Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-12-26

that time we looked forward to Christ
mas as the time we received a lot Of
presents and could ent a pile Of candy
or toward the time when we could get
vacation from school and go skating
upon the river or go sliding down hill
upon our new seighs. But one day
there came TO us message from
heaven MS significant MS that which the
angel Gabriel delivered TO Mary. 1t
said: christmas is not simply time
for fun. Christmas is the day we celc-
brate the birth Of Jesus in Bethlehem
of Judea, that we, through him. may
become one with God" Oh, then, how
different were the Christmas saluta-
tons with which we greeted our
friends. Oh, then, how different were
the hopes with which we looked for
ward to our sacred Christmascs Has
the angelic messenger appeared to you?
If he has not, Will you not pray that
he may appear to you now, as he once
appeared to Mary to tell her that the
child who was TO be born was the Son
of God? But Mary kept all these
things and pondcred them In her
heart"
There was another fact which must
have prcyed much on Mary's heart
and mind when she thought of the
events preceding that first Christmas
day. That was the love and the gen
tleness and the fnithfulness of her
companion and husband, Joseph, the
carpenter, who WIS to her what no
other human being vas in her time Of
trial and distress. Whenever she
thought of him II was always as the
same dear, gentle, kind, owing, faith
ful husband When he went to Beth
lchem he could not leave her behind,
because her descent from David was
more important than his own. Then
he did not want TO leave her behind
for fear she would not be treated well.
In order to make her trip easier .Jo-
seph brought hcr donkey TO ride.
That Is the mode Of transportation
which the poor in the east always use.
But. Joseph" think l hear Mary
say, you cannot afford to buy that
beast for me. Why, in all probability
to buy 1t you sold some Of your car
penter tools" Well" think | hear
Joseph say, MARY, it is best You
could never walk all that long dis.
lance in your present condition. | will
be able to pay for him by working Il
little later Mt night"
Mary and Joseph.
Then as Mary thinks OF all that long
| journey down to Bethlehem | think
! she pictures Joseph as carefully lifting
| her on the beast of burden. Ther
! when night comes and the camp has
to be made | think she sees him cook
! ing the simple meal and carefully GOV
erng her up to sleep In the great
warm blanket. He brings her water
to drink. Then how careful and anX
ious he is toward the end of the trip
Yes, Mary could never think Of the
events which led up to that first Christ
mas day without picturing Joseph. the
tender Joseph. the loving Joseph. the
protector and friend. Yet Marys re
membranes Of Joseph are not unlike
those we have of our dear ones who
during the merry Chrstmases have
come and gone.
Have we not had our faithful Josephs
In our past Christmases? How kind
| and loving some of them have been
There was your mother, the central fig
IRE Of your childhood's Christmases
How she ever enjoyed those Christ
masses is beyond US She used to work
so hard to prepare for them that she
was more fitted 10 be I'm bed than ts
be moving around and making bel
happy laugh the loudest Of the merry
making. Can't you see her sitting W
and sewing: She used to think yot
were asleep bit you we're not. How
she ever got so much together for tina
Christmas tree was n wonder. Tall
about Geniuses OF finance, Why, sh,
could make n dollar 80 further thar
any one you ever knew. And. then
there was your father, and there wa
you older sister. Don't you rcmembe
how she sat down and cried when yo,
found out where some Of your presents
were kept? And she vowed she Woul,
never give YOU a thing because yol
went and looked at them. Then a
time passed on other figures move,
around the Christmas tree. There wer
your wife and your own babies. Chris,
mas ought to have dear associa ton
for us as It had with Mary. She ha,
her Joseph to brighten that first Christ
mas morning We have had our love
ones many years with us to briehte
our Christmases in the past and In th
present. BETTER ponder over that fac
my friend. You seem to have n lot I
complain about. Better now for n III
tie while ponder over the fact tina
Jesus hath given to you many dea
ones to brighten Your Christmas fe'
tivities.
The Wise Men From the East.
But Joseph and the angelic me-
senger were not the only ones who al
pcared unto Mary when she though
of that first Christmas day There Wa
the star In the east, the wise me
> who came to worship at the mango
and there We're all the shepherd
Then there were the angels who san
above the hillside of Judea on II
night Jesus was born. All these test
fed TO Mary that Jesus was the Son ,
, God. She could not understand q
these mysteries. She did not try
solve them, but she could not shut IL
+, eyes to the many which were testiht
to by those very witnesses. She cou