“Let us commend ourselves to our good father, St. Joseph, who is the Patriarch of troubled people, since he himself went through so much trouble.” — St. Joseph Marello
Good evening Lord.
I am devastated. All the joy I was feeling this morning was sucked out of me. I left to work as usual, and shortly thereafter, my brother Clopas showed up. He told me: “I hear that congratulations are in order.” I was confused. Why would he come to congratulate me? About what? But he continued: “Salome told me that you are going to be a father.”
I must have turned white because he ran to get me a chair and some water.
“I’m sorry, Joseph,” he said. “I thought you knew. I guess Mary hasn’t shared the news with you yet.”
“Are you sure of what you are saying?” I asked him.
“Absolutely,” he said. “Salome went to visit Mary yesterday, and while she was there, Mary felt weak and Salome had to help her get up.”
“That doesn’t mean that she’s expecting a baby,” I said. “It could be that she had not eaten, and that’s why she felt weak.”
“No,” assured me Clopas. “Salome figured it out, and Mary did not deny it. Salome says that Mary was totally mortified, but Salome reassured her that she did not need to be embarrassed. She told her that she would not be the first woman to become pregnant before the official ceremony. After all, in the eyes of the Lord, you are already married. So tell me Joseph, when did it happen, before she left to Ein Kerem or while you were there?”
I decided that the best weapon was to keep silent. Anyway, I would not have been able to talk even if I had wanted to. I had suddenly become mute.
Clopas, realizing that he was not going to obtain any information from me, decided to leave. I finally managed to find my tongue before he left, and I asked him to please not share the news with anyone else, since Mary probably wanted to keep it a secret.
"Don't worry, Joseph, your secret is safe with me," he replied.
I decided to close the shop, since there was no way that I could concentrate on any work after Clopas threw that bucket of cold water over me. I had to go see Mary, and confirm that he was telling me the truth.
As I walked towards her house, I felt like I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. I knocked at her door, and she opened it. Thankfully, she was home alone.
“Is it true?” I asked her. She did not have to answer me. I could read the truth in her eyes.
“Who told you?” she asked me.
“Clopas came to congratulate me,” I said. “I guess you mentioned it to Salome, and she told Clopas.”
We had a short conversation, mostly me saying that I didn’t understand. I was at the verge of crying, but I held back the tears. I felt like she wanted to tell me something, but she didn’t say a word. I wanted her to say that it was all a joke, that she was not expecting a baby. But she remained quiet. I left after a few minutes feeling like a very old man.
Lord, I don’t think I will be able to sleep tonight. I feel like if all the energy has been extracted from my body. What should I do, Lord? The baby is clearly not mine, and according to our laws, I am obliged to deliver Mary to the authorities to be stoned. This is the punishment of an adulteress convicted of the crime. But, I cannot imagine doing this to Mary, even if she has betrayed me.
Please, Lord, show me what I need to do.
Reflection:
Many times I feel like I am carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders, just like Joseph felt. How do I react when I feel overwhelmed by problems? Do I turn to the Lord or do I try to resolve the problems on my own?
Copyright © 2024 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.
Resources from the following books are being used on this journey:
- 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
- Consecration to St. Joseph by Fr. Donald H. Calloway
- Las Palabras Calladas: Diario de Maria de Nazaret by Pedro Miguel Lamet
- All Bible references are from the New American Revised Edition Bible (NAREB) unless otherwise specified.
No comments:
Post a Comment