Too early didst thou learn that love may vanish and safety oft deceives. Thou filled the hollow within with song and fury, with sin and sorrow, each a whisper crying, I still remain. I learned pain before I learned language. When everyone forsaketh me, then shall the LORD take me up.

A Reflection on the Shepherd, the Sheep, and the Bread of Life Jesus was not born in a palace or placed in a cradle of gold. He was born among animals, and He was laid in a manger. This detail is not sentimental decoration. It is revelation. A manger is not a bed. It is a feeding trough. It exi