In reading the accounts of Jesus’ birth in the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke, we can notice that all the protagonists of the Christmas story are “great walkers.”
First of all there are Mary and Joseph, who travel 90 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem, but their donkey is also with them; then there are the shepherds who set out with their flocks to welcome the Little Child, and also the horses and camels of the Three Wise Men, who come from the East following a star to meet the Son of God.
Humility and courage are needed to embark on a long and arduous journey to get to know Jesus. How provocative the story of Christmas can be! It will be told for us by Father Mario Conte, a friar of the Basilica and editorial director of the Messenger of Saint Anthony magazine.