A Lenten Journey with Mary: From Bethlehem to Jerusalem-Day 5

“Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” Matthew 2:7-8

Today, Jesus is one month old. So much has happened in this first month that I hope I have enough time to write it all in this parchment paper before Jesus wakes up or Joseph returns from the work he’s been hired to do. 

The day after we had the unexpected visit from the Magi, Joseph went with Eliasaf, the shepherd, to visit the family that he knew who had a spare room in their house. Joseph liked them right away so he rented their room immediately. They left it at a very reasonable low price. They are a young couple, just like us, and they have a baby boy who was born one week before Jesus. It turns out that they are the ones that gave us the ointment to put on Jesus’ wound after his circumcision. Their names are Matthias, Joanna and baby Simon.

Eliasaf also introduced Joseph to a carpenter in Bethlehem who needed help with providing minor household repairs to his clientele. He hired Joseph right away, and this helped us tremendously so we could pay the rent, put food on our table, and buy some clothing for Jesus who is growing by leaps and bounds. In his free time, Joseph also built a wooden crib for Jesus, where he is sleeping peacefully now.

The Wise Men stayed in Bethlehem for about a week. The first time that they showed up in our new home, they caused quite a commotion in the neighborhood. They told us that when they arrived in Jerusalem, they were surprised that no one had heard about the Newborn King. But they also told us some worrisome news. They said that King Herod had welcomed them in his palace, and he asked them a lot of questions about this King of kings who was supposedly born in his kingdom. He also told them: “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” (1) We knew that King Herod had executed his own sons, Aristobulus and Alexander, because they were a threat to his throne. Therefore, we did not think that he would be happy with the idea of having another King in his kingdom. We did not say a word to the Wise Men, but we were very concerned for our Infant’s safety.

On the morning that the Wise Men departed, they stopped by our home to let us know that they had “been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod.” (2) We were relieved, and we could only hope that Herod had other things to concern himself with, and would forget about our Child. The Magi left through a different route so they would not have to go through Jerusalem on their way back to their country. The children of the neighborhood followed the colorful caravan made up of camels and servants until they disappeared behind the mountains.

I have grown close to Joanna. I help her around the house with her chores, and I take care of Simon when she needs to go run errands. She in turn has also helped me with Jesus. We are planning a trip to Jerusalem in a couple of weeks, when my forty days of purification are over. We both must present our firstborns in the temple.

Jesus is waking up so I must go feed Him. I will continue my writings when I find some quiet time between my duties and my prayers.

Reflection:

Mary helped her new friend, Joanna, in order to alleviate her load of household chores. In what ways can I go out of my way this Lent to choose one person in my life and lighten his or her load? 

References:

1. Matthew 2:8
2. Matthew 2:12

Copyright © 2020 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. 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.