The Last Word

It was my first morning in Israel, when Dr. James Martin was teaching us quietly beneath the trees on the Temple Mount, when I first heard him say something along … Continue reading The Last Word

Day 25- The Significance Of “70”: The Boy Jesus In the Temple

Where’s Jesus? One baffled frown mirrored in the face of another.  A skip of the heart.  A tremor of terror. I thought he was with you. The caravans of pilgrims … Continue reading Day 25- The Significance Of “70”: The Boy Jesus In the Temple

Day 24- “Out of Egypt I Call My Son”: A Priestly Line in Egypt

In the sands six miles north of Cairo, Egypt Hebrew inscriptions can be found among the ruins of an ancient city.  Jewish burial catacombs snake under the dunes.  This is Tell … Continue reading Day 24- “Out of Egypt I Call My Son”: A Priestly Line in Egypt

Day 22- Two Dreams and a Midnight Flight

“Get up.” Moments earlier, there was the blackness of midnight, the stillness of village slumber. Then, sleep was riven by light and alarm. Joseph was no ordinary man. He was … Continue reading Day 22- Two Dreams and a Midnight Flight

Day 17- Baby’s First Trip to the Temple

Crowds filled the streets as the young couple made their way toward the base of the temple complex.  The woman had given birth forty days before and the time for her ritual purification … Continue reading Day 17- Baby’s First Trip to the Temple

Day 16- A Divine Birth Announcement

They were the dregs of society pulling the night shift in a despised vocation. How unexpected, how illogical, how revolutionary it was that The Holy One of All would choose these men … Continue reading Day 16- A Divine Birth Announcement

Day 13- No Room In the Kataluma

Whenever the Christmas story was read to me as a child I had an image in my mind of Joseph and a very pregnant Mary making their way down a crowded … Continue reading Day 13- No Room In the Kataluma

Day 6- Betrayal

She was pregnant and he knew the baby wasn’t his. She had promised to be faithful. He was busily preparing their home to receive her as his wife when he … Continue reading Day 6- Betrayal