From the earliest centuries of the Church, Christians have turned with profound reverence to the opening chapters of Matthew and Luke, sensing in these brief but luminous passages a distillation of the entire Christian mystery. The Infancy Narratives are not sentimental preludes to the "real" Gospel, nor are they decorative embellishments added to satisfy curiosity about Jesus' origins. They are, rather, the first proclamation of the Good News, the initial unfolding of the mystery of the Word made flesh, the revelation of divine condescension in its most delicate and hidden form. Within these narratives, the Church has always recognized the seeds of Christology, Mariology, ecclesiology, and even sacramental theology. They are the Gospel in miniature, containing in germ what will later blossom in the public ministry, the Passion, and the Resurrection.