“He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath.” Luke 4:16
After the encounter with the leper, people started looking at us and treating us differently. I knew they talked about us behind our backs. Some would even come to our house if they got sick to see if Jesus could cure them. I tried to downplay the situation, attempting to protect Jesus as much as possible. I wanted to go back to the way things used to be, when we lived in obscurity and no one paid attention to us.
My sisters-in-law also wondered whether it could be true that Jesus had cured the leper. They would ask me questions about His birth in Bethlehem, and why we had moved to Egypt, to see if I would reveal anything. But I knew it was not the right time to reveal Jesus’ true identity. After all, He was only a child, and He still had a lot of growing up to do.
One day, I was sitting outside watching Jesus play, when I received a wonderful surprise. Elizabeth and John came to visit us. I was so happy when I recognized them walking up the hill. I ran to hug Elizabeth, just like I had done eight years ago when I went to visit her. John was so big. He was a full head taller than Jesus, even though he was only six months older.
I asked Elizabeth about Zacharias but she told me that he could not come due to his obligations in the temple. We sat down on the porch to catch up. I had gone to visit them after our return to Nazareth, but that was six months ago. Time surely flies.
While we talked, Jesus took John to show him his little treasures: some wooden balls, a little cart and a ball made out of yarn. Afterwards, they left together to search for figs and insects with the rest of the cousins that came over to play.
I shared with Elizabeth what had happened with Jesus and the leper. It was good to be able to speak to someone that knew my secret. Elizabeth told me that ever since she felt John leap in her womb at the sound of my voice, she knew that Jesus had an important mission. She had no doubt that Jesus was the one that had performed the miracle of the cure of the leper. But she agreed with me that He was still too young and I needed to protect Him.
“Sometimes He seems older than His seven years,” I told her. “The questions He asks me are not normal for His age, and sometimes I catch Him alone, looking towards heaven and in deep contemplation.”
“I’m sure that God will reveal His mission when the time is right,” said Elizabeth. “In the meantime, just enjoy Him.”
We spent the afternoon together sewing and knitting the textile that I was working on. We then went inside to prepare dinner together, and shortly thereafter, the boys came home. I asked them what they had done all afternoon, and Jesus told me that they went to the river to throw rocks. “John is stronger than me and he can throw them really far,” he told me excited.
When Joseph got home, we said our prayers and had our dinner. Since it was the eve of the Sabbath, we had to eat early before the sun went down. Between Elizabeth and me, we prepared meals for two days. Normally on the Sabbath we ate three meals, as opposed to the rest of the days in which we only ate two. Therefore, we prepared a lot of food, especially since we had guests.
Once the sun set, we heard the trumpet sound indicating that the Sabbath had begun and all work had to cease. The word “sabbath” means to rest from labor. Joseph added oil to the sabbath lamp and he hung it high in the middle of the room so we could have light. Jesus loved the lighting of the lamp and He would spend hours just looking at it.
The following morning, we all woke up early and we wore our festive clothing. Jesus had already separated His linen tunic with its red wool cloak reserved for special occasions. Then the five of us headed to town to attend the services at the synagogue.
We were not allowed to do anything on the Sabbath. We could not turn on a fire, pick up wood, bake bread, plant a garden, travel, and especially, we could not conduct any type of business. It was a day dedicated to the Lord.
Nazareth’s synagogue is small but absolutely beautiful. We entered, and just like it was our custom, the women went to the left and the men to the right. The rabbi got up and read the scriptures. Then someone from the crowd was called to read a passage and comment on it. I looked at Jesus who was in deep concentration of what was being said.
When we got out, we stopped to talk with Clopas and Mary. Their four boys right away began to play with Jesus and John. We headed up the hill together, and we suddenly heard a voice: “Help me, help me!”
We realized that it was Barack, one of the town elders, who had fallen down a precipice and could not get back up. Joseph went to help him, but Clopas stopped him. “Joseph, don’t. Today is the Sabbath.”
“The Sabbath?” Joseph replied. “He probably broke a bone. What do you want me to do? Leave him there until tomorrow?”
“If the rabbi finds out, you will get in trouble,” said Clopas.
“My heart breaks for him,” I said.
Finally, between Elizabeth, Mary and me we convinced Clopas, and with Joseph he went down the cliff. Between the two of them, they lifted Barack and got him out of the crevice where he had fallen. Barack was screaming in pain, but they managed to get him up the hill and took him to his house to recover.
Some of our neighbors had witnessed the whole incident. If they already talked behind our backs after the incident with Jesus and the leper, this new incident put more distance between us. Some of our neighbors were like the Pharisees that thought that religion had to be lived according to the Law, and helping someone on the Sabbath was against the Law.
But Jesus was very happy that his father and uncle had helped Barack. He got near him and he gave him a hug and a kiss. Something inside me told me that love was above the law, and a 7-year-old comprehended this better than a lot of people. That vision on that particular Sabbath will stay with me forever.
In the afternoon, as I sat with Elizabeth in the porch watching the sunset, she told me something that made a lot of sense. People do not understand that someone can give away something freely. They understand better an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. When they see someone love without expecting anything in return, it causes them anger. “Mary, this will be the cause of your biggest suffering,” she said to me.
I pondered her words within the silence of my heart. If we can love and dream on the Sabbath, why can’t we help someone in need?
Reflection:
Have I ever turned my back on someone that needed my help? Isn’t that the same as turning my back on God?
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.
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