The night of Christmas
BY FR ELPIDIOS VAGIANAKIS
It was slowly
getting dark and the sun was disappearing behind the mountains of Bethlehem.
The cold and frost made the inhabitants of this small village, as well as all
those who came from distant places to be registered at the place of their
birth, go inside their homes early. Soon the streets were deserted and no one
was walking about outside.
To tell the truth
not everyone, because just outside the village a pious man, leading a donkey
with a young girl on its back, who looked like she was pregnant, was anxious to
arrive at a house in time before it got too late.
Every now and then,
he was trying to give her courage, because he saw that the time to give birth
had come and the young girl was extremely tired from the trip which had taken
several days.
Some hours ago he
had given her his cloak and everything else he had to cover her and keep her
warm, while in the twilight he was looking for the path leading to the village.
