Mary the Mother of Jesus, August 15th

Joachim and Ann had a daughter named Mary.  She grew up in Nazareth in the hills of Galilee.  She lived in a house of made of stone and mud-bricks.  Like most young girls of her time she probably ground wheat into flour, made bread, sewed and took care of little children and animals.    When she was only 15 years old Mary’s parents picked out a husband for her – Joseph, the carpenter.  Before Mary and Joseph could get married, however, an angel came to her and said,

'Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God's favor. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a Son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob forever and his reign will have no end.'

Then the angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and said: "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son and you must name him Jesus."

Now at that time Caesar Augustus issued a decree for a census of the whole world to be taken. Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee and traveled up to Judea, to the town of David called Bethlehem, since he was of David's House and line, in order to be registered together with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to a Son, her first-born. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them at the inn.  "In the countryside close by, there were shepherds who lived in the fields and took it in turns to watch their flocks during the night. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them. They were terrified, but the angel said,

'Do not be afraid. Listen! I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. And here is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.'

"And suddenly with the angel there was a great throng of the heavenly host, praising God and singing:

Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and peace to all who enjoy his favor.

Activity

• Visit the University of Dayton’s Mary Coloring Book at http://www.udayton.edu/mary/  click on "Resources" click on "Children's Resources"  click on "view all pages."

• Look for the stained glass window of Mary in our church.
• Print a picture of the Mary Window  that you can color.
• What do you believe in that you cannot see?
• Choose a picture from St. George's online coloring book.

To print the picture you will need The Adobe Acrobat Reader -- available free at the Adobe web site. Please consult the Adobe Acrobat page for system requirements and other technical information.