A Lenten Journey with Mary: From Bethlehem to Jerusalem-Day 19

“Father show me where I fit into this plan of yours. How can a man be father to the son of God? Lord, for all my life I’ve been a simple carpenter... how can I raise a king? How can I raise a king?” Joseph’s Song by Michael Card

As much as Jesus liked being a shepherd, it didn’t last Him too long. One day, as we were getting ready to eat, I became worried because Joseph had not arrived home. Normally, Jesus would spend the mornings with the sheep, Jacob would take over in the afternoon, and Jesus would go help Joseph in the shop. But today, Joseph had gone to Sepphoris, and even though Jesus had stopped by the shop, He had returned home on His own.

I kept going outside, and looking down the hill to see if I could get a glimpse of Joseph approaching. Finally, Jesus decided to go down to the shop, thinking that maybe Joseph had stopped there on His way home, and had become distracted with a crib he was working on for a neighbor that was expecting her first child.

“I’ll go with You,” I told Jesus.

On our way down, we heard a moaning. We found Joseph sitting down on the edge of the road. He was having trouble breathing, and had not been able to make it all the way up the hill. He was holding his left arm, and he told us that it was hurting him a lot. We helped him up, got him into bed, and after a week of bed rest, he was back on his feet. But he was never the same. My strong and joyful Joseph was gone. He would tire easily, and he couldn’t keep up with the long hours that he was used to working.

I spoke to Jesus one day that Joseph was in the shop. “Jesus, You need to help your Father. He can’t keep up with all his orders. And he can’t continue going to Sepphoris. He’s getting old, he tires easily, and if you don’t help him, we are going to lose him. As You know, we depend on the shop to make ends meet.”

“Do not worry, Mother,” said Jesus. “I will talk to Jacob tomorrow. I am sure that he will understand, and he should be able to find someone to replace me.”

That is how Jesus stopped being a shepherd, a job that I knew He enjoyed more than carpentry. By this time, He was already sixteen-years-old. As good looking as He was, He was quiet and introverted. That is why He enjoyed so much the solitude of being out in the pastures with the sheep. 

The inner Jesus that I knew, was all joy, power and light. But on the outside, it seemed that His body was too fragile to contain so much inner splendor. It’s almost as if His divinity was too much for His humanity.

The girls in the town looked at Him with yearning in their eyes, but at the same time, they were afraid of Him. He kept them at a distance, and I think that mysterious air made Him more attractive. He was pleasant with everyone that came into the shop, and when we visited the synagogue on the Sabbath, He would talk with all our neighbors with so much knowledge and at the same time, humility, that He would leave everyone speechless.

But as He grew, He became more and more a loner. He didn’t spend as much time as He did as a kid with His cousins or His friends. That is why He enjoyed shepherding so much, because He cherished the solitude, the star-lit skies, and all that nature had to offer.

I felt bad asking Him to give it up, but Joseph needed Him. He began to go to Sepphoris more and more. Sometimes Joseph accompanied Him, but most of the time, Joseph would stay behind at the shop, and Jesus would go to Sepphoris by Himself. The times they spent together working in the shop were priceless. Even though they didn’t talk much between them, they got along great. Joseph was never a very talkative man, but he adored Jesus and he respected Him. And Jesus also loved His father deeply, but He understood that Joseph was a simple man who preferred his silence than to be in conversation. Their bond was their work: “pass me the hammer, get me some nails from the shelf, what do you think about this piece of wood?” And it glued their relationship in a way that only a father and Son could comprehend.

My favorite time of the day was when I would see them walking up the hill together, Joseph leaning on Jesus, trying to keep up with Him but having trouble breathing. It was a prophetic image. I am sure, that in the future, many others will also lean on my Son, to alleviate their pain and sorrow, just like Joseph was doing now. Many will turn to Jesus, in their solitude, to find comfort and peace. That is what He was to Joseph during His last years with us, a river of peace and tranquility.

Reflection:

What do I do when I feel lonely? What do I do when I feel pain and sorrow? Just like Joseph found comfort and peace in Jesus, we can do the same.

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.