtuously and towards the Good.
• Supplication: We ask God for his blessings that night and the next day, either with particular requests or in general, and end with a prayer dedicating ourselves to Him through Our Lady of Guadalupe: All that we have and all that we are, we give to your hands Jesus, through the heart of Mary, your blessed mother. Amen. Our Lady of Gudalupe, Pray For us.