This is a continuation of a series of short meditations on the mysteries of the Holy Rosary. This week begins the Joyful mysteries, with the hope of the long awaited arrival of the Messiah.
The Joyful Mysteries, pt. 1
1. Announcing the Conception of Jesus.
The vision of the angel Gabriel given to Mary on the night she conceived her child must have been impressive. In the still of the night, she was awake, praying, and letting her mind rest on the Scriptures she had heard read in synagogue. And then, in her mind's eye, the room lights up and she can feel a Presence, there is a voice in her head, but it's not her own. "Hail, Mary, full of grace! The Lord is with thee." What is this, she is thinking, but the voice goes on. You will conceive and have a baby boy, and name Him Jesus. He will be the promised Messiah, and He will be King forever. Now she is praying, But how? I'm still a virgin, and not married yet. Then Gabriel said, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." Your child will be called the Son of God. And then the angel offered a sign, "Your cousin Elisabeth is also with child, in her old age, just so you know that nothing is impossible for God." Then Mary bowed her head, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word." And the first light of the early dawn began to lighten the sky.
Undoubtedly, Mary had a lot to think about. How can you imagine that you are the one chosen to be the mother of the Messiah? Has it even begun to register that God Himself is the Father? She has been picked for the mother of the one promised to King David, a thousand years ago, to be the greatest King ever for the Children of Israel. Honored is too small a word for it. How can she imagine herself worthy? "I'm not worthy," she decides. "This is all from the infinite grace and mercy of Adonai, because He knows that we need Him. Thanks be to God."
But now she begins to wonder how she is going to tell Joseph, her betrothed spouse. He is a good man, but he's a widower, and already has children. "Will he still want me if he thinks I have been unfaithful? How will I be able to convince him that I'm not crazy, or lying about having a vision to cover up my sin? Lord, help me. And how will I ever be able to raise this child for God?"
Stop thinking so much. God is in control. Don't worry about tomorrow. Let Him work out the details. For now, I can go to see my dear cousin, Elisabeth. She's going to need help with her baby, at least until mine begins to show. I trust her advice.
2. Mary goes to visit Elisabeth.
"It's such wonderful news! God is with us once more! He has had mercy on us, to save us from our oppression. Hallelujah! And more! Elisabeth is pregnant, too! Oh, I can't wait to see her!" All these thoughts are racing through Mary's mind as she packs a bag for a journey of several days on the trails through the hill country. It's early morning when she reaches the road, waiting for a crowd to travel with, just to be safe. Never does anyone travel alone if they have a choice.
The trek was hard, but she made it safely. Beit ha-Kerem is not far from Jerusalem, on the southwest slopes of Mount Moriah. They have beautiful vineyards there, and a sweet spring. Mary stops for a drink, taking her place in line with the local girls coming to draw the evening's water. Looking up, she sees Elisabeth, and calls out! Elisabeth turns, and the two embrace with joy! Both talking at once, and both reaching to touch the other's bellies. Mary, astonished, asks, "How did you know?" "As soon as I heard the sound of your voice, the child in my womb leapt for joy! You are so blessed! You believed right away, everything we were promised!"
Mary is so full of joy to see it all confirmed, she immediately bursts out with a paean of praise! "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for He has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations shall call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his Name."
Together, they collected the jars of water, and Mary carried them home, for Elisabeth is now obvious and tires easily. Mary, however, is young and strong. She takes over the cooking, and fusses over Zechariah when he is home. Mary watches over Elisabeth like a mother hen, making sure she is comfortable and gets plenty of good food. She even does the shopping in the market, and does a bit of gardening to discourage the weeds from taking over.
Three months seems to fly by, and soon Elisabeth comes due. There is such joy in the house, with baby John needing care and feeding. Mary doesn't want to go yet, but Elisabeth tells her she must return before her tummy makes it difficult to travel. So Mary packs her bag again. The two women and Zechariah say a prayer for a safe journey, and an easy delivery, and Mary leaves. The return to Nazareth was uneventful, but now she has to tell Joseph her news. At first, he takes it hard. But a few days later, he relents saying he, too, has had a dream. It's going to be alright. God is in his Heaven, and He has a plan.
3. The Birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.
When Caesar called for a census of the whole empire, Jews would have counted themselves as belonging to the the town where their fathers came from. As both Mary and Joseph were of the family of King David, they had to go up to Jerusalem, and pass on to Bethlehem. From Nazareth, this trip would normally take about a week, but Mary would have needed frequent rest, due to the jostling of her donkey and the dust, and the many people on the road. At least, if they took the eastern way, along the Jordan river, they could have plenty of water, but the last climb up from Jericho was a hard way to go. Thankfully, it's not far from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.
Then, when they arrive they need a place to stay. But finding a place willing to take care of a woman so near to giving birth is difficult. They can't afford a midwife, and any blood would make her room unclean, not to mention the risk of death. It's not surprising that they might be turned away. Even so, this fits in God's plan, and a friend offers them a place, in a grotto used for a stable just outside of town. Shepherds bring newborn lambs there to keep them safe.
When they enter the shallow cave, it's not as bad as it sounded. There's clean straw, a fire pit with fuel handy, and a spring nearby for water. It will serve. Joseph can safely leave Mary here, while he goes into town for supplies, and to put their names on the register. Of course, she doesn't want him to leave her, but it's good to rest in the cool shade. They decide to stay a few days.
And while they were there, in the shepherd's grotto, Mary's time came to give birth. We may guess that her struggle wasn't too difficult, and Joseph was there to help. They cared for the baby Jesus the best way they could, wrapping Him in soft cloths to keep Him warm, and laying him in a feeding trough with fresh hay. It was good that Joseph had just returned with plenty of supplies, as now they would be staying for another week. Joseph built another manger for the animals to eat from, and tried to make his family comfortable. It was warm enough, with a small campfire and the animals resting around the room. It's not like home, but alright for now.
And then, the visitors started arriving. The shepherds were expected, but they had this amazing story about angels, and they wanted to adore the baby. And then, a couple days later, a few foreigners, magi from Persia brought gifts for a baby king, and told us not to stay too long. Herod knows.
4. Presenting the Baby Jesus in the Temple.
In the Jewish tradition, every male child must be circumcised on the eighth day. And if he is the mother's firstborn, a redemption offering, a sacrifice of two small birds, is owed to the Lord. When they come to the Temple, the parents also declare any lifelong dedication that they will teach him to observe. So of course, Mary and Joseph are going up to do their duty. It is a joyous occasion. Every family wants a son, to carry on the heritage, to follow his father's trade, and to study the Torah and the prophets. And yet, in these days when the legions of Rome are occupying their land, and interfering in their politics, the Jews have been begging God more than ever to send the Messiah He has promised.
That day, there was an old man named Simeon, whom God had promised that he would live to see the birth of the Messiah, and he arrived during these ceremonies for Jesus. Moved by the Spirit, he came forward and laid his hands on the child, and spoke blessings. "Lord, now I can die in peace, for I behold thy salvation which Thou hast planned from the beginning for all to see: a light to guide all the nations, and the glory of thine own people, Israel. Look, this child is destined for the fall and rising again of many of our people, as a sign that shall be spoken against." Then turning to his mother, Mary, he said, "And sadly, a sword shall pierce thine own soul also, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." And as he departed, an old lady, who was very devout and spent all her time in the Temple, came close, and she too declared that this child, Jesus, was born for the glory of God. So when the ceremonies were over, Mary and Joseph marveled, and spoke little on the way home. But they pondered these things in their hearts.
And so it has been, even up to this day. The Jews denied Him as their Messiah, so that the Gospel would become a light to the gentiles, but they were despised for it. Until now, when the last days grow nearer, now, there are many Jews in Israel who are listening to the Gospel and embracing the Lord! As the nation is rising again, so are the people chosen by God to reveal his glory! The cross is still controversial, because it demands so much of us, but the story is coming out and being understood. Indeed, without the cross, not only would our debt not be paid, but we could still approach God with a legalistic and perfunctory atonement, still hiding our disbelief behind mere observances. But the cross cuts deeply, delving into our souls and demanding that we sacrifice our selfishness, offering our own lives. No one can hide their denial, or even their doubts from that. Only love and trust can follow Jesus when we have to carry our own cross every day. We do it for love, and we know how much Mary suffered to see her son put to death like a common criminal.
5. Finding Jesus in the Temple
We do not have any canonical stories about the childhood of Jesus. One imagines that he was given the best education that Joseph and Mary could provide, and that would include attending the local synagogue school whenever possible. Such schooling would give a fair background in the Torah, the prophets and the writings that the Jews held sacred. We may also assume that Jesus was an excellent student. He would have learned to respect authority, but also to have an opinion when He had considered a subject in deprh. And at thirteen, He would have been given the privilege to read from the Torah before the congregation.
So when Jesus' family went up to Jerusalem, this was the first time that He would be allowed to enter the Temple on his own, and observe what was happening there. When He heard the rabbis and elders deep in their discussion of the Law, He naturally came over to listen. And as so often happens, they would have asked Him if He understood their talk. His answers then were surprisingly insightful for a young man, and they were impressed.
But this discussion never ends, even though speakers come and go. Jesus, now totally fascinated, forgot to keep up with his family, and when evening came, they left without Him. He was enjoying this talk of God's Law, and happy when they asked his opinions. Indeed, unaware that they had gone, He assumed that Joseph would come for Him when it was time. He likely had a bit of money, and there were vendors selling food just beyond the outer precincts, and He could sleep in an out-of-the-way corner. It wouldn't have been that odd for someone to neglect to rent a place for the night.
So, having found a way to take part in the life of the Temple, Jesus was content to wait. Thus it doesn't seem surprising how He reacted when his Mother fussed at Him. "How is it that you were searching for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in my Father's house?" But then He accepted their consternation with humility, and obediently went home with them. He decided to be a model son, at least until He had to go out to fulfill his calling.
End notes:
The first of Tishri, The Day of Trumpets is the first day of Rosh haShanah, and the first day of the reign of every Davidic King. On that day, September 11, in 3 BCE, the Moon was passing under the feet of Virgo, while Jupiter, the King of planets, and Regulus, the King star, were in close conjunction in Leo. And below Virgo, to one side, lies in waiting the constellation of the Serpent. This is the same imagery appearing among the stars as is described in the book of Revelations, in chapter 12. So, perhaps that could have been a record of the Star of Bethlehem, leading the Magi to seek for the King who was to be born. It was well known that the Jews had a prophecy foretelling God's gift of a King even greater than David and Solomon, a Saviour and shepherd for his people. So now, the Heavens were proclaiming the arrival of the King of Kings in Judaea, and just maybe, giving a clue to the time of his return.
