| Parish Web Site | Home | Parish | Album | Bulletins | Events | Masses | Opportunities | Staff | Index |
St. Margaret of Scotland Parish
One of my favorite customs during the Advent Season is the telling of the Christmas story.
Listen, children, as I tell you the story about something very important that happened over 2000 years ago during the reign of King Herod.
The prophets had told of the coming of a Savior for many, many years. Now, in the land of Judah, it was time for the Savior's earthly life to begin.
Mary, a very young woman of Nazareth, was engaged to be married to man named Joseph. Joseph, son of David, was a carpenter. Joseph was a charitable and loving man.
The angel Gabriel came to Mary's home and said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” At first Mary was troubled, but Gabriel told her “Fear not, Mary, for you are blessed among women.” He told her that she would give birth to a son, named Jesus, to whom the Lord God will give the throne of David and who will be a great king and shall reign forever.
Mary was puzzled and asked how that could be. She was a young, unmarried girl. The angel replied, “Nothing is impossible for God. The power of the Holy Spirit will come upon you and cause the child to be born; therefore, he shall be called the Son of God.” Mary bowed her head in humility and said “I live to serve the Lord. Let it be as you have told me.”
The Annunciation was the greatest news ever brought from Heaven to Earth.
When the angel had departed, Mary went quickly into the hill country to visit her cousin Elizabeth.
For many years Elizabeth had grieved because she had no children. She and her husband, Zachary, had recently been astonished to learn that she was having a baby, even though Elizabeth was very old.
Mary came to the door of her cousin's house and called out to her. At the sound of Mary's voice, Elizabeth felt a great stirring of the life within her and immediately understood all that had happened. With a loud cry, she ran to Mary saying, “Blessed are you among women! And blessed am I, for today I am visited by the mother of my God!”
The two women hugged. Elizabeth told Mary, “I was sure of it as soon as you spoke and my unborn babe leapt for joy. This child of mine is a blessing indeed; but it is yours who will be the Lord and Savior of us all.”
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for a few months. Elizabeth and Zachary's baby was John the Baptist. Mary then returned to her own home.
When Mary came to live with her promised husband, Joseph, she was already with child. Not knowing that her baby came from God, Joseph was troubled and decided that he should send her away. He planned to this quietly, for he was a kind person and he did not wish to shame her.
That night, the angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream and told him not to hesitate to marry this young woman for she carries the Son of God who is coming to save people from their sins.
Hearing this, Joseph took Mary as his wife and cared for her with great tenderness.
Caesar Augustus, the Roman emperor, had decreed that all people should be taxed and that each should go to his own city to be registered in the census. So, Joseph had to return to Bethlehem. Mary, who was heavy with child, went with him.
It was a long, hard journey. They didn't have cars or airplanes back then and traveling was very difficult. When, finally, they arrived in Bethlehem, it was very crowded. They found that there was no room for them at the inn. Where could they stay?
Mary was so tired. When she realized that her time had come and that the baby would be born that very night, they went into the stable of the inn where there was straw to rest upon and the warmth of the farm animals around them. There in the stable, Mary gave birth to her child. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger.
There were shepherds out in the fields watching their flocks by night. An angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds and the glory of the Lord shined around them. The shepherds were afraid, but the angel told them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy for all people. The Savior has been born.” The angel told them that they would find him wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.
Suddenly the sky was filled with angels singing, “Glory to God in the highest; peace on earth to all people of good will.”
When the angels had gone away into heaven, the shepherds looked at one another in astonishment. They and their people had been waiting for a very, very long time for the arrival of a mighty prince. Could he have come to them this day here in their own village to live among the plain folks like themselves? They decided go over to Bethlehem to find out.
They hurried to the nearby town. There they found Joseph and Mary in the stable and they saw the newborn baby in the manger. “It is the holy child of God!” they whispered to one another. Then they told Mary and Joseph how the angel had come to them in the fields to tell them about the birth of the Savior.
As the new day dawned, the shepherds went about the town, telling everyone the news that Christ the King was born. Mary kept all that had happened quietly in her heart and pondered it.
Soon afterward the Magi, wise men from the east, saw a bright star. They came to Jerusalem to ask King Herod where they could find the child who was born King of the Jews. They wanted to worship him. Herod was filled with jealousy and fear. One prophet has said to look for the child in Bethlehem. King Herod told the Magi to let him know if they find the child. King Herod had a plan.
The Magi took the road south out of Jerusalem. To their great joy, the star that they had seen earlier went on before them until it came to rest over the place where Jesus was. Dressed in their fine boots, jewels, and cloaks of silk, the Magi stepped down from their camels into the yard and entered the stable where they saw Mary with her son. They knelt before the baby and worshiped him. They gave him the rich treasures that they had brought for him--gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Before the Magi left Bethlehem, they were warned in a dream not to tell Herod that they had found the child. So, they returned to their homes by another route, without going into Jerusalem.
We celebrate the visit of the Magi on January 6.
On the eighth day, Jesus was circumcised according to the Law of Moses. He was also given his name, Jesus. Jesus means Savior.
A few weeks later, Mary and Joseph traveled to the Holy City of Jerusalem for the ceremony of purification which is required by the Jews 40 days after the birth of a male child.
An old man named Simeon lived in Jerusalem. He was very wise and much beloved by God for his holiness. The Lord had told Simeon that he would not die until he had seen his Savior with his own eyes.
As soon as Mary and Joseph entered the Temple to offer the praises and sacrifices that were proper for a firstborn son, Simeon strode through the crowd directly to them and reached out and took the baby into his arms. He cried, “Thanks be to God! It has happened at last! Now, Lord, let your servant depart in peace; for I have seen Israel's salvation; I have looked upon the child who shall be a light to all nations!”
We celebrate the Presentation in the Temple on February 2.
Mary and Joseph were filled with wonder at all this, but they went back quietly to Bethlehem. In the meantime, King Herod was growing more and more furious because the wise men had tricked him. Herod ordered his soldiers to go to Bethlehem. Since they didn't know which child was the newborn king, he ordered the soldiers to kill every male child born in the past two years. The soldiers obeyed him and there was terrible shedding of innocent blood. Everywhere mothers were crying for their babies.
But the angel of the Lord had warned Joseph in a dream and he had wakened Mary in time to escape. Quickly they took the baby Jesus and fled with him by night to the land of Egypt, which was far, far away. After the death of Herod, Mary and Joseph returned to Nazareth, where they lived for many years.