.... It is tempting to say that the message of the nativity is in the things that are not present, i.e., in its material poverty. From that, one could easily move to a condemnation of wealth and make the mistake of seeing poverty itself as goodness. In your meditation, ponder that rich men came bearing very expensive gifts, wise and holy men seeking what was present, not what was missing....

Contrary to popular vogue at the close of the second millennium, the Holy Family was not "homeless"; nor were they destitute. With a home in Nazareth and Joseph's trade, they were travellers who could at least afford a room at the inn, had there been an available room. Joseph likely paid for the stable. The hardship of the day was very real, to deliver a baby in a stable in the cold of winter, and

The Nativity is a joyous mystery, and it was joyous not merely because the long term benefits of saving the world made the sufferings of the moment endurable. It was joyous in the moment because those in it lived in the riches of the moment -- the riches of holiness are available in every moment for the children of God. Whether we must endure material suffering or soak in affluence, the boundless riches of the kingdom are our inheritance and there to draw upon now. It is less significant that those possessing little were drawn to the treasure in the manger, than it is that those with wealth of their own saw where the greater treasure lay.

The story moves on and the car is replaced by the distinctly separate vehicles of meditation and contemplation (concepts made very clear), not merely for the journey in reading the book, but for making every Rosary henceforth an exciting intellectual and spiritual journey into the "Sacred Mysteries," twenty events in the life of Jesus Christ.

Reason and Faith team up in "reasoning faith" for a journey of the mind and soul which mere death cannot separate. It is a journey taken long ago by faith-filled people along paths traveled by the God of the Living, not of the dead. The events were real, and the people still are, granted life eternal in the eternal kingdom, present not just "now and forever," but forever and now. As the apostles were granted a glimpse into the Kingdom in the sacred mystery of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, the Rosary offers such a glimpse today, not only once, but repeatedly.

This book presents the Rosary as a flexible itinerary which encourages side trips, broadening and enriching the visit in each mystery event according to the traveler's own individual constitution. The Rosary beads keep the count, the repetition maintains the focus, and the Spirit escorts a freed will and exploring intellect.