"The Big Little Jesus"

Merry Christmas!

Unlike today, in 1953 Hollywood had respect for the Catholic Church.

DRAGNET (28 minutes)

In this touching story a statue of Baby Jesus is missing from the church creche....

A Stable is the Perfect Place for Baby Jesus to be Born

This is a stable

Every Christmas we're inundated with comments from the pulpit, websites and blogs about how awful it was that Baby Jesus was "born in a smelly stable", "born among filth", "born in a filthy stable", "born in a really cold dank smelly stable". I just want to jump up and cry, "You've never even been in a barn, have you?"

It's evident that many of these priests and people never experienced the sweetness of a clean stable so how do they know what a barn is like? Several decades of my life were spent in barns—hunter and show barns, Thoroughbred racehorse barns, racetrack barns, sales barns, and Thoroughbred breeding and training farms.  

The Key to Heaven

He is born!  Rejoice!  Sing choirs of angels!  Celebrate today!  As a parent and a grandparent, I understand very well the joy and excitement felt by the parents, and the family at large, when a new little one enters the world. 

A Stable is the Perfect Place for a Child to be Born

This is a stable

Every Christmas we're inundated with comments from the pulpit (and websites and blogs) about how Baby Jesus was "born in a smelly stable", "born among filth", "born in a filthy stable", "born in a really cold dank smelly stable". I just want to jump up and cry, "WHAT are you talking about?! Obviously you have never even BEEN in a stable!"

It's evident that many of these priests/people never experienced the sweetness of a clean stable so how do they know what a stable is like? Several decades of my life were spent in barns—hunter/show barns, Thoroughbred race-horse barns, racetrack barns, sales barns, horse farms, cattle farms, sheep farms - and throw a few chicken sheds in there too. 

The Lord Comes, not on the Clouds of Heaven, but as a Baby in a Manger

I was cuddling my grandson Max yesterday. He was missing his mommy and daddy who were off on secret Santa business. As I rocked Max I gazed across the room at the manger scene. I have several set up around the house this season so I can hardly go into a room without reflecting on the Lord Who comes. And it makes me think.

Why did Jesus come as a baby? He is, after all, -- the Lord of the universe, the creator of all things, He Who is and Who was and Who will be. He is all-good, all-powerful, all-knowing -- and yet He comes to us, His sinful creatures, as a helpless baby.

What would we expect if we were to guess how God would come to us? Would he come as a king? An emperor? A world judge with the power to pass judgment and dispense justice?


He is all those things and we will certainly see Him that way on the Day of Judgment. But He came to us as a helpless baby? Why?

Poor Baby Jesus is cold...

....give him some swaddling clothes.

Did you ever notice in manger scenes that everyone has lots of clothes on except the poor baby. Mary wears a long gown with a mantle and veil. Joseph has on a long tunic and sometimes even a turban. The shepherds often are covered with nice warm fleeces in addition to their other clothing.

The only one exposed to the cold is poor Baby Jesus.

Now don't you think the first thing Mary would have done after the baby's birth was to wrap him up in those swaddling clothes the gospel talks about?