“…I first heard it told on radio by Paul Harvey many
years ago. I’ve probably altered his exact words, but
here’s the gist:
When Jesus was born in the stable in Bethlehem, one of
the animals there was a dusty little tabby cat.
It was cold in the stable, and the baby started to cry.
The little tabby cat washed and washed and washed until
his coat was clean and shiny, and then jumped into the
manger and lay down next to little Jesus and began to
purr. He was so warm, and his purr so soothing, that
soon the baby had gone to sleep.
Mary wanted to thank the cat, so she drew her initial
on his head with her fingertip. And from that day to
this, every tabby cat has worn a letter “M” above its
eyes – the mark of the grateful Virgin.”
Whether truth or legend, it makes a nice story. Cats
are not mentioned in the Bible, except as lions, so
it has a definite appeal.
Even if we’re not sure if a cat was present in the manger
scene, we know that the best part of the story, which
we know to be true, is that Jesus, the light of the world,was
born of a virgin; suffered and died on the cross; arose
from the grave after three days. He is the light of the Season.
