“The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.” John 2:13-15
My return to Nazareth felt worst than when I went through the desert on our flight to Egypt. At least then, I had Joseph and Jesus with me. But this time, I felt all alone. Yes, I returned with the family, but they didn’t feel like family at that point. They practically ignored me the entire way. I had become the mother of Jesus who had “lost His senses.” (1)
If the return trip was hard, getting to Nazareth was even tougher. After the excitement in Cana, people began to wonder whether it had all been planned. When I went down to the town square for water, people would look at me with distrust and even with noticeable rejection. “She’s the carpenter’s mother,” they would say behind my backs. “The one who has lost His senses claiming that He’s the Messiah. How dare He. If poor Joseph could see Him now. He would be so ashamed.”
Even the women who used to be my friends completely ignored me or pretended not to know me when I ran into them at the well. I would return to my house in solitude. I would sit by myself at the window to write or to knit. Oh how I miss my Joseph and my Jesus. How I miss having someone to talk to and share my day with. There is so much silence all around me. My home has become my desert. But I know that God is here with me, and He will not abandon me.
I heard about Jesus from the travelers that came through Nazareth. One of them told me that he had seen Jesus in Jerusalem at the temple: “He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.” (2) When I heard this, I feared for Him. I was sure that as much as He was admired by some, He was also making enemies with others, especially the priests and Pharisees. And of course, the more stories that reached Nazareth, the more my neighbors grew angry at Him and at me.
But I was not concerned about our neighbors. My worry was only for Jesus. I imagined Him as a sheep amongst wolves. This was the same Jesus that I carried in my arms. He’s the one that I saw play and cry as He was growing up. I stayed up with Him many nights when He had a fever. I would tell Him stories so He could fall sleep. Jesus, with His humble and loving heart, who had come only with one purpose: to complete His Father’s mission. And I felt the weight of that mission also on my shoulders.
Reflection:
Have I ever felt as lonely as Mary must have felt after she stayed alone in Nazareth? Do I trust, like she did, that God will not abandon me?
Copyright © 2020 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.
References:
- Mark 3:21
- John 2:14-15
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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