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PAGE 6-B—THE BULLETIN, December 24, 1960 A CHRISTMAS (Continued from Page 1-B) for your chair,” he said, kind ly- Joseph liked the man’s face and voice. In spite of his sad ness, he began to feel happy. The man took him to a yard in which stood a small, gray donkey. His coat was smooth and clean, his legs were strong and he had a broad, sturdy back. Joseph’s heart beat fast with surprise. It seemed as if the donkey smiled at him! But Joseph, like any other grown man, knew that animals and especially donkeys, could not smile! (The children loved this part.) Joseph had a wonderful feeling as he put his hand on the donkey’s head. He felt that at some, time in the future, this little gray donkey would do something of supreme im portance. Joseph handed the little cedar chair to the stranger. Then he picked up the rope and led the donkey home. (When I reached this point in the story, I stopped to give the children a chance to settle themselves more comfortably around the crib. I’d pass some apples or cookies and then re sume the story.) THE JOURNEY The next day, Joseph took their extra clothing and blan kets and made a neat bundle which was strapped to the back of the donkey. He had placed his tools ip a bag which he carried over his shoulders. Then he closed the door of the little home where they had lived since their marriage. Suddenly, he had a strange feeling. It seemed, as he closed the door, that he would not open, it again for a long, long time; and that when he did come home, something won derful would come with him. The small, gray donkey car ried Mary over the rough, long road. He was a very cheerful little donkey; he never balked; he never showed temper when he was tired. And Joseph al ways thought that the donkey wore a smile of contentment on his furry face. And then they came to Beth lehem. They had made such good time that Joseph had a few coins left. He decided that Mary would have the best lodging he could find. But there was no room at the inn — or anyplace. The night grew cold. Joseph became very worried because of Mary’s condition. He re turned to the inn and begged for some kind of shelter. The pity of the inn-keeper was aroused. SLAPPEY DRIVE SUPER MARKET Best Wishes 318 S. Slappey Drive ALBANY, GEORGIA PACE Insurance Agency 100 YEARS INSURANCE SERVICE 309 PINE AVENUE ALBANY, GA. STORY “There is a stable back near the hill,” he said. “It will pro tect you from the cold.” There was plenty of clean straw in the stable. And there was a handful of oats for the donkey to share with a kindly cow owned by the inn-keeper. That night, Mary became the mother of a Son. As she gazed at the Baby, she re membered the words, of the Angel — that the Child was the Son of God and that He would some day save the world. No birthday of a king, be fore or since that night, was ever celebrated so royally. The skies opened and a chorus of Angels sang in honor of the new-born King. Heavenly messengers appeared to shep herds and sang: “Peace on earth to men of good will.” Angels pointed the way to the stable and shepherds came to worship the Infant King. (The first night I told this story, my son cried out: “But no one cares about Christ Child downtown. All we see is •Santa Claus.” “Things will be different next year,” I promised him. And I kept my word. In 1943, our Catholic Mothers Study Club began a tiny movement that in later years became na tionally known as the plan to The Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem is built on the site which tradition says is the birthplace of Jesus. The cave in which He was born is preserved and attracts visitors all the year round, but especially at Christmas. The dress of the native women seer, here dates back to the time of the Crusades and is considered the appropriate garb when visiting the Manger. DUPREE DRUGS Where Pharmacy Is A Profession 1111 NORTH SLAPPEY DRIVE PHONE HE. 6-5736 ALBANY, GEORGIA GARGANO'S New Expressway Near 5 Points Italian-American Restaurant SPECIALIZING IN ★ PIZZAS bring Christ Back into Christ mas.) THE WISE MEN Three Wise Men or Kings, following a brilliant star that had led them across a desert, through towns and even into the city of Jerusalem, found their way to the stable at Bethlehem and worshiped the Baby Jesus, as the child was called. On the way to Bethlehem, they had stopped to ask di rections from another King — Herod, who ruled in Jerusa lem. But he was a wicked man. He told the Three Kings to find the Babe and then re turn to him and tell him the directions, so that he, too, could go and worship the Child. But he meant to kill the Babe, for he would not al low another king in his coun try. The Three Wise Men left Jerusalem and, with the aid of the star, found the stable and the Christ Child a Bethlehem. They knelt down on the straw and worshipped the Babe Whom Mary had wrapped in swaddling clothes. The little King lying on the straw held His court and re ceived the gifts from the Kings of the East — gold, frankin cense and myrrh. And in the background, keeping the stable warm with his breath, never taking his eyes from the figure of the Baby, was the small gray don key. 1 The time came when the Kings had to return to the East. But they did not go back to Herod. The Holy Child grew strong. THE DONKEY'S HOUR PHONE HE. 5-4551 W. M. Story, Owner and Livestock Buyer Robert L. Joiner, Office Mgr.; Mark S. Hall, Livestock Buyer Dan L. Brooks, Mgr. and Livestock Buyer UNION STOCK YARDS BUY AND SELL DAILY Bonded Under U. S. Government Regulations • THE LARGEST AUCTION MARKET IN GEORGIA Auction Every Wednesday Special Slocker-Feeder Steer Sale First and Third Fridays Each Month Albany, Georgia — Phones HE. 2-7919, HE. 2-7011 DAILY CASH MARKET FOR HOGS AND CATTLE W. Oliver Bowles, Yard Mgr.; J. W. Patterson, Asst. Yard Mgr.; Sam Byrd, Mgr. Hog Barn; H. W. Long, Jimmie McDowell, Auctioneers; Ray Fouche, Transportation; Cecil Cameron, T. B. McDowell, Order Buyers H. & M. Motors, Inc. PHONE HE. 2-2393 220 RADIUM SPRINGS RD. ALBANY. GEORGIA CHRYSLER - IMPERIAL DODGE - LANCER And ★ SPAGHETTI AAA CONCRETE PROSUCTS CO. HEmlock 6-4626 1224 Sylvester Road ALBANY, GEORGIA Ready Mixed Concrete — Concrete Blocks — Precast Lintels and Sills ★ CEMENT * MORTAR MIX ★ GRAVEL * SAND Sno-White Laundry And Dry Cleaning Albany's Finest Laundry and Dry Cleaning Service ONE FIFTEEN FLINT AVE. PHONE 6-1575 Then, thundering down the the road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, came the soldiers of King Herod. He had found out where the Child had been born and he gave orders to kill every male baby under two years old. But the Baby Jesus was far away. The night before the soldiers came, Joseph had been warned in his sleep, by an Angel, to take the Child away. Long before dawn, he awak ened Mary. She packed their few belongings. Then Joseph led the small gray donkey out of the stable and helped Mary and the Child to sit on his strong, broad back. The donkey, with Mary holding the Child, carried him self proudly. This was the hour for which he bad been born. Joseph led the donkey out into the dark, narrow street, far into the open country in the direction of Egypt. The little animal stepped briskly along the road. He was beginning to fulfill his destiny. His sturdy legs would carry the King of all the World to safety. The listening children of 1942 are men and women to day. They, too, are fulfilling their destiny. Upon their shoulders, they are carrying on the movement to honor the Christ Child at Christmas. In their hearts, a love of the Christ Child has grown steadily. One, who worked most devotedly to get other children to love the Infant Jesus, has been called Home. One has organized groups of young people to build neigh borhood cribs. Another has shown great talent in religious posters. And all today pay public homage to the Babe of Bethlehem. At the same time when Mary consented to become the Mother of God, She also con sented to become the mother of all the children of salva tion, and bore them already at that time beneath her heart. —St. Bernadine of Siena CHRISTMAS IN CAIRO (Continued from Page 5-B) tie concerned about how Mah moud would take it. I need not have been. Mahmoud seemed to welcome this op portunity to get his bearings. His eyes wandered, unobtru sively, over every part of the church. The beautiful crib, set in an alcove on the left side of the church, seemed to fasci nate him. But when the Mass began, he gave his whole at tention to the altar. The celebrant was a tall old man, with a sparse white beard, and the face of an asce tic. As far as I was concern ed, except for the sermon, which was delivered in Ital ian, I might have been attend ing midnight Mass in my par ish church at home. As in every Mass, at the Consecration an almost tangi ble air of mystical solemnity pervaded the church. But to night this sense of awe seem ed palpitant. At the Commun ion almost every person in the church went up to the altar rail to receive. But even this mass movement did not sever the bond that had lifted each of them out of himself. When the Mass resumed, the rapt silence that had endured since the Consecration settled again over the congregation. It was after one o’clock when Mahmoud and I des cended the steps of the church. I turned the car around and headed for the corniche, or river road. Neither of us spoke for. a few moments,-then Mah moud said: “Thank you for letting me come along with you, Jim. It was a beautiful experience and I will never forget it.” “It was good of you to come, Mahmoud. And neither will I ever forget it.” EVERYWHERE — CHRISTMAS TONIGHT I turned right on the cor niche, toward Fuad bridge. Across the Nile, on the island of Zamalek, the facade of the row of apartment buildings stood out clearly in the moon light, like background scenery in a stage setting. I could make out my own building by the three tall slender date palms, standing like giant fea ther dusters on the banks of the river. I slowed the car as we ap proached the bridge intersec tion. On the sidewalk in front of a coffee house;, a half dozen late customers, in their white galabias and turbans lounged at their tables. Two or three of them were holding or suck ing at the long stems of their hookahs, the bottles of which stood on the ground beside their chairs. None of the Western signs of the Christmas season were in evidence here: no wreathes, or soft rosy glow of electric candles in windows; no spark ling Christmas trees in the lobbies of apartment build ings; no cheery greetings of “Merry Christmas!” as friends parted for the night. But I knew that in churches H. B. Brimberry Clem B. Rakel scattered all over Cairo, througout the early hours of this Christmas morning, the birth of Christ would be com memorated. Not only in the Latin Mass, but in the Divine Liturgy celebrated in other ancient tongues: in Coptic, in Syriac, in Arabic, in Armen ian, and in Greek. I knew, too, that less than two miles down the corniche, in Old Cairo, in a 1200-year- old church, the Divine Liturgy would be chanted in Coptic, as it was once, and only.once each year, on the Coptic Christmas, in a little crypt un der the altar — a crypt that was venerated as the place where the Holy Family found refuge after their flight into Egypt. R. H. Warren, 3rd R. E. Coleman Charles C. Foster 120 N. Jackson St. Phone HE. 2-2357 ALBANY, GEORGIA Warren & Brimberry INCORPORATED Insurance — Rents — Realtors (J3e$t lAJlj/iej THE NATIONAL BANK OF ALBANY J ICE CREAM ALBANY, GEORGIA