MARY

MARY

Mary was the mother of Jesus.  She was a young girl, engaged to marry Joseph, who was a descendant of King David. One evening, the angel Gabriel visited Mary and told her that God was giving her a child, a child that would be the son of God.  Mary was afraid, but the angel Gabriel told her not to fear because she had found favor with the Lord.  Gabriel told Mary to name her baby Jesus.  Mary went to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, who was pregnant with her son, St. John the Baptist.  When Elizabeth heard the news, her baby leapt for joy inside her.  Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth and when the Roman Emperor announced that there should be a census, everyone had to return to their hometown to be counted.  So Mary and Joseph had to travel south to the town of Bethlehem.  It was in Bethlehem, the town of David, that Mary gave birth to Jesus.  The town was filled with people for the census, so the only place for Mary to have the baby was in a stable.  She placed baby Jesus in a manger.  Mary and Joseph returned to Nazareth, where they had other children and raised Jesus.  Mary is mentioned throughout Jesus’ life and was there when he was crucified.

NOAH

NOAH

Noah was one of the heroes of the book of Genesis, the first book in the Bible.  God had become very angry with the people in the world because of their wicked ways.  Noah was considered a good and righteous man.  So God commanded Noah to build an ark and even told him how to build it.  God was very specific about the size and the wood (cypress) Noah should use to build the ark.  God told Noah that he, his wife, and his sons and their wives were to board the ark.  First, though, Noah had to collect two of all the living creatures on earth, male and female, and bring them onto the ark.    Noah also had to bring food for everyone on the ark.  After everyone was on board, God caused it to rain for forty days and forty nights.  The earth was flooded and every living creature except those on the ark were drowned.  God wanted to cleanse the earth of all the wickedness.  It took many days for the earth to dry out.  Noah sent a dove out to check the dryness.  The dove finally came back with an olive leaf.  Then God told Noah to let all the animals go.  God made a covenant with Noah to never again destroy the world.  The sign of the covenant was a rainbow.  Noah was considered to be a second Adam, the father of all people.