Meditate

By: Andrew H. 3/2

(After the wise men left,) an angel appeared in a dream to Joseph and said, "Herod will be looking for the child in order to kill him... Take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. (Joseph did as the angel said.) Matthew 2: 13

Kathryn Koob was one of 54 Americans taken hostage by Shiite extremists in Iran in 1979 and held for 444 days. On Christmas of 1980 her captors paraded her before the world on TV, letting her send greetings to her family. She turned the situation into a movingly spiritual experience by singing a carol she had learned as a child: "Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head... Bless all the dear children in thy tender care, And fit us for heaven to live with thee there."

Herod's voilence and Iranian terrorism marred the beauty of Christmas, but could not destroy it. What are some early Christmas memories that I have?

The star of Bethlehem is a star in the darkness of night even today. -Edith Stein