VATICAN - Walking towards Christmas: CHRIST ANNOUNCED BY THE SCRIPTURES- Announcement and fulfilment (7)

Rome (Fides Service) - BETHLEHEM TOWN OF DAVID
David is anointed King by Samuel, in Bethlehem where his family lived and where he tended the flocks, (1 Samuel 16,). « But you Bethlehem, Ephrata… from you will be born the one who is to reign over Israel» (Micah 5, 1).
It is in Bethlehem that Jesus is born. Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee for Judea, to David's town called Bethlehem, since he was of David's House and line… to be registered together with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child… Now it happened that, while they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to a son, her first-born » (Luke 2, 3-7 passim).
Bethlehem means « the house of bread ». After the miraculous feeding of the five thousand Jesus says: « I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever hunger; no one who believes in me will ever thirst» (John 6, 35a.48). « I am the living bread which has come down from heaven …the bread I give is my flesh for the life of the world » (John 6 51). « If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you» (John 6, 52b).
« Jesus took bread, and when he had said the blessing he broke it and gave it to the disciples.’Take it and eat,' he said, 'this is my body » (Matthew 26, 26). (J.M.) (Fides Service, 16 December 2006)