L
ong time ago in Nazareth, there lived an ordinary young woman named Mary. Mary was engaged to be married to Joseph, a Jewish carpenter. She lived an ordinary life until one day, Angel Gabriel appeared before her and told her that she had been chosen to carry the Son of God and that she should name the baby Jesus. Being a virgin, she was at first afraid of the social consequences of her pregnancy, but she eventually agreed to obey the will of God.
After Mary and Joseph’s marriage, they traveled toBethlehemwhere Mary was to give birth to the baby. They tried knocking on doors to ask for a place to spend the night but they were declined. Finally, an innkeeper agreed to let them stay in his stable where he keeps his animals. That night, Jesus was born.
In the fields not far away from the manger, an angel appeared before a group of shepherds and announced the good news to them. He told them that the Son of God has been born and that they can find Him in a manger wrapped in a piece of cloth.
The shepherds then went to find Jesus and when they found Him, they were filled with joy. They worshipped the baby and went out to spread the good news to everyone: that Jesus has been born and He is going to be the Savior of the World.
At the same time on the other side of the world, three wise men beheld a very bright star in the sky. They understood the sign and decided to tell King Herod about it. King Herod was threatened when he found out about Jesus. He feared that his crown might be taken away from him. He told the wise men to report to him once they found the Holy Child, because he too wanted to praise Him. The truth was, he was planning to kill the baby.
The wise men followed the bright star which eventually brought them to the manger inBethlehem. They were very happy to find Jesus who was sleeping peacefully in His mother’s arms. They gave Jesus gifts of gold, myrrh and frankincense.
That night in their sleep, the three wise men had a similar dream where an angel warned them not to tell King Herod of Jesus’ location because he was planning to have the child killed. They went back to their country without seeing the King.
In a dream, an angel told Joseph to take Mary and Jesus toEgyptto protect them from the evil plans of King Herod. Unable to find Jesus, the King ordered that all baby boys inBethlehembe killed but it was too late for King Herod as Jesus and Mary have already fled toEgypt.
