Wood of the Cradle, Wood of the Cross: The Little Way of the Infant Jesus

by Caryll Houselander

How, even as an infant, Jesus suffered for learn the neglected and misunderstood lessons of His cradle. God could have come into the world as an adult, but He chose instead to be born as a baby to teach you key lessons about who He is and what He calls you to be - lessons that most Christians miss. No longer. In these eye-opening pages, Caryll Houselander reveals the powerful spiritual implications of one startling in the manger, even as angels guarded and shepherds sought Him, the baby Jesus was already suffering for your sins. For your sake, our majestic God became a helpless infant at the mercy of His creatures. At the beginning of His life on earth, the God who raised the canopy of the heavens let Himself be raised off the cold ground by the humble wood of His cradle. With stunning and splendid humility, He was bound by gravity to that cradle just as firmly as He later would be bound by nails to the wood of His Cross - which again raised Him above the stony ground, once more at the mercy of those He created. In these facts, Caryll Houselander discovers a wealth of spiritual insights that give dramatic new meaning to Jesus' admonition that you must "become like a little child." With brilliant simplicity and holy warmth, she shows that in order to do so - and in order to know and love Jesus truly - you must transcend the cute baby Jesus of the sentimental hymns and come to see the Infant as He really our God of suffering and majesty, who even in the cradle shows you the straight path to the little way of the infant Jesus.

Genres: Catholic, Christmas

166 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1995

About the author

Caryll Houselander (1901-1954) was a British Roman Catholic laywoman; a mystic, writer, artist, visionary and healer. Born in London in 1901, Caryll was the second of two daughters born to Willmott and Gertrude (nee Provis) Houselander. Her first book, This War is the Passion. written during World War II, launched her prolific writing career. Houselander's talents included painting and many woodcarvings.

Caryll's "divinely eccentric" life was principally a devotion to contemplating Christ in all and men and women and in all life circumstances. Maisie Ward (a friend of Caryll and author of her principal biography, Caryll Houselander: That Divine Eccentric (Sheed & Ward, 1962), states, "Her message can be summed in a single sentence; we must learn to see Christ in everyone." Msgr. Ronald Knox was quoted as saying about Caryll's writing style, " . . . she seemed to see everything for the first time and the driest of doctrinal considerations shone out like a restored picture when she finished it."

Though she remained a single woman throughout her life, Caryll was engaged for a time to Sidney Reilly, who was the model for Ian Fleming's character, "James Bond."

Caryll Houselander has been described as being a mystic in the tradition of Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Siena, and Teresa of Avila. She is best known for her works such as The Reed of God.

Caryll died of cancer on October 12th, 1954. Her bibliography consists of more than seven hundred written works including poems, short stories and articles, articles for juvenile publications and children's books (for some of these she did artwork for as well), articles for various Catholic publications, and, of course, her own books.

Reviews

[booklady]

The former title of this book was The Passion of the Infant Christ (1949) and this is a reissue by Sophia Institute Press, which even so is almost 30 years old and out of print.

A devoted fan of Ms. Houselander, The Passion of the Infant Christ has been on my 'to-read' shelf since I first discovered her over 10 years ago. I ordered this at a recommendation that it was 'a good Advent read' not dreaming it was also the other book.

It consists of ten chapters, each a mini meditation. Ordering it so late, I was concerned the book would not serve for this year but beginning on the 12th, I planned to read approximately one chapter/meditation each day until Christmas. All was going well until, with Christmas preparations, I put the book somewhere and I have not been able to find it since. 😩 I took that as a sign to save this for next Advent. Hopefully I will find it by then! 🙄

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The beauty of Christ’s humility shines forth in the writing of Caryll Houselander in her unique and profound way in this classic book. Every time I read this gem, I am enlightened by another spiritual reality that shines forth from her own deep and profound relationship with God. The last chapter on the Eucharist, which she calls “The Host-life”, gave me much to contemplate. It is absolutely beautiful.

[Lauren Scharmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I’ve ever read.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed on December 11, 2011:

For years, a Jesuit priest whom I know quite well has praised the writing of Caryll Houselander (1901-1954). One of my friends really loves her works, too. But I've never picked up any of her books until now--she just stayed on my mental "to-read" list for a few years.

Yesterday afternoon, I went to SLU's main library and checked out a volume that seemed appropriate for the liturgical season, Wood of the Cradle, Wood of the Cross. I'm not quite halfway through the slim, crimson book with gold lettering, but I can already say that I'm smitten by Caryll's sacramental imagination, and the language with which she expresses it. It's evident that she's a mystic through-and-through, but of the "relate-able" sort, not the esoteric, off-putting kind. :)

She seems cut from the same cloth as another favorite writer of mine, Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J., who was, like Caryll, an English convert to Roman Catholicism. What he does in poetic sprung rhythm, she does in prose. Each is able to express in his or her own language the conviction that the natural world is rife with signs of God's abiding presence, and that Christ "plays in ten thousand places" through the countless faces of men and women who give Him their hands, their ears, their eyes, and their voices. In fact, Houselander even borrows Hopkins' notion of "inscape," which she defines as "the pattern of the universe within a little thing." Simply beautiful.

A few excerpts:

"...our human relationships with one another are a giving of Christ to one another, and a receiving of Christ from one another.

Christ gave us His life by means of His body. He is the Word of God, the word telling God's love. As means, he used--and uses--His body.

It was by the helplessness of His infant body that Christ first won human love, by His necessities that He bound His first lovers to Him.

...Since Christ has given Himself to us, our lives have the redemptive quality of His, and our relationships with one another are a communion in Him. They are a meeting and one-ing of Christ with Christ, an impact of unimaginable love, the never ceasing generation and increase of eternal love on earth, the fulfillment of Christ's words 'I came that they should have life and have it more abundantly.'

We live our Christ-life, offer our Christ to God, and give Christ to one another by the means that Christ used on earth: by natural means. We give Him with our hands and eyes and ears, with the words we speak, the journeys we make, by our human friendships and human loves."

"The old traditional fairy story is the story of God and the world: the King's Son who comes dressed as a beggar to win a poor girl for his bride, putting off His crown and His royal robes and coming empty handed, in order that she may receive Him without fear and may love Him for Himself alone. God does not force His secrets upon us; He does not force His love upon us."

I could easily quote Caryll's entire book, but I won't. Consider picking up a copy for yourself, Wood of the Cradle, Wood of the Cross: The Little Way of the Infant Jesus, published by Sophia Institute Press (Manchester, NH: 1995).

[John Doyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caryll Houselander’s book, “Wood of the Cradle, Wood of the Cross: The Little Way of the Infant Jesus”, offers profound spiritual truths packaged in accessible prosaic language. Always on the lookout for short devotional reflections to post to social media, I found this short book packed with worthy and useful insights. At times Houselander’s writing touches on the mystical and at times it descends to the ordinary everyday life of the kitchen or garden; in fact, holiness within the framework presented here is none other than allowing Jesus to live and grow in the Christian through self-surrender and trust throughout life. Definitely, a book for anyone who wishes to grow closer to the Lord in an evangelical spirit of childlike simplicity!

[Dayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly beautiful and insightful book