Turn to us, You who sustain Israel,
who sit above the Cherubim,
appear before Ephraim,
stir up your might and come.
Come, Redeem of the nations,
show the birth of the Virgin;
all generations admire it:
such a birth befits God.
Not from the seed of man
but through a mystic breath
God’s word became flesh,
and the fruit of the womb blossomed.
The womb of the Virgin swells,
but purity’s cloister remains intact;
the banners of the virtues are resplendent:
God is in His temple.
Let Him proceed from His chamber,
royal hall of purity,
as a giant of dual nature,
to run his path with alacrity.
His coming from the Father,
his return to the Father;
his passage even to the netherworld,
his return to the place of God.
You who are equal to the eternal Father,
gird up the trophy of the flesh,
strengthening with unfailing virtue
our body’s weakness.
Already your crib shines bright,
and the night spreads a new light
that no darkness can obscure.
and perennial faith shines forth.
St. Ambrose
Witnesses to Hope 