25 Days with St. Joseph: From Nazareth to Bethlehem-Epilogue

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.’” Matthew 2:1-2

Good evening Lord. 

It’s been twelve days since the birth of your Son. I have never felt such peace like the peace I felt on the night that He was born when it was just the three of us. The invisible had become visible. I did not have to believe in what I had not seen, all I had to do was look into His tiny face to believe. Nobody would have found out about His birth but the angels wanted the whole world to know. The shepherds have made sure to spread the news. 

Every single day, shepherds have visited the stable to adore the Child, but today, we received some unexpected visitors. The sun had already set, but our cave was full of light. A bright star had positioned itself directly above the cave, and its light filtered in through the holes on the roof. I had never seen such a bright star before.

I was contemplating the star, when I heard a big commotion outside. I thought it was the shepherds that had come to visit us again. I went to check what was happening, and I met three men who claimed to be Kings of the East. They were dressed with colorful clothing, and had come riding camels all the way from Persia to adore the Child.

I could not believe what I was seeing. I went inside to let Mary know, but the three Kings of the East followed me into the cave. I could tell that Mary was a bit scared because she grabbed the Baby and held Him in her arms.

At the sight of the Child, the three Kings prostrated themselves upon the earth, and in this position they worshiped and adored the Infant, acknowledging Him as the true God and man, and as the Saviour of the human race. Arising, they congratulated Mary, and they said that she was their Queen because she was the Mother of the Son of the eternal Father. They also congratulated me, extolling my good fortune in being chosen as the spouse of the Mother of God. 

They then approached Mary to reverence her on their knees. Mary told them that she did not deserve their reverence, that the only King in that cave was the Baby Boy, the Son of God. Therefore, they prostrated themselves anew, this time in front of the Baby, in profound humility. “They fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” (1) Gold because He is a King; frankincense, an allusion to His Divinity; and myrrh signifies that the Child has been born in order to die.

I realized that Your Son does not belong to Mary or to me, He belongs to the world. And not just to our people, the Israelites, since these Kings were not of Jewish descent. These Wise Men were the first Gentiles to receive the call to salvation.

After they worshipped the Infant Boy, they introduced themselves. The youngest is Caspar. He represents the dawn of innocence. Balthazar, with the maturity of middle age, represents the noontime of life. And the oldest, Melchior, represents the setting sun. They brought with them faith, hope and charity.

The Wise Men told us that they would stay in Bethlehem for a few days. By this time, they had attracted the attention of the shepherds and many others. They were led to town to find shelter, and once more, we were left alone to marvel at the strange company that our Baby Boy draws to Himself.

Reflection:

Adoring Jesus was the sole purpose of the Magi’s journey. What is my sole purpose during this New Year? Toward what goal in my life do I direct all my energy? May we persevere in achieving our purpose just like the Magi persevered in finding Jesus. 

References:

1. Matthew 2:11

Copyright © 2025 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.

If I Dream It, I can Achieve it… Hopefully

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Proverbs 29:18

My resolution for this year is to persevere. But persevere in what? In order to persevere, I must first have a dream or a vision of what I want to accomplish. 

One of the most incredible abilities that God has given us is the ability to dream. I am definitely a dreamer. I am always dreaming of new projects. The project can be something like a trip that I want to take, a group that I want to join, a book that I want to write or a class that I want to sign up for.

In my dreamy mind, I can look into the future and see the project already completed. For example, I have been planning to do the “Camino de Santiago” (The Way of St. James) for several years now. I can see myself walking it and completing it. But in order to achieve it, there are a few steps that I must take. I must plan the route. I must choose the dates. I must train for it. And I must book the trip. I am yet to undertake the Camino, but I have been envisioning it for a very long time. And having a vision is one of the key elements to persevere. As a matter of fact, a person that does not have a clear vision of what they want to achieve will not be able to persevere.

One of the biggest enemies of perseverance is discouragement. When we allow discouragement to have the upper hand, then we have already failed. Joseph and Mary were definitely discouraged when they were not able to find lodging in Bethlehem. But they persevered, and they continued knocking on doors. They did not allow the obstacles to break them. Eventually, they encountered someone that pointed them toward the stable. It was not what they had originally imagined, but they bounced back and they made the best of their situation. They cleaned the stable, and prepared a place to bring their Son into the world.

What is your vision? Let that be your guiding light as you persevere through the obstacles that life places in your path. I am envisioning doing the Camino this year. I will take all the necessary steps, and persevere until I see the project through to the end. And if for whatever reason, I cannot make it this year, I will not allow discouragement to keep me from trying. There is always next year.

Copyright © 2025 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.

Perseverance: My One and Only Resolution for 2025

 “Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4

During this past week, I have been pondering what my one-word resolution should be for 2025. I started doing this a few years ago. Instead of coming up with a long list of resolutions that I can’t complete, I pick just one word for the year. 

The word that keeps coming up in my mind is “perseverance.” Perseverance is the continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition. This is something that I tend to struggle with. I love to dream and start new projects, but I give up at the first sign of difficulty. I cannot tell you how many projects I have started in my lifetime, but most of them have been abandoned when things have gotten hard. I fear rejection and opposition, therefore I give up without even trying. 

On Sunday, we celebrated the feast of the Holy Family. I attended Mass at St. Augustine Catholic Church, and Father Vigoa mentioned “perseverance” in his homily. This confirmed that I’m on the right track with my resolution. 

What a great example of perseverance we find in the Holy Family. If there was someone that faced difficulties, failure and opposition was the Holy Family. Their lives were marked by hardship. Since the moment of the Annunciation, Mary faced difficulties. But she persevered because she trusted God. Joseph found all kinds of obstacles in his path, from not being able to find lodging in Bethlehem to having to escape to Egypt. Yet, he obeyed God and he did not give up. He persevered in spite of the obstacles. And Jesus never allowed anything or anyone to stand in His way. He did not care if He was rejected or opposed. He had a mission and He persevered all the way to the cross. What made them holy was not the absence of hardship, but their love for each other and their trust in God. 

In 2025, I will choose to persevere, no matter what difficulties, failure, or opposition I encounter in my path. And I will use the Holy Family as my guiding light. I know that if I stay close to them, the obstacles will not disappear, but they will help me to overcome them. 

Copyright © 2025 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.

25 Days with St. Joseph: From Nazareth to Bethlehem-Day 25 Christmas Day

“The angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.’” Luke 2:10-14

Good morning Baby Jesus. 

As much as I wanted to stay awake to guard the cave to keep You and your Mother safe, I was so exhausted that sometime during the night, I just felt asleep next to Mary.

Before I laid down, I cleaned and prepared a manger that had been left by the shepherds for their animals. I placed hay inside it and over the hay, the baby blanket that Mary had brought with her. I wanted to be prepared in case You decided to arrive early. I must have had a premonition because You made your entrance into our world during the night.

A commotion outside the cave caused me to wake up. When I saw You in your mother’s arms, my eyes opened wide. I hugged Mary and her tears got mixed with mine. In the meantime, we could hear voices approaching the cave. I went outside to check who was there. And to my surprise, I found a bunch of shepherds who had come to meet You. How in the world did they know?

I went back inside the cave and told your Mother: “Mary, there are shepherds outside. They are coming to see the Baby.” Mary told me to allow them entrance. They walked in, and knelt before You, the Son of God. One of them told us that while they were guarding their flock during the night, an angel had appeared to them. The angel said to us: “Today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (1) And as we were walking towards the cave, we saw a multitude of angels praising God and singing.

The shepherds were dancing with joy. Their happiness was contagious, and at that moment, I realized that You would never be fully ours. You belonged to the world, and specially to the poor and humble, like the shepherds. They asked Mary if they could carry You, and she nodded. You were passed around, from shepherd to shepherd, and their joy made us laugh. When the shepherds left, they gave us milk, cheese, figs and honey. 

When we were left alone, I asked Mary how it was possible that You were born, and I did not hear a thing. Mary said that even though she did not feel any pain, she felt as if her whole body was going to explode. She said that she knew instinctively that the time of God’s coming into the world had arrived. “The infant God was brought forth from within me without pain or hardship. It had happened so simply and so beautifully, that it could only be by the divinity of God. I felt and saw that the body of the infant God began to move inside my womb. This movement filled me with incomparable joy and delight. My body became almost spiritual with the beauty of Heaven. It emitted rays of light, like a glowing sun, and it shone in indescribable earnestness and majesty, all inflamed with fervent love. In this position, I gave to the world the Only-begotten of the Father and my own, our Saviour Jesus Christ, true God and man. Just like the rays of the sun penetrate glass without breaking it, that is how Jesus emerged from my body. He left me untouched in my virginal integrity and purity, making me forever sacred. My Son, God’s Son, was born in Bethlehem. I grabbed Him, wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and placed Him in the manger. I wanted to laugh, but instead, began to shed tears of joy. At that moment, I did not care if I was in heaven or earth, in a cave or in a palace. My Prince had been born,” she told me as tears rolled down her face.

I am now kneeling down in front of You, and I give You glory, thanks and praise for choosing me, this humble servant, to be Your earthly father. I raise my eyes to Heaven, my hands joined and folded in front of my chest, and my soul wrapped in the Divinity of God. At the same time, I ask God to shine His light upon me, and for His grace in order to be able to undertake the service, worship and rearing up of the Word made flesh. I feel a profound humility because I hold myself unworthy of becoming the earthly father of God incarnate. I humble myself in front of You, dear Baby Jesus, and I acknowledge my nothingness in the presence of the Almighty. 

It was all so simple that it was extraordinary. God had chosen a group of humble shepherds to be the first ones to receive the Good News. They had been chosen, just like Mary and I, to comprehend not with the mind but with the heart. While I looked at You in wonder, Mary hugged You and sang You your first lullaby. It was the song of Israel to their Messiah. It was the song that the whole world would sing to You forever: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” (2)

Reflection:

On this day, when the Messiah came into the world, many will be thinking how to spend more money, move to a bigger house or get a better job. What about me? What am I thinking today? Will I dance with joy like the shepherds or will I be like those people in Bethlehem that had turned their back to the Messiah? Jesus was born in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago. Does it matter? Will I allow Him to be born in me or will this be just another meaningless Christmas?

Copyright © 2024 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.

References:

1. Luke 2:11-12
2. Luke 2:14

Resources from the following books are being used on this journey:

1. The Mystical City of God: A Popular Abridgement of the Divine History and Live of the Virgin Mother of God by Venerable Mary of Agreda
2. Consecration to St. Joseph by Fr. Donald H. Calloway
3. Las Palabras Calladas: Diario de Maria de Nazaret by Pedro Miguel Lamet 

All Bible references are from the New American Revised Edition Bible (NAREB) unless otherwise specified.

25 Days with St. Joseph: From Nazareth to Bethlehem-Day 24

“When you invoke St. Joseph, you don’t have to speak much. You know your Father in heaven knows what you need; well, so does his friend St. Joseph. Tell him, ‘If you were in my place, St. Joseph, what would you do?’” — St. André Bessette

Good evening God.

Thank You for responding to my plea for help. You did not answer in the way that I would have liked, but You must have your plans and who am I to question You.

Mary was exhausted after sitting on top of the donkey for hours, while we unsuccessfully attempted to find shelter. Even though she did not utter a word of complaint, probably to prevent me from worrying more than I already was, I could tell that she needed to get off the donkey. I had to find a place for her to sit down, and just rest. All the noise and the smells were probably making her dizzy too. 

A man must have noticed that she did not look well because he came towards us with a jar filled with water and he offered her a drink. I will never forget the smile in her face when the water reached her throat. I tried to give the man a coin, but he did not accept it. I knew that Mary’s grateful smile meant more to him than a single denarius.

He told me that there was a cave outside of town where we could find a warm shelter for the night. “It won’t be clean, and it won’t smell good since shepherds use it to shelter their flock, but at least it will be quiet and it will be warm,” he said. He gave us directions on how to find it, and we headed there. As we made our way in the shadows of the night, I felt that every bone in my body was in pain, so I could only imagine how Mary felt in her condition.

As we left the village, the outskirts of town were deserted. I was afraid, I must confess, even though I knew You were with us. I helped Mary to climb down from the donkey. I hugged her with compassion and love. “We will be fine, Mary,” I told her, even though I wasn’t sure of what awaited us.

We found the neglected cavern. It was formed entirely of bare and coarse rocks, without any natural beauty or artificial adornment; a place intended merely for the shelter of animals. It was inside a mountain that overlooked a peaceful valley. We went inside, and I cleaned the cave, which was filled with animal excrement, as best I could. I prepared a place for Mary within the hay, and I went back outside to get the blankets we had packed. I laid them over the hay, and I settled Mary over them. I looked around me, and said a silent prayer to You, Lord: “Please, don’t let your Son be born in this place, surrounded by spiderwebs, insects, and the smell of animals. Surely, You must have a better plan for Him to come into the world.”

Mary was so exhausted that she just laid down on top of the blanket, while I went to find wood to light a fire. When I returned, Mary had dozed off. While she slept, I stayed awake keeping guard in the night. I could see the stars through a hole on a side wall. 

Lord, I do not understand why You have brought us to this place. But I am filled with joy that the long expected Savior of Israel is with us, and will be born soon. Help me to prepare my heart for His coming. Help me to be a worthy earthly father to Him.

 

Reflection:

May we, like Joseph, prepare our hearts for the birth of Baby Jesus. May we open our hearts to receive all that He wants to give us.

Copyright © 2024 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.

Resources from the following books are being used on this journey:

1. The Mystical City of God: A Popular Abridgement of the Divine History and Live of the Virgin Mother of God by Venerable Mary of Agreda
2. Consecration to St. Joseph by Fr. Donald H. Calloway
3. Las Palabras Calladas: Diario de Maria de Nazaret by Pedro Miguel Lamet 

All Bible references are from the New American Revised Edition Bible (NAREB) unless otherwise specified.

25 Days with St. Joseph: From Nazareth to Bethlehem-Day 23

“There was no room for them in the inn.” Luke 2:7

God, please help us. 

We arrived at the town of Bethlehem at four o’clock, after traveling for five days. As it was at the time of the winter solstice, the sun was already sinking and the night was falling. We were so happy when we saw the walls of the town, but unfortunately, our happiness would be short lived.

Bethlehem looked more crowded than Jerusalem during Passover. There were people everywhere. I could hear the sound of donkeys competing with the noise made by the camels. There were children running through the streets, screaming to each other, while the parents chased them trying to keep them under control. The smell of animal was mixed with the smell of food and sweat. It was chaotic. People were shouting at each other, and we even saw a couple of men pushing each other.

We wandered through many streets in search of a lodging-house or an inn to stay for the night. We knocked at the doors of acquaintances and some of my relatives; but we were admitted nowhere. We just kept listening to the same words: “There is no room in the inn.” The people of Israel are usually hospitable, and they make room for anyone. But not this time. In many places, we were even met with harsh words and insults. The crowd, the noise, and the unfairness of the decree had brought the worst in everyone. I had never seen anything like it.

Mary sat on top of the donkey, while I pulled them through the crowds of people. I would have left her resting somewhere while I searched for lodging, but I was afraid to lose her. 

We went from house to house and from door to door. It looked like on this night, the hearts and the houses of men were to be closed to us. While wandering through the streets, we passed the office of the public registry which was still open. There was a crowd of people, but we waited patiently, and we inscribed our names and paid the fiscal tribute in order to comply with the edict and not be obliged to return. We continued our search, knocking at the door of all the inns in town. We must have tried at more than fifty different places, but we found ourselves rejected and sent away from them all, with the same phrase: “There is no room in the inn.”

I recall the words from the prophet Micah: “You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel.” (1) Will your Son be born in Bethlehem, Lord? If He is, surely You won’t want Him to be born in the middle of the street.

What are we going to do, Lord? I need to find shelter for Mary. I don’t care if I have to sleep on the street, but I must find a safe place for her and for the baby. Please help us, Lord. I beg You. Help us find someone with a kind heart that will open the doors of their heart and their home to us. 

God, please help us. 

Reflection:

Bethlehem was filled with people, and yet, Mary and Joseph found the hearts and the houses of men closed to them. “There is no room in the inn,” was the phrase that they kept hearing. Is there room in my inn to welcome Jesus this Christmas? Or am I going to keep my heart closed and send Him away because there is no room in my inn for Him?

Copyright © 2024 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.

References:

1. Micah 5:1

Resources from the following books are being used on this journey:

1. The Mystical City of God: A Popular Abridgement of the Divine History and Live of the Virgin Mother of God by Venerable Mary of Agreda
2. Consecration to St. Joseph by Fr. Donald H. Calloway
3. Las Palabras Calladas: Diario de Maria de Nazaret by Pedro Miguel Lamet 

All Bible references are from the New American Revised Edition Bible (NAREB) unless otherwise specified.