Night is falling. Joseph pushes open a stable door. Mary gets down off the donkey and smiles. “We’ll be fine here, Joseph, far from the noise of the crowd. The ox and the donkey surely won’t mind making a little room for us!” Joseph and Mary unload their bags and settle into the fresh hay. It is almost midnight. Mary’s baby is born. She wraps him in swaddling clothes and lays him in the hay in the animals’ manger. Joseph does not know what to do or say. He grips his walking-stick and prays for the infant and his mother. He sings praises to God for this baby whom God has entrusted to him and promises to look after him always. Not far from there, outside Bethlehem, shepherds are in the fields, watching over their flocks through the night. Suddenly, an angel appears to them, saying, “Do not be afraid! I come to announce to you the good news of great joy for all people! This night a Savior has been born for you. 76
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