The one great house of the true God in all the earth.
Bright and rich with gold and colour and curious work.
The house of prayer, the one place of sacrifice.
The great altar of God stands there.
Crowds pass to and fro to bring their offerings or to join in the never-ending worship.
Unheeded through the crowds—unheeded because so lowly and quiet—a pair go up to the place of offering.
A maiden bearing in her arms a Babe. By her side a staid and thoughtful man.
They are Mary and Joseph, and they bring the little Jesus into the Temple.
No longer the gloomy cave.
The shepherds, their lives full of joy, have gone back to their flocks.
The Holy Child and His parents pass through the crowds in the stately courts of the Temple, their hearts overflowing with
