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Showing posts from October, 2014

LEGEND OF THE LITTLE LOAF

Once, when there was a famine, a rich baker sent for twenty of the poorest children in the town and said to them, "In this basket there is a loaf for each of you. Take it, and come back to me every day till God sends us better times."  The hungry children gathered eagerly about the basket, and quarreled for the bread, because each wished to have the largest loaf. At last they went away without even thanking the good man.  But Gretchen, a poorly dressed little girl, did not quarrel or struggle with the rest, but remained standing modestly a pace away. When the ill-behaved children had left, she took the smallest loaf, which alone was left in the basket, kissed the man's hand, and went home.  The next day the children were as ill-behaved as before, and poor, timid Gretchen received a loaf scarcely half the size of the one she got the first day. When she came home, and her mother cut the loaf open, many new, shining pieces of silver fell out of it.  ...

LEGEND OF THE ROBIN

While Virgin Mary was lying in straw beside her son in the manger on the chilly night of December when he was born, she was too tired and weak to get up and keep the fire to keep her son warm. She was a stranger in the land and there was no one yet to help her with her miseries. The wind was raw and cold and fire was getting dull, this causing discomfort to the Holy Infant. Thus, Mary asked the oxen in the stable to help her and blow the embers with their breath. But they did not even stir from their place. Then, the poor mother pleaded with the ass to breathe upon the flame to make it brighter and warmer but the silly and lazy animal was so fast asleep that he did not even heard his name. At last, a brave small Robin who was flying down south with his brothers heard the lady's pleas and saw her and her son in great discomfiture and took pity on them and come through the window to help them. She flapped her wings till the flames rekindled and started burning brighter...

LEGEND OF THE STORK

Infant Jesus was lying in the manger in the stable in Bethlehem and all the beasts and birds of the world rushed to greet the newly born King of the world. They knelt down to pray and adore the beautiful baby. The ox and other pets bowed down in their stalls and places while the wild animals remained outside the stable in the hope of getting a glimpse of the Holy Son. A long-legged stork with white feathers and a high crest also came to see the young King. However, he was moved with compassion when he saw the baby King lying in the bed of straw with no pillow under his head while he could sleep cozily with his feathers curled around him. Moved to his heart, this kind stork knew that he possibly could not give a crown to the young King but he certainly could provide soft feathers for His pillow. Despite all the pain, he tugged and tore at the softest plumes on his breast that made the best pillow fir for the Holy King on which the Holy Child laid his small head and sm...

LEGEND OF A CHRISTMAS ROSE

On the cold December night, everybody was coming to see their new Savior and brought Him all kinds of gifts and presents. The three Wise Men came in with their valuable gifts of myrrh, frankincense and gold and offered them to Baby Jesus. At that point of time, a shepherd maiden who had come to see and visit the Christ Child also reached the door of the stable. However, she was very poor and had nothing to offer the child. She felt helpless and was quietly weeping outside the door. She had searched for flowers all over the countryside but there was not even a single bloom to be found in the bitter winters. An angel outside the door was watching over her and knew about her fruitless search. He took pity on her and when he saw her head drooped down in sorrow, gently brushed aside the snow at her feet, from where a beautiful cluster of waxen white winter roses sprang up with pink tipped petals. The, he softly whispered in the shepherdess's ears that these Christmas ...

Legend of the Three Purses

It is said that when Saint Nicholas was Bishop of Myra and heard about the extreme poverty of one of his parishioners who once a wealthy nobleman but was now unable to provide food and clothes to his three daughters and marry them off because of the custom of dowry in those days, he was overcome with pity and sympathy. Then he decided to throw a purse of gold from the open window anonymously to the daughters' bed. In the first night, he threw the purse on the eldest daughter's bed. In the morning, family was pleasantly surprised to find it and rejoiced to see it and spent some of the money to buy food and clothes for themselves and rest of the money was used to marry her to her lover. The father was even more surprised, when he found a similar purse of gold the next day on the bed of the second daughter. She was also married off. However, the father could not curb his curiosity to know the identity of their secret helper and hid himself be...