Page 18     

                                                                                                                                                                    `                                                                                   

The Third Joyful Mystery
The Nativity

CHAPTER 6

The Birth of Jesus Christ

                                Now the generation of Christ was in this wise. When as His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph,
before they
came together, She was found with Child, of the Holy Ghost.
                                    Whereupon Joseph Her husband, being a just man, and not willing publicly to expose Her, was minded
                            to put Her away privately. But while he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord
                                appeared to him in his sleep, saying: "Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy
                                wife; for that which is conceived in Her, is of the Holy Ghost. And She shall bring forth a Son,
                and thou shalt call His name JESUS, for He shall save His people from their sins."

                            Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which the Lord spoke by the prophet, saying:
                                "Behold a Virgin shall be with Child, and bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel
which being interpreted is, God with us. [See Isaiah 7:14]

                                    And Joseph rising up from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and took unto him
        his wife. And he knew Her not till She brought forth Her firstborn Son:3

The Gospel according to St. Matthew chapter 1: verses 18-25

                                And it came to pass that in those days there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that the
whole world
                                    should be enrolled. This enrolling was first made by Cyrinus, the governor of Syria. And all went
                            to be enrolled, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the

3 Till She brought forth Her first born son: From these words Helvidius and other heretics
most impiously inferred that the Blessed Virgin Mary had other children
besides Christ. But St. Jerome shows, by divers examples, that this expression of the
Evangelist was a manner of speaking usual among the Hebrews, to denote by the word until,
only what is done, without any regard to the future. Thus it is said (Genesis 8: 6-7) that
Noe "sent forth a raven, which went forth, and did not return till the waters were
dried upon the earth ...." That is, did not return any more. Also in Isaias 46:4, God
says: "I am