"Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger." Luke 2, 8-16 Situated approximately 3 kilometers from the center of Bethlehem is the site of Siyar el Ghanam than the village of Beit Sahour which Christian tradition has identified with the Shepherds' Field supported by the excavations conducted by Father Corbo at the beginning of the 1950s. Fr. ALVIERO NICCACCI, ofm Studium Biblicum Franciscanum "Shepherds were in a category held in contempt by Judaism because they have to tend to the needs of sheep rather than living in an orderly life according to the rules of judaic law. But David himself was a Shepherd more or less in that area we can imagine. He was a shepherd boy and from there he was called upon to govern, to be king of Israel. And we also know in Antiquity Shepherd was a title of the king. God himself is called Shepherd and Jesus "the Good Shepherd" and it's a terminology that suggests small but at the same time evokes great things." Because it is always Christmas in Bethlehem everyday is Christmas in the hearts of Christians. Read More