A quiet, humble and blessed evening.
Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem, the place chosen by God to welcome the coming Prince of Peace from eternity.
And you, Bethlehem Ephratov, even if you are small to be among the tribes of Judah, from you will come forth for Me One Who will be a ruler in Israel, Whose origin is from the beginning, from eternity.
Micah 5:2
The pregnant Virgin Mary settled in the little wreath, assigned by God to shelter the holy child, sent from the heavens to be the Savior of the Earth.
Mary felt the pains of childbirth, but her heart was radiant with the good news that the angel Gabriel had given her nine months ago:
Hello, grace! God is with you! Blessed are you among women. Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have obtained God's favor. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, whom you will call Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.
The troubled maiden had asked the angel:
How will that be, since I don't know a man?
And the angel had said to her:
The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you, therefore the holy One who will be born from you will be called the Son of God.
Although frightened, Mary had obeyed the Word and the holy will of God - to become the mother of the Son of God:
Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be to me as you have said.
The Holy Gospel of Luke 1:28-35, 38
On that night of expectation, Joseph was by his wife Mary's side and helped her prepare for the birth.
At first, not believing in her supernatural pregnancy, Joseph intended to leave her secretly, but an angel from the Lord appeared to him in a dream, bringing him the good news:
Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son whom you will call Jesus (Savior), because He is the One who will save His people from their sins. And all this happened in order to fulfill what was said by the Lord, through the prophet, who said: "Behold, a virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means "God with us").
The Holy Gospel from Matthew 1:18-25
Joseph had done exactly as the angel of the Lord had commanded him. He had taken Mary as his wife and was determined to raise the Son of God with her.
The young family humbly and submissively, with faith, with hope and with love, awaited the birth of Christ - the only one of his kind at the same time God and man.