I woke up early, before Joseph. It was a cold morning. I opened my mother’s chest. I had placed in there some clothing that I had sewn for the baby, and that now I had to leave behind. It smelled of lavender and thyme. I walked one last time through every corner of our little house, bringing to mind every memory that I had made there with my parents, my aunt and uncle, and now with Joseph. The kitchen smelled like apples because just yesterday, I had brought them in from the garden. I sat in the kitchen for a few minutes until Joseph walked in. He covered me with a blanket, and helped me climb on top of the donkey. Lucky donkey who would be carrying once again the Son of God.
As we began to walk away, I looked at my home for one last time. I had a feeling it would be a while before I returned. It got smaller and smaller as we walked away, until it was just a white dot in the distance.
We walked in silence for a while until we united ourselves to another group. Finding a caravan this time was not difficult, because there were so many people journeying between towns. Everyone in Israel seemed to be on the roads, walking towards their cities of origin to register for the census.
As we walked, I reflected that we can plan all we want to, but in the end, God has the final word. This trip could not have come at a most inconvenient time for us. I closed my eyes for a while so I could see better. I do that when I want to hear God’s voice. “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.’” (1)
The sun began to rise behind the mountains, just like it did every single day, as if nothing was different. Oh, but it was so different for me. The donkey kept walking slowly, lifting the dust in its path. Jesus was awake inside my womb. I could feel Him moving within me. I talked to Him in silence: “Where will You be born, my Little One?”
Just like God sent an angel to Joseph when He wanted to divorce me, God will take care of us during this trip because I know that there is a purpose in all this. And as I looked around me, just like on the trip to Ein Kerem, I saw angels walking with us. God had sent His army to protect us. He was with us. He had not abandoned us.
Reflection:
The trip to Bethlehem for the census came at a most inconvenient time for Mary and Joseph; yet it fulfilled God’s purpose. When did I have difficulty with God’s timing? How did I dealt with it? Did it fulfill God’s purpose?
Copyright © 2019 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.
References:
Isaiah 55:8-9
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. The World’s First Love: Mary, Mother of God by Fulton J. Sheen
3. Las Palabras Calladas: Diario de Maria de Nazaret by Pedro Miguel Lamet
4. My Soul Magnifies the Lord: A Scriptural Journey with Mary by Jeanne Kun
All Bible references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise specified.
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