our father who art in heaven - a rosary for young...

Our Father Who art in heaven...

The Angel Gabriel has arrived while Mary is seated in her garden. "Hello Mary," the

polite angels says, "God feels the most kind friendship for you, and He wants you to

be the Mother of Jesus." What happy news!

Hail Mary full of grace...

Mary's garden, her dress and Gabriel's wings are bright, colorful and lovely. Even

the bricks of Mary's house reflect a kind of rainbow-light. God is all-beautiful!


Gabriel holds a white lily in his left hand. It looks as if he is offering it to Mary. The

lily reminds me that Mary has the most clean heart - a pure heart we say. There are

no deep shadows in her.


Around her feet, Mary's garden is filled with white Lily of the Valley, purple Iris

and Columbine. But Mary's inside heart-garden is filled with beauty too. There are

the flowers of kindness, thankfulness, patience and good thoughts of others.


The Angel said to Mary, "God's Spirit has arrived with me, Mary! And God would

like to know if you'll carry His Word of Love with you?"


But there is more. Look! Even Mary's open hands are saying yes to God's request.

And so Jesus, who is God's Word, starts to grow inside her.


God has visited the little house of Mary at Nazareth. And God wants to visit the

little house of my heart too. I open the door wide!


So many good things can happen when we say yes. I must listen to myself to hear if

I say (or even yell) No, more than Yes!


God chose Mary to be the Mother of Jesus because she's good. And God sees me as

good too and says, begin again, when I forget that.


This scene of the Angel greeting Mary is called the Annunciation. An announcement

of happy news! And I can make an announcement that God is near too - by helpful

kindness, saying only what is true, a joyful face and friendship wherever I go.


Glory be to the Father...

Our Father who art in Heaven...

After the Angel Gabriel left, Mary didn't waste time but went quickly to

see Elizabeth. She was eager to tell others what God had done for her. Every day

there is something wonderful to share. Let's not waste a lot of time

just thinking about it - let's do it!


Look, the painter has given us a special vision to see the secret place where Jesus

and John were growing inside their mothers, Mary and Elizabeth. Every person

comes from the breath and heartbeat of God.


Elizabeth's and Mary's hands are joined together in a deep love for each

other. Hands are very important, aren't they? We can hurt people with our hands or

we can welcome, heal and help others with our hands.


In this painting Mary is on the left wearing white. She looks tired, probably because

she had to walk the long and dangerous way. Still, Mary gives everything to God -

even her tiredness. I have a feeling she prayed along the way and thought deeply

about the happy news she had to share with Elizabeth.


Elizabeth said to Mary, "The baby inside me just jumped for joy when he heard your

voice." The first person to recognize Jesus is a baby waiting to be born. The name

of Jesus can cause my heart to jump for joy!


The hilly path that Mary walked to visit Elizabeth

Elizabeth is Mary's older relative and she is pregnant too. Mary climbed up and

down the hills of Judea which made her journey difficult. She carried Jesus inside -

God was hurrying to be with us ~ overcoming everything that could get in the way,

especially hearts that are hardened like rock.


Mary was pregnant about ten days when she finally arrived at Elizabeth's house. The

baby was still very tiny, only about the size of the head of a pin. God

put me together too and had the idea of who I am, long before I was born.


http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-khaqnPjg4Hw/Uuz7zRr14uI/AAAAAAAACQ0/oyecSjVpwTI/s1600/judean+countryside.jpg

God has visited our world in Jesus Christ. We're never alone, are we? When I

haven't done well on a test or I missed the ball in the game and I feel so

disappointed, God is near in Jesus. When I've heard that someone dear to me is sick

and I start to worry, God is near in Jesus. When I learn that there is suffering close

by or far away, God is near in Jesus.


Mary stayed with Elizabeth until her baby, John, was born. We can imagine Mary

stayed to help. There's so much to do when a new baby comes into a home. Am I

really a helpful person?


There are lots of important people we can meet: maybe the pope, the president or the

principal. But this meeting of Mary and Elizabeth was the most important meeting

in the whole world. Jesus was being introduced to the world when Mary visited

Elizabeth. Thank you, Jesus, for coming to our earth!




The donkey and cow were in the room where Jesus was born. Here we see the

donkey is especially close. The good news of God's care for the world includes the

animals and plants too. Even animals seem to know who this Baby is!


A lot of people are coming into the room to see the Child Jesus. At Christmas God

didn't become an angel, but human. Being human must be a very good thing then. I

must remember this even when people are different, make mistakes or do wrong

things. Being human is good!


Did it snow that first Christmas night? Snow says, Shhh, Listen! And in the silence I

come near, very near to the Baby's crib. And holding the Holy Child, (Mary trusts

me to be careful) the Infant Jesus tells me, Don't worry ~ God loves the whole

world. And the way God shows how much he loves us is by forgiving.


Way down on the bottom and to the left of the painting there is a poor boy who is

starting a fire. What do you think he's going to warm up in the clay pot? Is it

breakfast he's brought from home for Mary and Joseph to eat? His gift is very kind.

And later, when Jesus is all grown up and begins to teach us, he will say, "Feed the

hungry and give drink to the thirsty."


There is a big metal jar with the cap off by the foot of the baby's crib. It's hard to

tell: Is the jar empty or is it full? The jar is like my heart. So this can be my prayer:

If the jar of my heart is empty, then say: Lord Jesus, fill it with love! And if the jar

of my heart is full, then say: Lord Jesus, thank you for this gift!


There's so much going on in this room, it feels kind of noisy. There's even a man on

the right playing the bagpipes! Maybe that's why the Baby is awake! But right

around the crib, up close, there is a circle of silence. The quiet shepherd has taken

off his hat. Mary has opened up the blanket for the shepherd to see the Baby. And

right behind the Holy Mother is a young boy who wants to come in closer. I want to

enter that bright circle too!


Outside the door we can see that it is early morning and the sky is filled with the

rosy colors of the rising sun. It is the new day of being me - with all the gifts of

kind help and friendship God has given me to share.


It's strange, but the man standing over the crib is holding a rooster. Later in the

story, when Jesus is in trouble and some people want to arrest him, Jesus told

Peter, You know, before the rooster crows in the morning, you will tell other people

that you and I are not even friends, just so you can stay out of trouble. And that's

exactly what happened. But friendship with Jesus has to be about the best thing in

life, don't you think?


There was a traveling star that led the astrologers from the east to Jesus' crib at

Bethlehem. A star of wonder...a star with royal beauty bright .When I have difficult

choices to make about how to be a good person, I can ask for the Bethlehem star to

shine again: This way, not that!


So God made the world wonderful and good and gave all of it to us as a gift of love.

But then sometime long ago human beings decided, Let's go our own way. It looked

like God was the loser, but instead God came to find what He'd lost. He started the

search at Bethlehem. This is Jesus ~ God the Searcher. He'll even search from the

top of Mount Calvary and all the way to Easter morning.




Forty days after the Child Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph took him to the Temple

in Jerusalem, God's great and beautiful house. The temple was so splendid, the

golden roof shone like the sun. Now Jesus is the NEW temple - the NEW house of

God.


I see here that Mary had to let go of her Child so Simeon could offer him to

God. Letting go can be very difficult. God has let go of a lot to come and be with us

in Jesus. I'll ask for a generous heart that can let go so I can forgive, let go so others

can have a chance, let go so others can be happy.


Mary holds a candle in the picture here to remind me that Jesus is Light. People

sometimes do terrible things that make the world dark. But I'll carry Christ-Light

inside me!


Joseph and Mary went to the temple to dedicate the Baby to God. Jesus lived this

dedication all the way: he fed the hungry, he healed the sick, he forgave sins, he

even raised the dead to new life. And Jesus became my brother when I met him for

the first time in my Baptism!


Mary probably showed the Holy Infant to people who wanted to see the Baby's face.

And I can see the Holy Face too - deeply inside. I will stay close to goodness. I can

even close my eyes and imagine holding the Christ Child as Mary places him in my

arms.


In the Bible when you dedicated your child to God you left a nice gift at the temple.

Joseph and Mary were poor and could only afford the gift of two doves. So many

people have nothing. But God loves the poor and asks us to love them too.


Joseph and Mary were happy in Jerusalem the day they presented Jesus at the

temple. But then old Simeon said that when Jesus grows up, the secret thoughts of

whether people accept or reject him will be known. I want to make it clear right now

- I not only accept Jesus, but I love him.


http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-41_rMbRyM8s/Uumf9NMvyvI/AAAAAAAACMQ/2y3v1RhiCuo/s1600/tears.jpg

Mary probably had a mix of tears on this Presentation Day. First there were the tears

of joy, she was the new mother of a beautiful boy. But there were also the sad tears

when Simeon said she would feel sorrow when Jesus was rejected. An awful lot of

people cry sad tears in our world. I'll keep a place in my heart for them, and dry

tears when I can.


A very old woman named Ana was in the temple that day too. Ana's husband had

died a long time ago and she stayed in the temple night and day thanking God.

There are hundreds and hundreds of reasons everyday to thank God.


When Simeon took the Child Jesus into his arms he thanked God and said, "My eyes

have seen your salvation, Lord." Salvation is a big word for the little

word saved. I'm saved! But I'm not only saved from bad things, but even more

importantly I'm saved for what's good. I'm saved to be a person of light and

friendship. I'm saved for the joy of being a believer in Jesus. I'm saved to live a

happy with God - even forever!




Jesus went with Mary and Joseph to Jerusalem - God's great and holy city. Along

the way home, he was separated from the family and got lost. When they found him

back in the temple, Mary (relieved but also maybe annoyed) said, "We've been

looking for you for three days." They must have worked it out peacefully: the Bible

says nothing about there having been an argument.


Joseph and Mary took Jesus to Jerusalem to celebrate the biggest holy day of the

year called Passover. This day remembers when the Hebrew people, who had been

slaves in Egypt, were let go and they crossed through the Red Sea to freedom. We

all need a pass over - so hearts can be freed of hatred and selfishness for generous

loving.


Jesus knew just where to go and so Mary and Joseph found Jesus in the beautiful

temple. My church is God's house. In fact, the people in Russia say, "What good is a

road if it doesn't lead to a church?"


The Gospels tell us that the twelve year old Jesus was in the temple listening to the

religious teachers and asking them questions. Jesus loved to learn, especially if the

conversation was about God. There is so much to learn. God has filled the world

with beautiful surprises!


When Mary asked Jesus, "Where have you been? Didn't you know we'd be

worried?" he answered with mysterious words, saying, "Didn't you know I had to be

doing my Father's work and in my Father's house?" But when Jesus

said, "Father" he wasn't talking about Joseph, he was talking about God! Imagine

that ~ God first!


This Gospel story tells us that Jesus went back to Nazareth with Joseph and Mary

and that he obeyed them. It also tells us that as Jesus grew older he became very

wise and lived a life that pleased God, his family and the neighbors. I want to live

that kind of life.


In this painting the teachers have their holy books open. They are telling the young

Jesus about God's commandments. Jesus put his two favorite commandments

together making one new one: Love God and love other people. Live like this and

everything will be well!


It must have been hard for Mary and Joseph to find a lost boy in a big city like

Jerusalem. Here are some ways never to lose Jesus: speak only true words, stretch

your heart to include others, be generous with those who have very little, keep your

heart like a clean inside room, forgive and make peace when it's needed.


Joseph had a lot of stress, didn't he? He had to take pregnant Mary to Bethlehem.

The Baby had to be born out of the town - maybe in a cave. He had to take the Baby

and his Mother to Egypt because Herod didn't want the Child around. Then Jesus

got lost and he and Mary had to search for three tiring days. But Joseph never

complained, did he?


Children taking water home in Africa

When the young Jesus went back to Nazareth to live with Mary and Joseph he must

have learned to be a worker in Joseph's wood shop. Joseph made windows, doors

and furniture. One story tells us that Jesus went to the well to get water in a bucket

for his family. It takes a lot of work to make a family - we each have to do our part.



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