I UNDERSTAND... THE CHRISTMAS STAR The Magi followed a star to find Jesus . Some astronomers say that it might have been a comet or a conjunction of planets . Whatever it was, the Magi believed a new king of Israel had been born . The eastern lands they came from had many Jews living there at one time . Perhaps the Magi had heard about the promised Messiah . 122 GOD KEPT HIS PROMISE God kept his promise to Israel: he sent the Messiah, the Savior of his people and of all mankind. This King was not to be like David or Solomon. He was not born in a palace or even in an ordinary house, but in a stable. Yet his humble birth was accompanied by extraordinary events that revealed God’s presence had come into the world in a new way. THE GOSPELS The New Testament, the second part of the Christian Bible, opens with the birth of Jesus. It begins with the four Gospels, named for their authors, which tell the story of the life of Jesus: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The word “Gospel” comes from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning “Good News.” The authors recorded Jesus’ important words and the great moments of his life so that, after they were dead and gone, future generations could come to know Jesus, too. Each Gospel speaks of Jesus and his message in its own way. STRANGE GIFTS! The Magi were wise men who studied the stars. They brought Jesus strange gifts for a newborn baby: gold, incense, and myrrh. Incense, which produces a fragrant smoke when burned, was used in worship throughout the ancient world and is still used in Catholic churches today. Myrrh, also aromatic, was used both as medicine and to prepare the dead for burial. To Christians, these gifts reveal Jesus’ true identity: he is offered the gold of a king, the incense of a god, and the myrrh of mortal man, for, like us, he would suffer and die. THE MANGER A manger holds food for livestock. Mary laid the newborn Jesus in a manger, for there was no room for them in the inn. The French word for manger is crèche, which is the name sometimes given to a Nativity scene with all its little figurines. Saint Francis of Assisi created the first Nativity scene in 1223, with real people and animals. THE BIRTH OF JESUS
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