Can Animals Really Talk?

December 21, 2009

Like a silhouette in the night, the young couple plodded through the streets of Bethlehem. Every place they stopped, they heard the same message: “No room.” Tired and discouraged, they bowed weary heads at the last inn. As they turned to go, the innkeeper shouted, “Wait! Come back! I do have a stable. It’s not much, but the straw will make a soft bed for your wife.”

Donkeys brayed. Cows mooed as if to protest this intrusion. Sheep bleated their objections. The wind outside howled angrily through the trees. But the couple settled in, speaking softly to the animals. The young woman’s time to give birth grew near. The animals grew quiet, as if furry mothers were empathizing with this painful act.

Suddenly, a loud wail pierced the night air. Then silence. Deafening silence. Every animal in the stable turned and looked at the young couple–as if listening for the grand finale. And then it came. The sweet cry of a newborn Baby and a mother’s hush. “His name is Jesus,” whispered the father, as if announcing to his animal congregation. Read more