Long time ago in Bethlehem...

Long time ago in Bethlehem,
So the Holy Bible says,
Mary's boy child Jesus Christ
Was born on Christmas Day...

The time to celebrate the birth of one of the greatest of men who walked the Earth has dawned again and today the followers of Jesus Christ the world over will pay homage to Him...

It is true that no historical document gives the exact date in which Mary's boy child, Jesus was born in a little town called Bethlehem.But the story surrounding His birth is not a fictional one . It really did take place.However, as it happened over two thousand years ago no one has documented evidence of the exact date. The Catholic church eventually designated December 25 as the official day to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Prince of Peace...

The nativity or the story of the birth of Jesus is indeed fascinating and many of you, even if you are not a Christian or a Catholic, must be familiar with it by now. Christmas is the celebration of His birth and refreshing our minds with the events leading up to His significant birth is a must on this day because every incident connected with this great event has a special message to those who believe in God.

The birth of Jesus is a fulfilment of the holy scriptures where God promised mankind a redeemer.A woman of purity ,young Mary who was betrothed (promised in marriage) to a humble carpenter by profession , Joseph of Judea was chosen as the one to give birth to Jesus. The Holy Bible records that young Mary was informed by an angel that she was chosen by God to be the mother of a baby whom she was to name Jesus .

Joseph and Mary were both simple and humble people from moderate social backgrounds; not rich or of royal or noble origin .Why was Jesus, the messaiah the whole world awaited, not born into royalty or an elite family in the upper strata of society? It was because He was meant to save the whole of mankind and not just a select few like the rich and famous. If He was born into a royal family or even an elite family, it would have distanced Him from the masses; the poor and the down- trodden people.

And as the story goes, Joseph and his wife Mary who was by now well into the final stages of her pregnancy, had to travel on the back of a donkey for many miles across the desert from to the town of Bethlehem,Judea .They had to make this long, arduous journey because of a census as decreed b y Augustus Caesar, that every man and his family had to return to his place of birth for the census. For Joseph, as a direct descendant of King David, this involved a 110-kilometre (68 mi) trip across rocky terrain from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the place of his birth.

The journey was very tiresome, especially since it was the winter season and the desert was cold at nights. What a start to the great journey the little infant born on this day was going to make in His life!

What did the young couple who traveled all this way finally encounter when they reached their destination? Disappointments and hardship. They could not even find a decent place to rest for the night... Imagine the plight of Joseph who had a young wife about to give birth, on this dark cold night? He must have been devastated but all was working according to God's plan because if they had stayed in an inn the poor shepherds woul not have been able to be the first to know about the birth of the Prince of Peace. So, Joseph and Mary had to find rest in the shelter of a stable offered by an innkeeper who had sympathy for them that night.And Baby Jesus was born surrounded by the warmth of his parents and the animals in the stable. His comfortable cot was none other than the manger or the trough in which the cattle ate..

Everything was symbolic of the message of love and peace that god wanted to spread across the world through the birth of Jesus.

The holy scriptures had finally been fulfilled, and the first to learn of the birth had were the poor humble shepherds. And the shepherds who were alerted to the birth of the much awaited saviour not just by the bright star shining in the sky but also by the angels who said,

"Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men."

Then they soon followed the star to the manger where Baby Jesus lay to adore Baby Jesus , the Prince of Peace born on this day.

It was however not just the poor shepherds who visited the manger to pay homage to the newborn .. Even wise men or the Magi named Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar, who had previously discovered that three planets will align to form a great star to indicate the birth of the King of Jews as predicted .visited Him. This alignment which was believed to be the Star of Bethlehem had appeared before the Magi, after a visit by the angel, Gabriel.

The Magi who journeyed following the star had eventually visited Herod who hailed himself as the King of Jews. Naturally he would have been shaken to hear that another such king had been born .He asked them to journey to the East and pay a visit to the newborn Jesus, and report the location back to him under the pretext that he, too, would like to worship him. The Magi showed up at the stable in and presented Baby Jesus with the well-known gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. However, as King Herod's true intension was not to pay homage to Baby Jesus but to kill Him, the angels warned the Three Wise Men not to return to the King's palce and sent them back home on another route.

When King Herod realised that that the wise men have defied him, in retribution he demands the murder of every boy in Bethlehem up to the age of two. Joseph is warned in a dream of the danger and flees with Mary and the child to Egypt. Eventually Mary and Joseph goes safely back home to Nazareth with Baby Jesus. Here He lived His life in the care and warmth of His family until was time, at the age of 33 years, to fulfil the rest of the scriptures.

His birth symbolised the love of God for mankind and the message of love and peace He preaced throughout His life touched the hearts of million even then and continue to do so even today, over two thousand years after he was crucified in Calvery.

Christmas is....
a time to give,
a time to forgive
a time to love
and a time for peace

The Prince of Peace
was born into this world
for this and this alone,
So on this day
as we celebrate His birth
Let's gift each other
Love and peace !

Spread the spirit of Christmas ...

It's Christmas once more and how rich are you spiritually as you celebrate this holy day today ? Even though it is one of the most significant events in the Christian calendar since it commemorates the birth of Jesus, many get caught up in the commercial hype built around this event and forget the true significance of the day. Yes, it is easy, especially for the younger generation, to be dazzled by the beautiful decorations and coloured lights ,the Christmas tree, the mouth watering and aromatic food and sweetmeats, the expensive gifts and all the trimmings of the festive season..... However, we must not forget to enrich ourselves spiritually on this day by focusing on the message of Christmas.

Baby Jesus came into this world to spread the message of love, peace and goodwill among all mankind.And so, on this beautiful day that we celebrate His birthday, the greatest gift we could give Him is the gift of love...We can give away the valuable gifts Baby Jesus gifted this world by sharing the spirit of Christmas with the lonely, the sick, the down-trodden and the less fortunate people we know. There are many people who are struggling to survive without a morsel of food in the house to feed the little ones crying in hunger and no money to buy their basic needs, pay the rent or the children's school fees. We can do whatever possible to ease their burden. Every little act of kindness goes a long way to put a smile on someone's tear strained face.Christmas is a time to give and give we must generously, both spiritually and materially. We cannot celebrate this wonderful day alone without spreading the spirit of Christmas around.

As children you too can do something special today to give away the gifts of love, joy and peace to all those who are in need of it.Be of good cheer and spirit today for we are all truly blessed on this day.

Wish you a blessed and joyful Christmas

Miru