A. Mark if the following misteries are about the Encarnation or the Easter of Jesus (along with the Passion):

1. Jesus’ life, a constant lesson.

    Those who know well Our Lord Jesus' life know that it was a continuous lesson: his hiding, his obedience, his work and miracles, his pray, his love for men, specially for children and poors and the unreservedly acceptance of the cross' sacrifice for the salvation of mankind.

2. The birth of Jesus in Bethlem

    As the prophets had announced, Jesus born in Bethlem of Juda after centuries of waiting. God sent his Son, born as a man in the pure womb of the Holy Virgin, to save everybody and show us the path to Heaven. He borned in a slowly stable, from a poor family, being knowed first by simple sheperds, the first ones who worship him. There are lessons of humility, poverty and simplicity..., which all of us must learn and follow.

3. The great event of Christmas

    The gospels narrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man, with simplicity: 'Now it happened that at this time Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be made of the whole inhabited world.' This census- the first - took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria, and everyone went to be registered, each to his own town. So Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee for Judaea, to David's town called Bethlehem, since he was of David's House and line, in order to be registered together with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. Now it happened that, while they were there, the time came for her to have her child,and she gave birth to a son, her first-born. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the living-space.' (Luke 2,1-7). Every year, we celebrate Christmas and the events related to it on the 25 of December: the Holy Family (the first after Christmas), the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (1 January) and the Epiphany of Our Lord (6th of January).

4. The mysteries of Jesus' childhood.

    The crucial events or mysteries of Jesus' childhood were:

    a) The Circumcision, at the eighth day after his birth, as it was established for the Jewish children. It was a ceremony which foreshadow the baptism.

    b) The Epiphany, or manifestation of Jesus as Messiah of Israel, celebrated by the adoration of the Three Wise Men.

    c) Jesus' presentation on the temple. According to the law of God, Mary and Joseph presented Jesus on the temple fourty days after his birth; the mother- Virgin Mary here- was under the laws of purification. Mary was not forced to be virgin and without sin, but she wanted to obey the law of God.

    d) Flight to Egypt and Killing of the Innocents. Jesus was chased and hounded from the very beginning, and Christians through the ages have also suffered persecution and martyrdom.

B. Answer with one of the following words: ignorance, doubt, lesson, prophets, judges, kings, condemn, save, judge, wealthy, splendid, humble, Christmas, Ascension or Whitsun.

Choose if it is refering to the circumcision, the epiphany, Jesus' presentation on the temple or to the flight to Egypt:

5.Jesus’ hidden life

    During most part of his life, Jesus' life was like the vast majority of the people of his times: a life without apparent excitation or importance, a job for living, a religious life obeying the law of God, a life in community in his village with his parents, friends and acquaintances. The gospel narrates how Jesus obeyed his parents and grew in wisdom, age and grace in God's and men's eyes. Only the event of the loose and later finding of Jesus in the temple, at the age of twelve- narrated by saint Luke- breaks the apparent monotony of his hidden life, full of sense and teachings.

6. Saint Joseph's role

    We know that Jesus born from the Virgin Mary, conceived by the work and grace of the Holy Spirit. God was his Father, but it was necessary a man to be his father on Earth. The choosen was Joseph, a righteous man from the house of David. Joseph, virginal husband of Mary and legal father of Jesus, acted with her and with the Son of God as husband and father in Earth. With his job as a carpenter, he gave Mary and Jesus food and care. He also taught Jesus his profession.

7. Sanctification of daily work (and study)

    Imitating Jesus' example -who lived thirty years of hidden life working-, and also the Virgin and saint Joseph ones, Christians sanctified ourselves in our normal life, by our own work and study. To sanctify our daily work is a way to search, find and love God in the things we do serving others. For this, a daily Chistian life can be summarized saying that he must sanctify his work, sanctify himself in the work and sanctify others with his job. To achieve this, we must do our own work with care and attention, finishing every last detail and consecrating it to the love of God.

8. We must be in contact with the Holy Family

    Jesus, Mary and Joseph were the admirable family of Nazareth, what we call the Holy Family. Being in contact with Joseph, Mary and Jesus, we are also in contact with the Holy Family; we must imitate their virtues and live according to the example they gave to us.

Curso de Catequesis. Don Jaime Pujol Balcells and Don Jesús Sancho Bielsa. EUNSA. Navarra. 1982. Reproduced with the permission of the authors.

  C. Choose one of the following answers: eight, ten, twelve, ordinary, magical, extraordinary, memory, profession, book, artisan, farmer, sheperd, twelve, thirty, forty, sanctify, condemn, upset, negligence, bore, care, love, hate, indifference, Fellowship, Family, Gathering.

Questions from the catechisms

1. When did we celebrate the birth of Jesus?  We celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas day.

2. What is Jesus' hidden life?  We call Jesus' hidden life the thirty years He lived in family with Mary and Joseph, as one more of his age and place, showing love and absolute obedience and dedicated to his craft as an artisan.

3. What lessons could we learn from Jesus' hidden life?  Between the lessons we can learn from Jesus' hidden life stand out the importance of a family, the value of an ordinary life, the dignity of a job and the necessity of obedience.

4. Who are the Holy Family?  The Holy Family is the one constituted by Jesus, Mary and Joseph, example and potection of a human family.

D. Choose the proper answer. You could find the options below: 

  Intentions for a Christian life

- Read about Jesus' hidden life in the gospels and meditate about it.

- Think if we make the most of of our family life and our study and work to live closer to God, just as Jesus did; that is, to sanctify it.

- Treat Saint Joseph as head of the Holy Family, together with Mary and Jesus, to imitate his virtues in their home in Nazareth.

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