In the days when Israel was ruled by the Romans, the Jews were waiting for the coming of the Messiah whom God had promised to send them.
In the Temple in Jerusalem, there was an old and holy priest called Zechariah. He and his wife Elizabeth had no children. They had prayed for a baby for years and years; but now they were too old.
One day when Zechariah was offering incense in the Temple, an angel appeared to him.
"Do not be afraid, Zechariah," the angel said. "I have come to bring you a joyful message. You and Elizabeth are to have a son. He is to be called John. He will prepare the way for the Messiah."
But Zechariah said, "Give me some sign that you are telling the truth. Elizabeth and I are too old to have a child."
The angel said, "My name is Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God and this is the sign I will give you: you will not be able to speak until after your son is born."
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Six months later, Gabriel was sent by God to Nazareth, a little town in Galilee. A girl called Mary lived there; she was going to marry a carpenter called Joseph.
Gabriel came into her house and said, "Hail, full of grace. The Lord is with you." Mary was very puzzled; she did not understand what the angel meant. Gabriel said, "Do not be afraid, Mary. You have found favor with God. You are to have a Son and He is to be called Jesus. The Lord God will make Him a great King and His Kingdom will have no end." Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no husband?" The angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the Child to be born will be the Son of God. Your cousin Elizabeth is going to have a son, too." Mary answered, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord."
Mary went right away to her cousin Elizabeth. As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, her baby leaped in her womb. She said to Mary, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb."
Mary said, "My soul speaks the greatness of God, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, because He has looked upon His lowly handmaid.
All will call me blessed, for the Almighty has done great things to me."
Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months, then went back home.
There is a very beautiful Psalm that tells how the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, was destined by God to be the image of the Church as Bride of Christ, the Messiah-King.
Ps 44
My heart overflows with a noble theme,
as I address my poem to the King.
The first part refers to the Messiah-King:
You are more handsome than the sons of men,
grace is on Your lips,
for God has blessed You forever.
In You glory and majesty ride forth,
because of truth, humility, and virtue.
Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
You love virtue and hate evil.
At Your right hand stands the queen in gold.
The rest of the Psalm refers to the Bride:
Listen, O daughter, and lend your ear.
Forget your own people, and your father's house;
the King will fall in love with your beauty.
Because He is your Lord, worship Him.
The princess is all beautiful within;
her clothing is woven with gold.
She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors.
Those who follow her will be brought to You;
with gladness and joy they will enter the King's palace.
I will make your name to be remembered in all nations,
so the people will praise you forever and ever.
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When Joseph saw that Mary was going to have a baby, he thought he should not marry her, because he was not the father of her baby. But an angel came to him in a dream, and said, "Joseph, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, for her Baby is from the Holy Spirit. She will have a Son, and you will call Him Jesus" - which means "God saves" in Hebrew - "for He will save His people from their sins."
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When Elizabeth's son was born, her neighbors thought he should be named Zechariah after his father. "No," said Elizabeth, "John is his name." "But no one in your family is called John," they said. Zechariah still could not speak, but he wrote, "His name is John." As soon as he had written it, he could speak again.
Everyone was astonished, and wondered what sort of man this baby would grow up to be.
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The Roman Emperor wanted to know how many people there were in his empire.
Everyone had to go to the town his family came from to be counted. Mary and Joseph were descended from David. Bethlehem was David's city, so they had to go there to be counted.
When they came to Bethlehem, there was no room left at the inn. The only place they could find for the night was a stable. Mary's Son was born there. She wrapped Him in bands of linen, called swaddling clothes; then she laid Him in the manger.
In the fields outside Bethlehem, there were shepherds who took turns looking after their sheep at night. A bright shining angel appeared to them and said, "Do not be afraid! I bring you joyful news. Christ the Savior is born in the city of David. You will find Him wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." Suddenly there were crowds of angels everywhere, all praising God and saying, "Glory to God in high heaven, peace on earth to men of good will."
When the angels had gone, the shepherds said to each other, "Let us go to Bethlehem and see this Baby!" They hurried to the town and found the Baby with Mary and Joseph. Afterward, they went home and told everyone the wonderful news. Mary kept all these things, thinking of them in her heart.
+ + + THE VISIT OF THE MAGI + + +
After Jesus had been born in Bethlehem, some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east. They asked, "Where is the infant King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him." Herod, the King, was very perturbed when he heard this, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. Herod found out from the chief priests that the prophet Micah had prophesied that Bethlehem would be where the great King, the Messiah, would be born. "Go and find out all about the Child," he said to the wise men. "Then come and tell me where you found Him, so I can worship Him also."
The wise men saw their great star again on the way to Bethlehem. There they found the Baby with His mother. They worshipped Him and gave Him treasures: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Afterward, God warned them not to go back to King Herod, so they went home another way.
When the wise men did not come back to Herod, he was furious. He had all the baby boys under two years old in Bethlehem and its surrounding district killed. But an angel had been sent to warn Joseph in a dream. "Take the Child and His mother to Egypt," the angel said. "Herod means to kill Him."
Joseph got up at once and they started for Egypt before day.
They stayed there until the angel came again and told Joseph Herod was dead, so it was safe to go back.
Joseph took Mary and Jesus home to Nazareth.
They lived there until Jesus was grown up.
+ + + JESUS IN THE TEMPLE + + +
All parents had to bring their first boy baby to the Temple to dedicate him to God by offering a sacrifice. Before they went to Egypt, Mary and Joseph had done this. They brought Jesus to the Temple and offered two doves for a sacrifice.
There was at that time in Jerusalem a holy old man called Simeon. The Holy Spirit had promised him he would see the Messiah before he died. When the parents brought the child Jesus to the Temple, old Simeon took Jesus into his arms. "Now, Lord, let me go in peace, as You promised," he said. "For I have seen the Savior Who is a light to all people, and the glory of Israel."
Simeon blessed Mary and Joseph and said to Mary, "There will be those who reject this Child, and a sword will pierce your own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be known."
There was an old, old woman called Anna, too, who recognized Jesus and talked of Him for the rest of her life.
When Jesus was twelve, Mary and Joseph took Him to Jerusalem for the Passover feast.
On the way home with a crowd of friends and relations, they found He was missing. They hurried back to Jerusalem and searched for Him.
On the third day, they found Him in the Temple. He was talking to the priests and amazing them by His wisdom. Mary said, "Son, why have You done this? We have been so worried!" "Didn't you know," said Jesus, "that I must do my Father's work?" But they did not understand what He meant by this.
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