Mark's loving gift to the Holy Family

IC illustration/Jenn Sparks

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The little lamb began to munch fresh grass. This would be his first shearing. He was anxious about the experience and was afraid he would have to walk back to the herd cold and shivering.

"Come along, Lambikin," his young shepherd prodded him. "We don’t want to be late for our first shearing." Like Lambikin, this would be his shepherd’s first shearing, and the boy seemed anxious about keeping up with his father and uncles, his mother and aunts. Lambikin tried to keep up with the rest of the herd as it moved from valley and hillside.

For some time Lambikin lay close to his to his young shepherd, enjoying having his ears scratched and his tummy rubbed when he lay down to rest. Oddly on this day the whole herd was quiet and sleepy and seemed to want to rest.

The shearing of the little lamb’s herd had begun and one by one the sheep were picked up by their feet and put on the shearing tables. The shears cut off their thick wool, which would eventually become cloth for clothes, household items and pieces to sell.

"What is this?" the little lamb asked himself. Suddenly he was surrounded with a light through which he could not see.

The rest of the herd stood up but stayed in their places quietly. Then Lambikin heard beautiful voices coming from high in the sky, above the light.

Lambikin felt himself being picked up and settled on the shoulders of his young shepherd. "We must hurry," his shepherd said. "We don’t want to miss the birth of the new king." Lambikin didn’t know what a king was or why all the shepherds with lambs and sheep on their shoulders rushed away from the herd and toward the light and the music. Lambikin felt the itching of his wool beginning to ease and he didn’t want to baa at all. Suddenly a bright light engulfed the sky. Then he saw a tall man walking in the light with stacks of bread in his hands.

"My name is Joseph," said the tall man, taking the shepherd’s hand in the crook of his arm to led him to a stable where there were many other people and animals.

"My name is Mark," the shepherd said.

"You will meet my wife, Mary," Joseph said. "She is a beautiful woman."

Lambikin found himself being carefully put on the ground near a manger filled with sweet grass. Then, he heard the unmistakable sound of a baby laughing. Mary and Joseph laughed along with the baby. The sheep and the lambs already there began bleating softly.

Lambikin was not the least bit afraid of Joseph or the other men and animals surrounding the stable. Mark asked his parents if he could go with Mary and Joseph. His parents looked at each other and said, "Yes, you may go. For you and Lambikin are the only gifts we have for the new king."

"Joseph, my love," Mary said softly when he took Mark to meet her. "You have gotten all the bread we will need, and Mark, too. We are surely blessed."

And blessed they were. Eventually they found a little house in which to live.

Mark, the baby and Lambikin began to grow and play together. The little boy, whose name was Jesus, enjoyed riding on Lambikin. Joseph and Mary watched them play.

Months later, Joseph said he’d had a disturbing dream. He and Mary began packing up the gifts they’d been given and prepared to head for a land called Egypt.

Lambikin found himself being lifted again onto his shepherd’s shoulders. Mark, too, had grown some, so he could still carry Lambikin on his shoulders.

Mary wrapped Jesus in a blanket made of Lambikin’s wool and they rode astride the donkey that Joseph and Mary had gotten as a gift.

They started out. Joseph and Mark led the way. Joseph held the donkey’s lead rope. Mark and Lambikin heard Joseph and Mary speaking softly of Jesus being the long-awaited king.

"If Jesus really is a king," Lambikin said to himself, "I will be one of his gifts. I will keep him warm and I will sing him to sleep every night. I am just a lamb, but I will be the best lamb among all of those animals brought to honor him. I will laugh and cry with Jesus as we grow old together. I will stay close to Jesus and love him and sing to him and Mary and Joseph."