This morning, I was placing some wildflowers in a vase, when Joseph arrived from his trip to Sepphoris. He looked exhausted, and I noticed lines of worry on his face.
“What’s wrong, Joseph?” I asked him.
“I didn’t want to tell you, Mary, because I did not want you to worry,” said Joseph. “But as I was returning from Sepphoris, a group of Roman soldiers in horses made their way into Nazareth. They gathered at the square, and the centurion read the following decree: ‘By order of Caesar Augustus, General Quirinius, governor of Syria, declares that all inhabitants of the earth must register for the census, each in his own city, and within the month.’ When the soldiers left, the rabbi re-read the decree. As you can imagine, everyone is very upset. The object of this census is to make all the inhabitants acknowledge themselves as vassals of the emperor, and to pay a certain tax to their temporal lord.”
“What are we going to do, Joseph?” I asked him. “The baby is due to arrive in just a few weeks.”
Joseph tried to calm me down, but he was clearly very concerned too. Joseph was from Bethlehem, a five day trip in my condition. We conferred with each other about the course of action to be pursued, and we decided that the best thing would be to leave right away. Hopefully, we would have enough time to go, register, and return before the baby was born.
“Mary, we will leave tomorrow,” said Joseph.
In the afternoon, we went to visit our families to let them know that we would be departing to Bethlehem the following day. Unfortunately, I had no choice but to go with him because the decree also stated that both the head of the family and the spouse had to be present for the registration. Otherwise, I would have stayed with my aunt and uncle.
We were not the only ones in this situation. A lot of persons in Nazareth had to go to other cities to fulfill the requirements of the decree, and register for the census in their birth places. There was a lot of commotion in the entire town, as people were getting ready to depart.
It is now midnight, and while Joseph sleeps, I am here writing on this journal, keeper of my most intimate thoughts. I am very nervous, I cannot deny it. This decree threw all our plans out the window. For me to have to leave my home, in the advanced stage of my pregnancy, is a huge risk. I was counting on the help of my aunt and other ladies from our town to be by my side when I gave birth. I found peace knowing that my son would be born in my home, surrounded by people that I knew and loved, in surroundings that were familiar to me. I imagined him safe in the cradle that Joseph with so much love built for him with his own hands. Now, I had to pack just the bare necessities, and travel for five days not knowing what we could encounter on the way.
“This decree has turned my world upside down, Lord,” I prayed. “Why is it that nothing in my marriage and maternity can be simple?” As I pondered in the silence of my heart for God’s answer, I realized that when I gave Him my “yes,” it was a prolonged “yes,” and it covered anything that He asked of me. I had no control over my life, much less over what was happening. God had a plan, and whether I liked it or not, I had to accept it and follow Him. If He wanted us to go to Bethlehem, He had His reasons, and who was I to question them? I accepted His providence. I packed my baby’s swaddling clothes and coverlets, and I added a few linens and clothing that I would need in case that I had to deliver our baby while I was gone. The plan was to go to Bethlehem, and as soon as we registered, depending on how I felt, return to Nazareth or go to Ein Kerem which was much closer.
That night, I found refuge in the knowledge that God would not abandon us. And I tried to sleep, even if just for a few hours.
Reflection:
Separation, grief, loneliness, and depression are no strangers to this season of Advent. Hope may be in short supply during this time. I need Mary’s inspiring example of courage and trust in the face of uncertainty more than ever. How can I use Mary’s remarkable and inspiring example of courage in the face of adversity, patience in the face of uncertainty, and hope beyond hope to believe that the impossible is indeed possible?
Copyright © 2019 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.
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