I was not one of the eager volunteers to follow the Prophet Jesus. I had a good life. I had a husband, two sons and a good business. I also was an opportunist. When our sons were chosen by the Prophet that made the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk and feed thousands, we were all in awe. And when both our sons were chosen to be members of a group of twelve that would be placed in charge over the twelve tribes in a new kingdom, I began to see a vision of grandeur. The miracles and the crowds reminded us of the days of Moses and King David. Yet, all this was taking place without violence. Jesus was changing us into a people that could win without fighting. The words He spoke were more powerful than the sword. His peaceful way of leadership frightened our leaders and they began to plot against our spiritual or moral leader. We the women longed for a leader that could save us from bloodshed and the loss of our men in conflicts with our enemies. To our dismay, our enemies were not the Romans but our own leaders. We became discouraged when Jesus did not fight back but chose to die instead. In time, His return from the dead cleared up my misconstrued vision of an earthly kingdom. It was incomprehensible for us to understand that tragedy had to precede victory. We had to live through it.

I spent many days in bed. I had a fever that would not let me go. Sometimes my body was trenched in sweat and at other times in chills. I would feel as if I was burning up and then as if I was freezing. The fever incapacitated me. It made me useless. I felt so hot that I could not stand up or function in any way. It was a handicapping infliction that robbed me of what I loved most. The thing that I loved most of all was to be useful and serve others. My home was noted for being hospitable and courteous. As long as I could remember, we had people come and stay with us. We were in the fishing business and all of our customers and friends were always welcome at our home. Before I succumbed to this fever, I made people feel comfortable and welcome. Now my daughter was in charge. Instead of helping her, I was an added burden to those whom I loved.

Andrew and I, John Zebedee, we were present when the Baptizer identified the dove that had descended on Jesus while He emerged from the water as the Holy Spirit. In due time, we would learn that God was Spirit and Jesus, the Man, was endowed with that Spirit. In Jesus, God was with us and Jesus could and did pass on that Spirit to all of His followers. He immersed us in the Spirit similar to being immersed in water. He, Himself, lived and worked in the power of the Spirit. We were not instantly impacted by the idea that there was a world of the Spirit and a kingdom that was not of this world. Like Nicodemus, we did not immediately grasp how the Spirit of God could work in us and through us. It would be some time and a number of miracles before we were ready to become instruments of the Spirit. The first among us was Simon Peter, who was touched by the Spirit of God and was able to identify Jesus as the Son of God for us. The rest of us were endowed with the Spirit of Christ after He arose from the grave.

Andrew and I lived in Bethsaida, Galilee. A fisherman built a house on the eastside, where the Jordan River enters Lake Galilee. When others settled, they continued to call the place Bethsaida or House of the Fisher. Most of us made our living by fishing. The Simon family and the Zebedees were partners. I am John Zebedee and I am the brother of James. Andrew was the brother of Simon, who would become Peter. Simon married a lady in Capernaum, just a short distance west and south from Bethsaida on Lake Galilee. Capernaum was a major small city with a Roman Garrison, a Synagogue and a tax office where Matthew was employed. The Roman officer in charge of the town was friendly toward our people and tolerant to our religion. He gave us the impression that he preferred our religion to his own and we soon learned that his faith was more visible than ours. He was the one who did not feel worthy that our Teacher should enter his home. All He had to do was say the word and his servant would live. Our Teacher also snatched his daughter from dying.

I am John, the man that introduced the Christ to the public. I was predestined, born and prepared for that task. For that purpose, I was endowed with the spirit and power of Elijah. It was still in my mother's womb and He in his mother's womb, that I felt that my Cousin was the future Christ. From that day on, I knew who He was, but I had to wait thirty years to announce Him to the world as the "One" chosen to take away the sins of the world. Even then, I was uncertain as to what the Christ had planned to do for us. I had mistakenly expected different things from our Messiah. We were hoping and praying for a man with the power of Moses or for one with the military skills of David. When Jesus appeared before me and demanded to be baptized, He did not carry a miracle rod, but was accompanied by a dove - the symbol of peace. Then, when He began to preach and the crowds grew around Him and there was no indication when He was going to move against our enemies, I became disturbed and send some of my students to ask Him directly whether He was the One or were we to wait for another?

I am pleased to be remembered as the Other Mary or as the sister to Mary mother of Jesus. Actually, we were sisters-in-law. Mary was married to Joseph and I was married to Alphaeus, Joseph's brother. Mary and I grew up together in Nazareth. We played together and we shared our secrets together. Mary and Joseph were away for a time and then returned to Nazareth with a little boy named "Jesus" and we continued our friendship. I was privileged to watch Jesus grow up. He played with our children. Our son James was very close to Jesus. Their friendship would impact us greatly. He began to follow Jesus long before they became adults. He also looked up to Jesus and we were pleased that he did. Jesus had a way of staying out of childish mishaps. Jesus kept often to Himself and He appeared lost in thinking. Even when He was little, He puzzled us with His questions. By the age of twelve, He began to instruct our leaders. He had an unusual desire to be in the house of God, in our synagogue and in the Temple in Jerusalem. He disagreed with His parents once and then was the most obedient child in the neighborhood and He did well in his father's trade. Jesus was somewhat of a peacemaker among the children. There was less disagreement and fighting among them when He was around. There was something secret about Jesus until He made it public Himself, when He went on His mission trip into the desert. After He returned, He stirred up our people by announcing that He was acting in behalf of God. He was almost killed. He left Nazareth and our son James went with Him. Shortly thereafter, I, too, did followed Jesus and our son.

I am James and I was born and raised in Nazareth. Jesus and I grew up together. We were much more than playmates - we were family like cousins. My mother, the other Mary, was married to my father Alphaeus who was a brother to my uncle Joseph, the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus. We played as children and wrestled as boys. We were loved and respected, not just by our parents. I tended more toward mischief than Jesus. He was not always as playful as I wanted Him to be. Still, I felt attached to Him and for good reasons. He kept me out of many things that could have embarrassed me. Jesus seemed to sense what we could and could not do. I liked to follow Him and learned the way He behaved. Unlike other children and the boys, He tended to occupy Himself more and more with what adults did and talked about. It did not take long and the adults were surprised with what He knew about morality and religion. I was not surprised when He challenged our religious leaders at the age of twelve in the Temple. In our local synagogue, Jesus began to read early and our teachers encouraged Him. I felt elevated in His company because He made me feel smarter that the other boys. At that time, I had no idea that our attachment would last endlessly. Even the notion that Jesus, my cousin, would grow up, leave town and start a new movement was not on my mind. That announcement would take us all by surprise. But because of our friendship, I remained faithful to Him after the town tried to throw Him off a cliff. Because of me, my mother, the other Mary also joined our small group that began the new mission of Jesus. Uncle Joseph had passed away, but my aunt Mary and my cousins were not ready to regard Jesus as the One whom God had called. Gradually, my mother must have convinced Mary, mother of Jesus and her sons to follow her Son. At the end, my mother stood by her sister-in-law Mary while her Son was being crucified.

Jesus issued this invitation, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Mt.11: 28). It was also He that spoke from heaven, "I am the Root and the offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star" (Rev.22: 16). Jesus, the ascended Lord, linked two important events that took place on Christmas. The oracle of Balaam, "I see him but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel" (Nu.24: 17). Jacob blessed Judah, "The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until it comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his" (Gen.49: 10). Then there was the remarkable fulfillment by the Magi. "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews (Judah)? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him" (Mt.2: 2). Let us note, were the Magi expecting to find the baby king in king Herod's royal palace?

I am Rachel of Ramah and mother of Joseph and Benjamin. I am weeping with Leah, my sister of Bethlehem, mother of the Jews (Judah). Yes, we are crying because our daughters are crying for their children that were taken from us by the brutal hands of Esau's son Herod. They were taken from us before they could become boys, teens and young men. They left nothing to remember them for, nor can we honor their names. They might as well never have been, nor caused us pain when they were born. You ask us, "Who or what has caused us such sorrow?" It happened because we kept our Christ Child and Christmas and our hope of redemption alive. We sacrificed our children so that "Jeshua" could complete His mission. You ask, "How can you weep when you no longer live?" But, we do live in the spirit and see what mortals do not. That is why we weep with the mothers whose hearts are being pierced by their losses.

We are thinking of Joseph, husband of Mary and surrogate father of Jesus. He is a forgotten or overlooked person that played the most important role in the birth and early life of Jesus. What kind of a man would it take to care for a child that posed a threat to the establishment, in particularly to king Herod? And why do we hear so little about Joseph at Christmas?