“There was no room for them in the inn.” Luke 2:7
God, please help us.
We arrived at the town of Bethlehem at four o’clock, after traveling for five days. As it was at the time of the winter solstice, the sun was already sinking and the night was falling. We were so happy when we saw the walls of the town, but unfortunately, our happiness would be short lived.
Bethlehem looked more crowded than Jerusalem during Passover. There were people everywhere. I could hear the sound of donkeys competing with the noise made by the camels. There were children running through the streets, screaming to each other, while the parents chased them trying to keep them under control. The smell of animal was mixed with the smell of food and sweat. It was chaotic. People were shouting at each other, and we even saw a couple of men pushing each other.
We wandered through many streets in search of a lodging-house or an inn to stay for the night. We knocked at the doors of acquaintances and some of my relatives; but we were admitted nowhere. We just kept listening to the same words: “There is no room in the inn.” The people of Israel are usually hospitable, and they make room for anyone. But not this time. In many places, we were even met with harsh words and insults. The crowd, the noise, and the unfairness of the decree had brought the worst in everyone. I had never seen anything like it.
Mary sat on top of the donkey, while I pulled them through the crowds of people. I would have left her resting somewhere while I searched for lodging, but I was afraid to lose her.
We went from house to house and from door to door. It looked like on this night, the hearts and the houses of men were to be closed to us. While wandering through the streets, we passed the office of the public registry which was still open. There was a crowd of people, but we waited patiently, and we inscribed our names and paid the fiscal tribute in order to comply with the edict and not be obliged to return. We continued our search, knocking at the door of all the inns in town. We must have tried at more than fifty different places, but we found ourselves rejected and sent away from them all, with the same phrase: “There is no room in the inn.”
I recall the words from the prophet Micah: “You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel.” (1) Will your Son be born in Bethlehem, Lord? If He is, surely You won’t want Him to be born in the middle of the street.
What are we going to do, Lord? I need to find shelter for Mary. I don’t care if I have to sleep on the street, but I must find a safe place for her and for the baby. Please help us, Lord. I beg You. Help us find someone with a kind heart that will open the doors of their heart and their home to us.
God, please help us.
Reflection:
Bethlehem was filled with people, and yet, Mary and Joseph found the hearts and the houses of men closed to them. “There is no room in the inn,” was the phrase that they kept hearing. Is there room in my inn to welcome Jesus this Christmas? Or am I going to keep my heart closed and send Him away because there is no room in my inn for Him?
Copyright © 2024 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.
References:
- Micah 5:1
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.
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