Chapter 12 – Advent’s Way to the House of Bread: A Surprising Encounter
Updated: 6 days ago
Advent’s Way to the House of Bread
Do you know what children did and how they played in the time of Jesus?
From the earliest years, they were part of the life of the whole family. They helped with everyday tasks, watched the adults and learned by imitating them - nothing new, right? But when they were needed to help, they simply rolled up their sleeves and got to work.
But children were still children. When they had a little time for themselves, they played, invented their own games and found joy in whatever they had around them. Listening was also a very important part of learning.
Children spent a great deal of time with adults from an early age - parents, grandparents, neighbours, and older siblings. They listened to their stories, conversations, prayers and teachings, learning to remember what they heard.
In this way, they developed not only their memory, but also the ability to listen and understand what they heard. They were used to the fact that important things sometimes had to be carefully heard, remembered and passed on.
So when Miriam tells the children a story, Marcel and Gabi do something that children in those times knew very well: they sit down and listen.
A Surprising Encounter
Do you remember? Yesterday our travellers stopped in Galilee, where they rested after another day on the road. Galilee is the northern part of the land of Israel - a beautiful, green region of lakes, hills, fields, and small villages. This was where Nazareth, the home of Miriam and Joseph, was located, and it was through this land that their journey led them toward Bethlehem in the land of Judea.
We wake up with them in the early morning.
Marcel is already helping Joseph light the fire. Joseph has taught him how to arrange the small branches properly and strike the flint so that it quickly catches a spark. Gabi watches their every move carefully, always eager to help and find something to do. To her, this new way of helping feels almost like a game - and quite an interesting one at that!
She can hardly wait for Joseph to let her strike the flint, too. For now, she is only allowed to hold it in her tiny hands. But once the fire is ready, Gabi pours water into the pot and adds the grains that Joseph keeps in a little pouch.
She added a few crushed sprigs of thyme, oregano, or other herbs she had gathered along the way.
She quickly learned to recognize them by their shape and scent.
Do you know any herbs? Can you recognize them from pictures?
Which ones are your favourites?
Would you like to brew yourself a cup of mint tea - or another herbal infusion?
Today Gabi is happy too, because she gets to help and do something for the others. She is in the middle of making tea - can you guess which kind?
Joseph boiled some water over the fire, and Gabi added the sprigs of herbs she had gathered near the shed. She covered the pot with a thick linen cloth and waited for the infusion to be ready.
Then she poured it into the cups they had used earlier to drink that strange milk - not from a cow! Of course, the cups had been washed!
Marcel had scrubbed those cups thoroughly with sand in the nearby stream and rinsed them just as carefully.
Gabi poured her special brew with a wooden ladle-that wasn’t quite a ladle. Into each cup she added a little honey she had found hidden under a cover in a clay vessel. This tea reminded her of home. She dreamed that when she drank it, she would suddenly find herself in her mother’s arms. Never before had she missed her so deeply.
Meanwhile, quite unexpectedly, the owners of the large farm on the northern side of the mountain appeared in the doorway. Miriam and Joseph did not even realize at first who they were, having only briefly glimpsed the face of the unwelcoming farm owner earlier. When the man’s wife learned of her husband’s lack of hospitality, she was deeply troubled by his behaviour.
In those days, hospitality was more than simply a polite gesture - it was an important duty toward a stranger or traveller. Offering water, a piece of bread, or a place to rest was a sign of respect, while refusing hospitality could be seen as a serious dishonour.
No wonder that even today we know the saying, “Guests are a blessing.” Although times have changed, the memory of this important and deeply rooted tradition has remained in our culture to this day.
That very evening, the same woman had run alone to the shepherds’ shed, but she did not dare show herself before such a beautiful and dignified Lady. She lingered nearby, listening, peering through the cracks in the walls, and then returned home heavy-hearted. Her thoughts weighed on her so much that she forgot her fear of darkness and wild animals in the valley. She ran back and forth faster than in two hours, lighting her way with a small olive lamp - thankfully, there was enough oil.
At dawn, the shepherds who came to water their sheep at the well spoke with admiration about Miriam’s gentleness and Joseph’s piety. In the morning, gathering all her courage, the woman set out with her family and went to the shed. Together with her husband, she apologized sincerely to Miriam and Joseph for his behaviour, regretting from the bottom of their hearts what had happened. Deeply moved, the woman now politely invited Miriam and Joseph to her home. They had to refuse, of course. They were on their way to Bethlehem and had no reason to turn back.
Miriam drew close the two children the hosts had brought with them and spoke to them about the Saviour of the world who was soon to be born, the One awaited by all Israel. Gabi and Marcel listened attentively as well:
"In a small cottage at the edge of the forest lived a family. Each morning, they welcomed the day with gratitude and without haste. One day, beneath an olive tree, the children noticed a small bird with a broken wing. They wanted to take it home, but their mother quickly stopped them. She paused for a moment, then smiled and said gently:
“Do not take the little bird away from its mother, for she knows best how to care for it. Sometimes the kindest help is simply offering food, water, or preparing a safe place nearby. What we do out of love truly matters the most.”
And so the children cared for the bird but left it close to the nest. They fed it for some time, watching as its mother circled above, calling out with soft, sorrowful cries. They also saw how she brought tiny flies and insects to her little one. One day, they watched as the small bird rose into the air. They rejoiced greatly.
“In every act of love,” Miriam continued, “if it is to be wise and effective, first ask God for light - even in a brief, silent turning of the heart toward Him. Then He will fill your minds with His wisdom, and your actions will transform both your hearts and the hearts of those to whom you show kindness.”
The children stood with mouths open in wonder, moved by the wisdom of the beautiful Lady’s words. Then all four of them ran together toward the nearby trees. Were they searching for birds in need of help?
By midday, after warm words and kind farewells, Miriam and Joseph set out again. It was a shorter day of travel. They went to the inn that had been pointed out to them, hoping for a more comfortable rest after the mountain journey.
Unfortunately, all the rooms were already taken by travellers. Moved by the sight of Miriam, the innkeepers prepared a place for them in a nearby shed and welcomed them warmly. Fruit orchards and olive groves, vegetable gardens, and several other houses surrounded by balsam trees stretched around the inn.
The four of them stayed in that shed by the inn for the night and the following day as well, for it happened to be the Sabbath - the holy day of rest. What did they do there, and how did they spend their time? The journey continues, unfolding step by step in trust, humility, and quiet wonder. Thus goes Advent’s Way to the House of Bread, leading hearts ever closer to Bethlehem and the mystery prepared by God. Come along and discover what happened next in their journey:
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 with kids from Psalm 84,4:
“Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for her young: by Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.”
Share it in the comments and send me your card. Gabi and Marcel will be happy to see it too. ❤️
← Continue the journey: If you missed the previous chapter, step back onto the road and discover what happened before.
A może wolisz czytać po polsku?
🌿Greetings from the Journey
At the end of the day, Marcel took out his notebook and wrote:
HOSPITALITY
הַכְנָסַת אוֹרְחִים (hachnasat orchim)
Literally: “welcoming guests” / “welcoming travellers.”
This is the traditional Jewish expression for hospitality. It carries the idea of opening your home to travellers, offering them food, and giving them a place to rest.
💛 What does this mean?
🏠 Home – Can I make room for another person?
🍞 Table – What can I share with someone else?
🤍 Heart – Can I welcome others without judging them?
Light – Does my presence make someone feel welcome?
👣 Journey – Do I remember that I am also a pilgrim, and that I too need someone to welcome me?
Greek of the New Testament - φιλοξενία (philoxenia)
This word means hospitality, but its structure is especially beautiful:
philos (φίλος) - friend, beloved one
xenos (ξένος) - stranger, foreigner, traveller
So philoxenia can be understood literally as “love for the stranger” or “welcoming the traveller with kindness.”
English - hospitality
The English word hospitality comes from the Latin hospes - “host, guest, traveller,” and hospitalitas - “hospitality.”
Interestingly, the Latin word hospes could refer both to the one who welcomes and the one who is welcomed. In the very origin of the word, host and guest meet.
The Bible also uses the important Hebrew word גֵּר (ger) - “stranger, foreigner, a resident alien living among the people.” The Law of Israel repeatedly calls for the ger to be treated with care, dignity, and respect.
And perhaps this is the most beautiful thought to carry with us:
💕God comes as a Guest - a Guest we are invited to recognize and make room for.
🏠 “Guests are a blessing.”
🌟 A Question for the Little Pilgrim:
If someone knocked on your door today, what could you do to make them feel at home?
💕Advent reminds me that God is also knocking at the door of my heart. Is there room for Him there?
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