Chapter 10 – Advent’s Way to the House of Bread: The Second Day of the Journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem

The Second Day of the Journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem - Advent’s Way to the House of Bread

The weather changed overnight. Dark clouds covered the sky, and the day turned bitterly cold. On the higher stretches of the mountain path, snow began to fall. Everyone felt the chill deeply, Miriam most of all. Gabi tried to keep pace with Joseph and Marcel, running or hopping from time to time, so she did not feel the cold as sharply as Miriam, who sat on the donkey. Joseph knew these lands well.

After four hours of fairly brisk walking, they reached a valley leading up toward the next mountain. Joseph stepped slightly off the main road and stopped to rest beneath a beautiful, wide-spreading terebinth tree.

He laid out mats beneath it so they could sit, leaning against the thick trunk. Miriam prayed for warmth, afraid she might freeze, for the cold of the winter air had seeped strangely deep into her body. God granted her a grace: her body grew so warm that with her own hands she could now warm the others. Gabi nestled into her as boldly and naturally as she would into her own mother.

Then they ate the meal Joseph had prepared. They did not linger long, for more than four hours of walking still awaited them—across a wide valley and up toward the next mountain.

The second she-donkey padded steadily along the straight road, sometimes disappearing from their sight for a while, sometimes lagging lazily behind. No one worried about her. Now and then, Marcel ran ahead to follow her, curious about what lay before them, but he never stayed behind with her. Marcel named her Gipies.

Whenever they reached a crossroads, the donkey would appear out of nowhere in front of them and calmly choose a path, walking on for a while as if she knew the way.

Then Joseph would lift Gabi and Marcel onto her back and could walk a little faster himself. The children laughed and waved their arms as if they were the ones pointing the direction. They pretended to be a GPS, mimicking its announcements and inventing their own commands faster than they moved along.

“After two hundred meters, turn right. Keep to the right lane,” Gabi directed solemnly.

At the crossroads, Marcel tried to outdo her, stretching out his arm decisively: “At the roundabout, take the third exit. Watch out for pedestrians or other vehicles.

“Slow down. You’re going too fast. You’ve exceeded the speed limit. "

“Caution—wild animals ahead."

“Warning. A flock of sheep. Stop and let them pass.”

At every stretch of the road, whenever they managed to climb onto Gipies’ back, they competed in inventing new instructions. Joseph smiled with gentle indulgence, while Miriam silently sent angels after them so they would not fall from the donkey, for they wriggled so much.

All in all, the children were well-behaved, attentive, and obedient. They felt safe. Carefully, they did everything Joseph asked, trying to help as best they could.

During their stops, Marcel filled his notebook with notes and sketches.

Gabi took out her crayons and drew little flowers and leaves. Her book grew thicker and thicker with plants she pressed and dried between its pages.

When Joseph spoke with Miriam, telling her about his hometown of Bethlehem - his relatives, friends, neighbours, and the various places there - the children listened intently, trying to imagine all that he described.

At last, they reached the northern side of the mountain, where gentler slopes descended toward the Jezreel Valley, between the hills of Galilee and the first ridges of Samaria. Around them stretched cultivated fields and small, scattered villages, and in the valley below, streams and olive groves glimmered with a silvery light in the last rays of the setting sun. On one of the slopes, they came upon a larger farmstead, but the owner, busy with his own affairs, could not take them in.

They had no choice but to continue onward, despite the fading sun and their weariness. They were hoping to find a safe place to rest for the night soon.

The evening chill pierced through their woollen coverings. As twilight fell, lights began to twinkle in the distance - perhaps a house or a shed - promising warmth and shelter. Joseph led them carefully, whispering calmly:

“The Lord will protect you from all evil; He watches over your life. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in, now and for all time.”

Marcel carried a small olive lamp with pride, while Gabi listened to the soothing whisper of Miriam, who gave thanks to God for their safe guidance. Every step brought them closer not only to a place to rest, but also to the unfolding mystery of deep trust in God, which they saw so clearly in their guardians.

Thus continued their Advent’s Way to the House of Bread, step by step, leading them toward new wonders and adventures.

Chapter 11 – Advent’s Way to the House of Bread: The Second Night on the Journey from Nazareth – A Stop in Galilee

The Psalms have accompanied people for centuries on journeys, escapes, returns, and nights spent “on the outskirts.” They were the prayers of pilgrims, families, exiles, and those who had no temple—only the road.

Prayer on the road with the Psalms means allowing God’s Word to go with us, exactly to the places where we are.

Today, repeat from Psalm 121:

“The Lord will protect you from all evil; He watches over your life. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in, now and for all time.”