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V - !L
P \GE 8-B—THE BULLETIN, December 24, 1960
Why Camels Look Disdainful
By Jackie Waller
Camels consider themselves
very superior to other animals.
This, they say, is because a
camel was the first beast to
see the child Jesus in the
manger.
It is not true, of course, and
I wish someone would remind
them of the ox and donkey.
But the camels themselves be
lieve the story, and give them
selves airs because of it.
It happened when the three
wise men saw a new star in
the heavens, and knew from tne
books they had studied, that
this meant a King had been
born in Isreal. So they decided
to go and visit Him, bringing
Him many rich gifts. But to
do this they had to cross the
desert before reaching the
land where He was born.
STAR DISAPPEARS
They needed camels for this
long journey. Their head cam
el was called Ahmet, and he
was always in trouble because
he did not like to obey orders
or do as he was told. He also
wanted to know everything
that was going on, and he was
curious about this journey.
Why should his proud mas
ters set out just to see a new
born Baby? There must be
more to it than that. And he
was quite right, for the wise
men knew that the child
would grow up to be the Sav
iour of the world.
The star went before them
to guide them, and they fol
lowed it right across the desert
into a strange land. They were
sure it would lead them to the
Child, so you can imagine
their dismay when suddenly
the star disappeared outside
the walls of Jerusalem.
They stopped to consult to
gether, wondering how they
would find the baby in that
big city. They said, “He is a
King, let us look for Him in
the King’s Palace.” Then the
wise men went to the Palace
of the King Herod and asked,
him if he knew where the new
King of the Jews had been
born, as they had brought Him
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presents and wished to adore
Him.
King Herod did not like this
idea of a new King. He made
inquiries, but could learn
nothing, so he said to the wise
men, “When you have found
the King of Isreal, come and
tell me where He is, that I
too, may go to visit Him. And
m his Heart he thought that
it would be easy to get rid of
the Child once He was found.
The wise men promised, and
when they left the city the
star shone again to lead them.
This time it went on, until it
reached a stable and stopped
above its roof. So the wise
men told their servants to
make camp nearby while they
went on foot to greet tne
Cnild.
But Ahmet was not pleased
at being kept out of tne pic
ture. Ipoon the servants nad
fallen asleep round tneir lire,
and he broke his tether to fol
low his masters. His compan
ions reminded him that they
had been ordered to remain;
he was disobeying, they said.
But Ahmet answered: “Such
orders do not concern the head
camel,” and went away.
He came to the door of the
stable and peered in carefully.
He saw the Baby lying on
straw in a manger, beside Him
his smiling young mother. And
he saw too, his masters kneel
ing before the Child, tears
running down their cheeks.
Ahmet was puzzled, and even
rather ashamed, to see them
humbling themselves in this
wal. There was a mystery
here which he was determined
to understand.
SHINING CREATURE
He had noticed an ox and
an ass inside the cave, near
the manger. Perhaps they
could explain if they were not
too stupid. He went and lay
down behind a nearby bush
waiting for a chance to talk
to them. There was a strange
shining creature sitting on the
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THE DISDAINFUL CAMELS
roof and the camel wondered
wnat it could be. It sang very
sweetly; some kind of bird, he
supposed, for it had wings.
Presently he slep and did not
see his masters leave.
A violent pain in his ear
woke him suddenly, to discov
er that the donkey had come
out to browse and had caught
the tip of the camel’s ear with
some leaves .Ahmet was in
dignant, but when the donkey
apologized humbly, he forgave
him on one condition. “Tell
me,” he said, “what happened
tonight in that stable.”
The ass was only too willing.
“It was a very strange thing.
Tonight the baby Jesus was
born, and His mother laid him
in the manger for she had no
cradle for him. The Baby was
cold, He cried, so the ox and
f warmed him with our breath.
No sooner was He born, that
a band of angels came down
from heaven singing that He
was king of Isreal and Saviour
of the world. See, one of them
is still here now.”
So the queer creature was
an angel! Ahmet was glad not
to have to ask, and if tne Baby
was a King, well he did not
mind so much his masters
kneeling to Him.
The donkey went on, “Then
the shepherds came bringing
gifts, and after them three
men who must have been
kings. They wore such rich
robes! That is ail I know . .
TELLS A FIB
The camel answered, “These
kings are my masters and now
I must go back to them.” But
when he got back to the camp
it was deserted because an
angel had appeared to the wise
men, telling them not to re
turn to Herod who intended to
kill the Child. They had gone
back by another way to their
own country.
Ahmet succeeded in catch
ing up with them and was
scolded for his disobedience,
but he did not care. He had a
wonderful story to tell his ad
miring friends, all about how
he had seen the newborn King
of the Jews before any other
animals, and how the Baby
had smiled at him. It was not
true, of course, but the others
did not know and believing
him, treated him with even
greater respect for having won
the notice of a King.
Unfortunately his masters
did not understand animal
language or they would have
put a stop to his nonsense. So
Ahmet went on boasting and
giving himself airs.
And as the story of this
great honor spread through
the camel tribe, they all grew
haughty because of it. And,
of course, the ox and the don
key were too humble ever to
contradict them.
Sister Alary Jean Darcy is
both artist and writer. Her cut
out silhouettes have been ex
hibited in several cities and
have appeared in a number of
publications. She is the author
of several books among which
are; Our Lady of Springtime,
Shepherd’s Tartan and Shrines
of Our Lady.
By
Sister Mary Jean Dorcy, O.P.
Christmas brings us always
to a Mother and her Child, for
this is file axis of man’s his
tory, this birth by which man
kind was made new. It is a day
when heaven comes down to
earth, when ail our loved ones
gather around an earthly fire
side, because it is a day when
God came to earth to bless all
nomes and families of good
will.
The arts of all the world’s
peoples have exhausted them
selves for figures of speech
and forms of material beauty
that will express what we,
the redeemed, feel for this day,
and for her who brought us
such joy. For sorrow comes to
us because we are a fallen
race, it comes whether we look
for it or not. Joy comes only
with this marvelous birth, this
new creation, where a new
Eve gives us of a Fruit that
will really make us like God.
THOUSANDS OF TITLES
In the spirit of Christmas
time, then, they call her Cra
dle of tne King; Nest for the
Dove; Dwelling-place of God.
St. Bonaventure calls her
Throne of God; St. Methodius,
Immaculate Garment of God.
The Coptic church, seeing this
day as the dawn of new hope
for man, addresses her as Gate
of the Sunrise. The Greek
Church, seeing her as light-
bringer, calls her Golden Can-
diesuck of the Sun.
Ail these figures have in
them some lovely truth about
the relation of God to man.
Through the centuries, she has
been addressed by thousands
of titles, aii stressing this
truth that Catholics hold so
dear and non-Catholics so of
ten misunderstand, that Mary
is the bridge between two
worlds, the bridge across
which Christ comes to us to
save us. No wonder that we
sing so lyrically of her at this
blessed time of year!
One title little known has
its special appeal to us who
are wayfarers of God’s crea-
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tion; Mary, Sinner's Inn. How
many smypathetie hearts have
ached for that one tragic line
in the Christmas Gospel,
“There was no room for them
in the inn.” (Luke 2:7) In an
age of refugees, with half the
world homeless, it is timely to
consider this title and the rea
sons why it is applied to Mary.
Unless you have walked the
streets homeless you cannot
fully know the yearning, as
well as the physical need of
shelter from the elements, that
makes the greatest suffering
for the wanderer. The symbol
of a lighted window and the
warmth and security it be
speaks, is best seen from the
outside looking in. Those in
side are too snug, too secure,
to worry about the cold winds
and the rootlessness.
Today there are so many, in
so many lands, for whom no
friends ever shines a welcome.
We need only read our news
papers to see this. Not every
land is so favored as ours. But
there is another sort of home
lessness that is even worse,
and in some ways it, too, is
more acute at Christmastime;
it is the homelessness of the
serious sinner, who has gone
out of his Father’s house de
liberately and slammed the
door in a rage.
No one is ever quite so shel
terless as one who wanders in
the exterior darkness outside
the warmth and light and
laughter at the fireside of God.
No one is so homeless as he
who has walked the dark
paths that lead nowhere, try
ing hard not to notice the
lighted windows because they
remind him of the peace with
in.
THE WAY BACK
So Mary who was once
shelterless, Mary who travel
ed in faith the dark lanes of
Bethlehem where the homeless
wandered, Mary is the place
of shelter for poor wayfarers;
Mary is the way back to God.
Hostess of the Trinity, some
one has called her; how well
she understands what must be
done for the cold and the hun
gry of heart, and with what
motherly tact she does these
things for the prodigals who
have seen enough to return
but not (at times) quite en
ough courage.
The hospitality of Christmas
is traditional; even where it
runs to ridiculous excesses, it
has an honest basis. Once,
mankind was not hospitable to
the little Christ, in memory of
this, one keeps open house on
Christmas. In the legends that
sparkle in the literature of
many lands one finds refer
ence to this.
It is the Irish who lig’ht a
candle in the window and set
the table for the poor, lest the
Holy Family come by, footsore
and in need of a place where
the little Christ may be born
among men. In other lands
bread is baked for the poor,
or a bassinet of baby clothes is
prepared for some needy babe.
Children set up a feast for the
birds, the little pensioners of
God, and feed the animals well
this blessed day because they
were kind to Him when man
was not.
A thousand customs abound
in a world that is still a little
embarrassed at its own ob
tuseness, still — in spite of
the other noises of this life —
aware of that pleading knock
on a door, long ago; still sorry
that there was no room for
Him.
Mary, Sinners' Inn, as you
go about your housewifely
tasks, lighting the candles to
lead the sinners home to re
pentance and their Father’s
house, remember us all. Amen.
For she saw the Son of God,
whom she conceived of the
Holy Ghost, nailed to the cross
and suspended between
thieves . . . Before she gave
birth therefore in the Passion
of Christ, she brought forth a
Child in the Nativity.
—St. Anthony
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CHRISTMAS
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