25 Days with St. Joseph: From Nazareth to Bethlehem-Day 1

“In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.” Luke 1:26-27

Good morning Lord. Here I am in the quiet of my carpentry shop talking to You, as I do every morning. If someone were to come in, and find me talking apparently to myself, they would think that I have lost my marbles. But this is the best time for me to share my joys and my worries with you. Early enough that the sun has not even risen in the horizon. I am looking out the window, and I can still see the moon.

Today, Lord, I want to share that I feel like something is different with Mary. I can’t put my finger on it, but It’s as if she’s lit up from within. She has a glow about her that makes her look even more beautiful than she already is. 

When my father told me that Mary’s aunt and uncle had approached him to offer her to me in marriage, I was overcome with joy. She’s the most beautiful girl in the entire town of Nazareth. And I am not just referring to her physical beauty, which is astonishing with that long, silky hair the color of ebony, and those gorgeous dark eyes that seem to absorb everything with just one look. No, her beauty comes from within. It’s as if she’s completely pure. There is no malice about her. If I didn’t know better, I would say that she’s totally sinless. But I know that we all have yetzer hara (1). We all have an inclination towards evil, but in Mary, it doesn’t seem to be present. It’s as if you, Lord, have selected her for something great.

I was living in Jerusalem when I was chosen to be her husband. I could not understand why her aunt and uncle picked me, when there are so many other candidates more worthy than me. Definitely, many that are more affluent than me. After all, my family is considered poor. Even though I am one of the descendants of the royal line of David, and at the age of thirty-three I am more than ready for marriage, I would have never in my wildest dreams expected them to select me. 

In Jerusalem, I learned the trade of carpentry. This is considered a respectable and proper way of earning the sustenance in life. I am poor in earthly possessions, but I will continue to exercise this trade in Nazareth, my birthplace, in order to be able to maintain us. I have already opened this small carpentry shop, and with your help, orders have been coming in.

I returned to Nazareth six months ago for the betrothal. I remember that a few days after my return, I was in the river wetting a piece of wood, and when I turned around, Mary was there, smiling at me. My face must have turned the color of a ripe tomato because I am very timid. But I managed to smile back and say: “Shalom, Mary!” I then sat on top of a rock, slipped, and felt unto the river. I have never been more embarrassed in my entire life.

My Lord, I can see that dawn is upon us, and I must finish this crib that was requested a month ago by some neighbors that are expecting their first child. I just wanted to thank You for choosing me, this poor and humble servant, to be Mary’s husband. I am so in love with Mary that she’s the last thought in my mind when I go to sleep, and my first thought when I wake up in the morning. I pray to You that I will be a good and worthy husband to her. She is only fourteen, a young girl. I am almost twenty years older, but I promise to love her, protect her, and honor her all the days of my life. 

Thank You Lord for all your blessings. 

Reflection:

What is God asking of me during this Advent? Is He asking me to change any of my plans? Will I let Him guide me? Will I trust Him? Nothing is impossible if I trust God and I abandon myself completely to do His will.

Copyright © 2024 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.

References:

1. Yetzer Hara: A term for humankind's congenital inclination to do evil. The term is drawn from the phrase "the inclination of the heart of man is evil,” which occurs twice at the beginning of the Torah (Genesis 6:5 and Genesis 8:21). Source: Wikipedia.

All Bible references are from the New American Revised Edition Bible (NAREB) unless otherwise specified.

An Advent Journey Invitation

 “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.” Matthew 1:20

Earlier this year, I did a consecration to Jesus through St. Joseph. If I’m honest, up to that point, I was not very close to St. Joseph. But getting to know him through the consecration, made me realize that aside from having a Mother in heaven, I also have a spiritual father, Papa Joseph, as I have began to refer to him since the consecration. 

Back in 2019, I wrote Mary’s Journey. I did it in two parts. The first part was during Advent which covered Mama Mary’s journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem with a side trip to Ein Karem. And the second part was during Lent 2020 which covered her journey from Bethlehem to Egypt, Nazareth and Jerusalem. I shared both journeys again during Advent 2023 and Lent 2024. But this year, even though I am in the middle of doing a consecration to Jesus through Mary, I have been thinking a lot about St. Joseph. I have been feeling the Holy Spirit encouraging me to do an Advent Journey with St. Joseph. 

How did Joseph feel when Mary shared with him that she was pregnant? What were his thoughts and fears when the angel appeared to him in a dream? Did he feel capable of the responsibility entrusted to him?  All these questions have been swirling around in my mind. Hopefully, as we walk with him, we will get the answers.

So this Advent, I would like to invite you to take a walk with Joseph. We will start on Sunday, December 1st in Nazareth. We will be with him when Mary announces that she is expecting, and when the angel reveals that she will be the mother of the Son of God. We will walk with Joseph to Bethlehem where we will witness the Nativity through his eyes. 

When I wrote Mary’s journey, I did it as if Mary was keeping a journal with her experiences. I don’t believe that Joseph would have kept a journal, but I do believe that he prayed daily to God. Therefore, this Advent, I invite you to be a fly on the wall and listen in to Joseph’s conversations with  God.

I will only be sharing this journey through a WhatsApp chat. If you want me to add you, please let me know and I will gladly include you. 

I wish it to be understood, that all I will write on this journey is a product of my imagination, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and with the help of the references that I mention below. My words are limited and my mind is too small to be able to fully comprehend what Joseph experienced from Mary’s announcement to the Nativity. But I place myself in God’s hands “for nothing will be impossible with God” Luke 1:38.

May I be a pencil in His hands, and may He use me to reveal a small fragment of the mystery that took place over 2,000 years ago through Joseph’s eyes.

References for this Journey:

1. New American Revised Edition Bible (NAREB)
2. 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
3. Consecration to St. Joseph by Fr. Donald H. Calloway
4. Las Palabras Calladas: Diario de Maria de Nazaret by Pedro Miguel Lamet 

Tengo Sed

 “El tiempo que pasas con Jesús en el Santísimo Sacramento es el mejor tiempo que pasarás en la tierra. Cada momento que pases con Jesús profundizará tu unión con Él y hará que tu alma sea eternamente más gloriosa y hermosa en el Cielo, y ayudará a lograr la paz eterna en la tierra”. - Madre Teresa

Hoy tenía sed de recibir la Eucaristía. Tuve que ir a Hallandale, y recordé que la parroquia de allí, St. Matthew, tiene misa los sábados a las 9 de la mañana. Tuve que apresurarme, pero llegué con tres minutos de sobra. Había un cartel en la puerta de la iglesia que decía que la misa se celebraba en el salón parroquial. Me dirigí hacia allí, solo para encontrar que todas las puertas estaban cerradas. Había otras dos personas en la misma situación. Esperamos hasta las 9:05, pero cuando no apareció ningún sacerdote, nos dimos cuenta que no había misa. Esto me decepcionó.

La Eucaristía es el tema de mi blog este año, pero la última vez que escribí sobre la Eucaristía fue hace casi tres meses. Este verano, no he escrito mucho. He estado ocupada con una remodelación, una boda, viajes y trabajo. Escribir ha pasado a un segundo plano.

Tampoco me he tomado el tiempo de ir a visitar a Jesús en el Santísimo Sacramento. A veces me detenía de camino a casa desde la oficina. Pero ahora que estoy trabajando desde casa, he perdido el hábito de visitar el Santísimo Sacramento. Necesito programarlo en mi agenda, pero no he hecho el esfuerzo. Y como la Madre Teresa nos dice: “El tiempo que pases con Jesús en el Santísimo Sacramento... ayudará a lograr la paz eterna en la tierra”. No es de extrañar que me haya sentido tan abrumada últimamente. He perdido la paz que encuentro cuando paso unos minutos en el Santísimo Sacramento.

Durante los últimos domingos, las lecturas han sido sobre la Eucaristía. El capítulo 6 de San Juan se conoce como “El Discurso del Pan de la Vida”, y lo hemos estado escuchando durante cinco semanas. Este fin de semana es la conclusión, y no es un concepto fácil de entender. Jesús perdió a muchos de sus discípulos cuando dijo: “El que come mi carne y bebe mi sangre tiene vida eterna, y yo lo levantaré en el último día” Juan 6:54. Esto es algo que crees o no crees. Y aquellos que creen, siguen siendo fieles, pero muchos de los que no creen ya no son parte de la Iglesia Católica.

Hace poco le pregunté a mi hija si creía que la Eucaristía era verdaderamente el Cuerpo y la Sangre de Cristo. Ella me dijo que era algo que simplemente no entendía. Ciertamente yo tampoco lo entendí cuando tenía treinta años, pero ahora, treinta años después, a pesar de que todavía es un misterio que es difícil de comprender, creo. Al igual que Pedro entendió que Jesús tenía “las palabras de la vida eterna” Juan 6: 68, creo que así como necesitamos comida para nutrir nuestros cuerpos, necesitamos la Eucaristía para nutrir nuestras almas. Y cuando no lo recibo a menudo, mi alma tiene sed.

Como no pude ir a la misa de las 9 de la mañana, fui a la misa de vigilia en St. Agustín. Esta misa cuenta para la misa del domingo, así que no necesito ir mañana, pero en realidad, hubiera preferido haber recibido la Eucaristía dos días consecutivos.

Había una historia en el boletín parroquial que me gustaría compartir aquí:

“Un grupo de cristianos se reunió para una oración secreta en la Rusia comunista... De repente, la puerta fue rota por la bota de un soldado... con un arma en la mano. Todos temían lo peor cuando dijo: “Si hay alguno de ustedes que realmente no cree en Jesús, salgan ahora mientras tengan la oportunidad”. Muchos corrieron hacia la puerta y al final solo quedó un pequeño grupo. El soldado cerró la puerta y se paró frente a los que se quedaron, con el arma todavía en la mano. Finalmente, una sonrisa apareció en su rostro, y cuando se dio la vuelta para salir de la habitación susurró: “En realidad, yo también creo en Jesús. ¡Y creanme, están mucho mejor sin esos otros!”

Esto me hizo pensar. Si me encontrara en una situación como esa, ¿en qué grupo estaría? ¿Me habría apresurado hacia la puerta o me habría quedado en la habitación?

Los que creen, no se marchan. ¿Soy realmente un creyente? O cuando llegue el momento, ¿seré como esos discípulos que “volvieron a su antigua forma de vida y ya no acompañaron a Jesús?” Juan 6:66.

Tengo sed de ti, Jesús. Por favor, ayúdame a creer siempre.

Copyright © 2024 Christy Romero. Todos los derechos reservados.

Eucharist means Thanksgiving

“The Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Father, a blessing by which the Church expresses her gratitude to God for all His benefits, for all that He has accomplished through creation, redemption, and sanctification. Eucharist means first of all ‘thanksgiving.’” CCC 1360

The term “Eucharist” originates from the Greek word “eucharistia” which means “thanksgiving.” How appropriate then to talk about this on this month of Thanksgiving.

Learning this meaning elevated the Eucharist for me to a whole new level. Not only do I need to receive the Eucharist because it’s the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ, but now I know that I must also receive it in thanksgiving for all that God has done for me. This makes attending Mass infinitely more precious. It is no longer an obligation but an act of love to the Father. God has given me so much, and I have so much to be thankful for, that I owe Him my gratitude.

There have been many Sundays that I have dreaded going to mass, especially when I know that the priest will be giving a very long and boring homily. But the main focus of the mass should never be the priest. The main focus should be the Eucharist. However, we could not have the Eucharist without the priest. The priest acts sacramentally in the person of Christ “persona Christi” during the miracle of transubstantiation when he speaks the words of Christ over the bread and wine, converting them into the body and blood of Christ. It doesn’t matter if we like the priest or not, at that moment, we should not see the humanity of the priest but the face of Christ.

In my Eucharist class, I heard this story this week:

A certain woman used to bring altar breads to St. Gregory the Great which she made herself. One Sunday, when he held out the host to her saying “This is the Body of Christ,” she laughed. St. Gregory asked her why she had dared to laugh, and she replied “Because you called this bread, which I made with my own hands, the Body of Christ.” Then St. Gregory prostrated himself in prayer, and when he rose, the bread had changed into flesh in the shape of a finger. Seeing this, the woman recovered her faith. St. Gregory prayed again, and saw the flesh return to the form of bread, which he gave as communion to the woman.

Many times it is difficult to believe that the Eucharist is truly the Body of Christ. We sometimes may doubt like that woman did. But I am thankful that God gives us these miracles that convince us of the truth of the Eucharist. A turning point for me was when I attended a Eucharistic exhibition by Blessed Carlo Acutis, a young boy that will soon be canonized. He put together an exhibition of all the Eucharistic miracles that have taken place around the world. When I read about all these miracles, and saw the pictures, I thought to myself, this cannot be a lie. Even if I don’t see the bread actually turning into the Body of Christ, it truly is happening. And now I believe and I don’t doubt.

This November, when I celebrate Thanksgiving, I will give thanks not just for my blessings like I do every year, I will give thanks for my faith and for the gift of the Eucharist. And I commit myself to receive it as often as possible, in thanksgiving for all the blessings that God bestows upon me and my family each and every day.

Copyright © 2024 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.

Una Carta a Mamá Mary

 Una carta a Mamá Mary en la víspera del comienzo de la consagración mariana

4 de noviembre de 2024

Querida mamá Mary,

Estoy muy emocionada. Mañana comienzo un retiro de 33 días para consagrarme a tu Hijo Jesús a través de ti. Esta será mi segunda consagración. Hice la primera, el año pasado, por mi cuenta. Esta, la haré como parte de un grupo. Hay más de 100 de nosotros haciendo este retiro juntos, y sé que va a ser genial.

La consagración tendrá lugar el 8 de diciembre, la celebración de tu Inmaculada Concepción. Este día tiene un significado especial para mí porque ese es el nombre de la escuela a la que asistí cuando vivía en Madrid. Siempre teníamos una celebración especial para conmemorar ese día. También marcaba el comienzo de la temporada navideña. Siempre poníamos el árbol de Navidad y el Nacimiento en este día. Por lo tanto, siento que hacer la consagración en este día en particular será muy especial.

Esta noche, estoy leyendo la introducción del libro que usaremos: “Consagración a María: 33 Días hacia un Glorioso Amanecer” del padre Michael E. Gaitley. A pesar de que hice la consagración el año pasado, siento que necesito un nuevo comienzo. Así que tengo muchas ganas de completar este retiro espiritual con mis compañeros peregrinos. Seremos “un gran escuadrón de bravos y valientes soldados de Dios y de María, de uno y otro sexo, para combatir al mundo, al demonio y a la naturaleza corrompida en los tiempos, más que nunca peligrosos, que van a venir” St. Luis de Montfort.

Qué apropiado que estemos comenzando nuestro viaje de 33 días hacia la consagración el día de las elecciones en Estados Unidos. Estamos en un punto de inflexión en nuestro país. Necesitamos rezar más que nunca, porque estamos viviendo “en tiempos peligrosos”. Pero “donde abundó el pecado, sobreabundó la gracia”, St. Pablo en su carta a los Romanos (Rom 5:20). Por lo tanto, debemos orar por esa gracia, y consagrarnos a Jesús a través de ti es definitivamente un buen comienzo.

Mamá Mary, igual que St. Juan Pablo II, quiero entregarme totalmente a ti (Totus Tuus). Estoy lista para ser transformada. Al igual que le dijiste “Sí” a Dios durante la Anunciación, hoy te digo “Sí”. Te doy libremente mi permiso para transformarme desde dentro. “Hoy, en este momento, te doy permiso total para realizar tu obra en mí, junto con tu Esposo, el Espíritu Santo.”

Así que Mama Mary, “pongámonos a trabajar”.

Tu hija en Cristo.

A Letter to Mama Mary

 A Letter to Mama Mary on the Eve of the Start of the Marian Consecration

November 4, 2024

Dear Mama Mary,

I am so excited. Tomorrow, I start a 33-day retreat to consecrate myself to your Son Jesus through you. This will be my second consecration. I did the first one, last year, on my own. This one, I will do it as part of a group. There’s over 100 of us doing this retreat together, and I just know it’s going to be great.

The consecration will take place on December 8th, your feast day of the Immaculate Conception. This day has a special meaning for me because that is the name of the school that I attended when I lived in Madrid. We always had a special celebration to commemorate the feast day. It would also mark the start of the Christmas season. We would always put up the Christmas tree and the Nativity on this day. Therefore, I feel that doing the consecration on this particular day will be extra special.

Tonight, I’m reading the introduction on the book we will be using: “33 Days to Morning Glory” by Father Michael E. Gaitley. Even though I did the consecration last year, I feel like I need a fresh start. So I am very much looking forward to completing this spiritual journey with my fellow pilgrims. We will be “a great squadron of brave and valiant soldiers of Jesus and Mary, of both sexes, to combat the world, the devil, and corrupted nature, in those more than ever perilous times which are about to come” St. Louis de Montfort.

How appropriate that we are starting our 33-day journey to consecration on Election Day. We are at a turning point in our country. We need to pray more than ever before, because we are living “in perilous times.” But “where sin abounds grace abounds all the more,” St. Paul in his letter to the Romans (Rom 5:20). Therefore, we must pray for that grace, and consecrating ourselves to Jesus through you is definitely a good beginning.

Mama Mary, just like St. John Paul II, I want to give myself totally to you (Totus Tuus). I am so ready to be transformed. Just like you said “Yes” to God during the Annunciation, I say “Yes” to you today. I give you my full permission to transform me from within. “I freely choose to give you my full permission to do your work in me, with your Spouse, the Holy Spirit.”

So Mama Mary, “let’s get to work.”

Your daughter in Christ.