"The Nativity Story" is a major motion picture about the year leading up to Jesus' birth and concluding with Mary and Joseph fleeing to Egypt to save Jesus from Herod's soldiers. The film presents a unique opportunity for us to visualize this well-known story as we celebrate the Christmas season in ways that are as inviting as they are inspiring.

This online guide is an extract from "The Nativity Story: A Film Study Guide for Catholics" (available at Pauline Books & Media Center, by calling 1-800-876-4463 or ordering online at www.pauline.org).

While we recommend that each person (especially parents and catechists) has his/her own copy of the guide, this abbreviated version can assist in whole parish community catechesis and families in particular as households of faith, to reflect, and have conversations about "The Nativity Story" using questions based on the Sunday's Gospel reading. The guide is a way to bring faith and life together.

Preparation: See "The Nativity Story" as a family or with small group. Post the weekly questions in a central place in your home so that you will remember to talk about them. Read the Gospel passage the night before, or before you leave for Mass. Use one or more of the questions as appropriate for your family.

Jan. 7: Epiphany of the Lord
Gospel: Matthew 2: 1-12
---The film not only combines the Infancy narratives of Matthew and Luke but also telescopes the time frame of the events to fit a two-hour movie. This is especially true at the end when the magi arrive almost on Christmas day. What does the magi's witness to Jesus mean, since they were not Jewish and came from other countries?

---The magi were different from Mary, Joseph and Jesus because they were not Jewish. Yet, Mary says in the film that Jesus is for all people and she welcomes the magi. As a Catholic Christian, how do you treat or welcome people who are different from you? Be specific in your answers.

---Imagine that you are just an ordinary person who has come from a long distance to honor Jesus. What gift would you bring to him?

---All through "The Nativity Story," we have traveled with the three magi from a faraway country to the grotto in Bethlehem. How did you feel when they finally found Jesus and presented their gifts, especially Gaspar? What does their search for Jesus mean for us and people of the world today?