A
Child Will Be Born
(Lk
1:26-38)
Seven
weeks after the Passover, we celebrate in our country the feast of the
first fruits, the feast of the start of harvest. So, the eleven of us,
together with the women, went to Jerusalem to celebrate it. We arrived
in the city of David a couple of days earlier, when the streets were
already beginning to be filled by pilgrims with sunburnt bodies who
wore crowns of flowers on their heads. As in other times, we lodged
at Mark’s house… I remember in those times, after God had raised Jesus
from the dead, a strong desire was born in all of us, to know more about
his life… It was during one of those nights before the feast of the
Pentecost that Mary searched her heart for cherished memories about
the first years of the story of her son and which she recounted to us…
Mary: My
memories of him?… But how can you be so curious, huh?… Let me see now….
It’s been a long time, and there’ve been a lot of things… I don’t remember
exactly and… all right, all right, we’ll have to start with Joseph…
That’s right, we’ll have to start with him…
Joseph: Good
morning, Mary!… Happy are the eyes that see you…! And happier are these
eyes of mine that behold you!
Mary: Here you are again with your ribbings… Oh, Joseph, you’re
impossible…!
Joseph: It’s all because of you!… Look, young woman, if I were
made of wax, I would melt by your looks alone… But if I happened to
be made of stone, it would be the same, anyway. How many times do you
want me to tell you this…?
Mary: You’ve said that seven hundred times already, and look,
you haven’t melted yet…. So, go on with your style, liar…
Joseph: But of course!… I’ll never stop telling you that you’re
the bright star in my dark nights, the healer of my wounds, the shield
of my way, the oasis in my desert, the dough of my bread, and the water
for my thirsty throat…! Oh…!
Mary: Hey, what’s wrong with you, Joseph? Are you out of your
mind?
Joseph: As
mad as can be! And blame it on the most beautiful Nazarene lass of this
country!
Mary: Nazareth was an insignificant little town…. Smaller than
a nut… At that time, I remember, there were four young bachelors…. And
there were three of us, young women… I was very fond of Joseph, a bachelor,
who was a jack of all trades, who could fix a door, press grapes in
the presser and likewise, fit a pair of horseshoes on the mule…. We
played together since we were little children. Then, as we grew up,
we started to like each other. I remember how both of us blushed whenever
we met at the farm and then he began to court me… and he laughed a lot…
I laughed even more… My father, Joachim, was also fond of Joseph, because
he was a very hardworking man… So, one day, he went to see Joseph’s
father… They were going to negotiate for the wedding…
Compadre: Well, my friend, Joachim, I see that these children of
ours seem to have a certain understanding…. Don’t you think so?
Joachim: You’re right, compadre. As they say, when a fruit
becomes ripe, then the time has come for a man and a woman to be talking
of love, as the late Ruben would say…
Compadre: It’s not for anything, compadre, but my son, Joseph,
for whatever he is, a little crazy like the rest of our young people
these days, is an honest young man… His wife will have an upright man…
Joachim: Look, compadre, this much I can say… My daughter,
for all her defects, as no one comes around here perfect, is very proper
and as happy as a lark… and so full of grace like no one else is!
Compadre: Well then, there’s nothing more to say, compadre…
Joachim: I got nothing else to say either. Is it a deal?
Compadre: It’s a deal! And may he be damned, who does not comply
with it!
Joachim: And may this pair of lovebirds beget as many children
as they can, that our house may be filled with our grandchildren, what
do you say?
Compadre: Naturally! Say, speaking of children, have your sheep
given birth yet, compadre? Mine are about to….
Mary: In a few days, we became engaged. I was fifteen years
old then, while Joseph was eighteen….
Joseph: Now
there’s no turning your back from me, Mary! Lararara…! I’m as happy
as can be! Lararari…!
Mary: After
the engagement party, life went on as usual… Joseph got jobs everywhere,
in the farm of Ananias or even farther away, in Cana or in Sepphoris…
God gave him a hand and, at times, he was lucky. He wanted to save some
dinarii for the wedding… I continued with my usual chores: together
with my two sisters, I helped my mother, Anne, who was a little indisposed
then…. There was always something to do at home, as there were many
of us… Everything went on the same, but for me, things had changed.
I was no longer a child. I had a boyfriend, and soon, I would be leaving
the house… I was very happy then…
A
Female Neighbor: Mary, child, you’re very lucky….
This guy, Joseph, loves you so much and is very proud of you… He has
only nice words for you….
Mary: He exaggerates a little, you know.
Female
Neighbor: Well, he’s not so good-looking, yes, but what he lacks
in looks, he compensates with integrity…
Young
Woman: Hey, where did you ever get such idea…? Are you saying
that Joseph is ugly?… What with that broad back of his like a wall and
those eyes….
Female Neighbor: Watch out, Mary, this young woman here might snatch him
away from you… Ha! Listen to me, Tina, don’t push yourself too hard,
the well never gets dry…. Okay, now, young woman, it’s your turn and
your mother is waiting for you.
Mary: I went near the curb of the well and started to pull
the rope for fetching water… I don’t remember anymore what had happened….
I saw stars in my eyes and then I didn’t know anymore….
Female Neighbor: Hey, the girl has fainted!
Young
Woman: Take her jug, Sarah, and help me take her to the house!…
Female Neighbor: Give her some air… She’s nauseated…. With this heat,
it can happen to anyone…!
Mary: Weeks passed and these fits of nausea continued. I didn’t
feel well. My legs weakened at the slightest thing… My mother would
apply some basil plants on my forehead and give me all sorts of herbal
concoctions. But they didn’t help… One day, I realized what was happening
to me…. My gosh, how I tossed in my sleep, there were times, I couldn’t
even sleep a wink… I prayed fervently to God for help… I remember I
wept a lot… I wanted to talk to my mother, but I didn’t have the courage…
I didn’t know where and how to start… My God, how scared I was! I was
in anguish!… One day, after having mustered all courage, I went to see
my grandfather, Isaiah…. I think my grandfather was the oldest man in
Nazareth… He lived in a very small hut at the end of the town. In spite
of his years, he was sturdier than an olive tree, and he had very few
white hairs in that long beard of his… He never wore sandals. He worked
in the farm the whole day and at sunset, he would sit at the door of
his hut, chewing dates and getting some fresh air… That’s how I saw
him that afternoon….
Isaiah: Oh, look who’s coming…!
Greetings to you, Mary!… Hey, young woman, your mother told me you’re
not well, Is that right?… How’s that, young woman?… Anne is worried
about you…
Mary: Yes, I’m a little indisposed…
Isaiah: Just a little? Or very much. C’mon, put out your tongue…
Mary: Ahhh…
Isaiah: It’s okay. Let me see those eyes…. Red as an apple… I’ve
already told Anne to give you some barks of the carob tree… They’re
good… I’ve got some here… Take them…
Mary: Well….
Mary: My
grandfather remained seated on the stone. He spat out a seed and smiled
at me…
Isaiah: I know you, child… I saw you come out of this world…
C’mon, tell me, what is it?… You’re here to tell me something of importance…
Am I right?
Mary: Yes, grandfather, but…
Isaiah: Tell me what’s bothering you… God gave us tongues for
us to speak with them….
Mary: Grandfather, I don’t think I’m sick, but…
Isaiah: Of course, you’ve been thinking of the wedding, haven’t
you? That’s natural, my child. All young women get scared when the time
comes…. Everything will turn out fine, you’ll see…
Mary: No, grandpa, it’s not that… I mean, yes, yes, but…
Mary: My
God, I couldn’t tell him… My grandfather looked at me with his gray
and moist eyes, like the sky on a rainy day, while he kept smiling at
me….
Isaiah: What’s the matter then, Mary? Are you too shy to tell
me…?
Mary: Grandfather… I… I’m pregnant!
Isaiah: What did you say, child?
Mary: You heard it, grandpa.
Isaiah: Mary, my child!… Why couldn’t this rogue, Joseph, be
a little patient? Oh, these young people nowadays!… Why didn’t you tell
him to wait till the wedding?
Mary: No, grandpa… I haven’t slept with Joseph… The problem
is not with him….
Isaiah: So, with whom, child?… What happened to you?
Mary: I don’t know, I don’t know…. I don’t understand…
Isaiah: Who did this to you, then?… Was it
Timothy… the son of Ezekias?… Or Benjamin? These two are naughty boys!
Mary: It’s not them, grandpa… no one… I don’t… there’s been
no one…. I don’t…. The truth is, I haven’t slept with any man! I swear
it! I swear!
Isaiah: Well, then, my child, don’t weep… Probably you just thought
about it… you may not be pregnant at all.
Mary: But I am, grandpa, I am… I feel the child inside me.
I’m sure of it.
Isaiah: Are you, really, Mary?
Mary: Yes, I am….
Isaiah: And what did your mother say?
Mary: I haven’t told her… I can’t….
Isaiah: And your sisters…?
Mary: They don’t know... You’re the first to know about it….
Help me, grandpa, help me, please…!
Mary: My
grandfather put his hand on my shoulders and drew me close to him….
Isaiah: Let’s see now, Mary…. Those cameleers who stayed in your
house, on their way to Sepphoris… Could it be possible that…? That was
a few months ago, right?… You know, these men use some strange herbs
from I don’t know where… to put people to sleep…. Could it be that someone…?
Mary: No, no, I didn’t take anything… I don’t remember… Well,
I don’t think so…. Oh, grandpa, now I don’t even know what to believe…!
Help me, please, grandpa!… What will Joseph think of me?… He might refuse
to marry me… He might leave me…. Nobody will ever want to marry me,
once they find out…. I don’t understand this, grandpa… I’m confused…
I swear I did nothing wrong. This I swear!
Isaiah: I believe you, my dear Mary, I believe you… C’mon, take
it easy….
Mary: But no one will believe me… They’ll say I’m this and
that… I love Joseph, and he’ll leave me… and he’ll never want to see
me again…. Oh, I’ll go out of my mind!… Why is this happening to me?…
Why, grandpa?… When my friends find out…. They’ll tell me to kill the
child… so that no one will know… What am I going to do?… What shall
I do, grandpa?
Mary: I cried disconsolately, distraught by the burden of that
child I was carrying inside….
With
tears in my eyes, I looked up to my grandfather in search for an answer.
I didn’t utter anything, but he looked at me with joy and serenity,
with a smile I could never forget… It was the same face with which I
think God looks at us when we are forlorn and confused… Then, he lifted
me from the ground, held me by the shoulders. As I stood, I felt his
strength. He was full of hope….
Isaiah: Rejoice,
Mary!… Be happy, and weep no more, for the Lord is with you!… No one
has died, young woman. On the contrary, a child shall be born, you’re
going to have a child… Is there a joy greater than this, Mary?… For
every child born on this earth, it is as if God were starting the world
all over again… Be happy, Mary, and be not afraid!
Mary: Those
words seemed to have come from a distance, a very remote distance, that
crossed through the hills and mountains embracing Nazareth… It had taken
a long, long time for these words to be uttered….
Mary: But…
but, how is this possible when I haven’t slept with any man?
Isaiah: With God everything is possible, young woman. He always
has big plans…. You must find what His plans are for you and this child
He has given you… Remember Sarah?… With a barren womb, lost hope, and
in her ripe old age…. God had made her smile and gifted her with Isaac…
Think of Samuel’s mother and that of Samson…. They were barren and never
bore fruit. And God remembered them and put a child in their arms….
God is great, Mary, and does marvellous things…. And not only during
ancient times but even at present… Didn’t you know that your Aunt Elizabeth,
in spite of her age, is also expecting a child…?
Mary: So, grandpa… do you think God has something to do with
this?
Isaiah: Of course, young lady! C’mon, say yes to the child, Mary.
Bring him to life… Say yes to the Lord… Whatever it may be, everything
will be for the good….
Mary: And
trembling, I said yes. And God’s breath, the strength of His spirit,
hovered over my body, like it was the beginning of the world. My grandfather
was teary-eyed when he saw me off…. I went home repeating his words
one by one… That day, the flowers of the almond trees started to bloom….
Rejoice, daughter of Zion!
Rejoice and shout out with joy,
daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord your God is in you,
The King of Israel,
a powerful Savior!
Narrating the events of
Jesus’ infancy up to the end of his life is not only a literary recourse.
It is a way to understand better, the origin of these accounts in the
gospels of Matthew and Luke. Neither Mark nor John say anything about
the infancy of Jesus. One must bear in mind that the gospels were not
written in the order of the chapters as we read them today. The account
of the passion and death of Jesus was the first to be put in writing.
These were followed by the Paschal events – each evangelist had chosen
some. It was believed that Jesus’ passage from death to life constituted
the essence of the Christian faith. Besides, it was what had remained
in the memory of a greater number of people. Lately, the life of Jesus
was being structured on the basis of the different stages of his prophetic
activities: in Galilee, in Jerusalem, phrases, preachings, healings....
This structure is not the same in any of the evangelists. It was only
at the end of the account that Matthew as well as Luke added to the story
of the adult Jesus some accounts to show his infancy. This means, what
we read first in these two gospels was actually the last to be written.
It is very possible that hardly anyone knew about the first years of Jesus’
life, how he was then, or what he used to do. No one of his disciples
or the first Christians had been with him during those years. This is
so, because until he went to the Jordan to see the prophet, John the Baptist,
Jesus’ life was a completely gray area, with nothing special that would
make him stand out from among his countrymen in that obscure nook of Galilee
called Nazareth. Nevertheless, after proclaiming the Kingdom of God, and
most especially after his death and the experience of his resurrection,
his disciples understood who Jesus was, what God’s plan was in the history
of humankind, what the good news he had announced to the poor really meant.
This would arouse their interest to know more about Jesus in whom God
had spoken to them in such a definitive manner. At this point, it is possible
that only Mary, Jesus’ mother, would be able to respond to this curiosity
to dig into old memories. That is why in this account it is Mary who narrates
the infancy of Jesus, she who cherished in her heart everything about
her son.
In
the light of the Paschal events, Luke as well as Matthew wanted to highlight
in the period of his infancy not so much the historical events but, from
the outset, what was to be the destiny of that child who in time would
bring hope to the people of Israel and would give a very decisive push
to human history. For this, they had to make use of literary sources that
were typically Oriental and biblical. There are angels, signs, prophecies
that are being fulfilled, stars, and magi... There is an all “marvellous”
setting through which the readers are made to understand who Jesus is
from the time of his birth. However, we would fall into a serious error
if we took these texts to the letter, because more than history they are
theology largely constructed on the basis of the schemes of the Old Testament.
In all the episodes about the infancy of this “certain Jesus,” there is
a serious attempt to inject real flesh and blood to these texts, which
contain valid information for reconstructing history, while trying largely
to remove all ornaments that might confuse us and make us see a Jesus
much different from the one who really lived among the people.
His
infancy, adolescence, youth and practically the early period of Jesus’
maturity are virtually unknown to us. There exist hardly any historical
memories that are verifiable. Most of the little things we know are deduced
from some information from the gospel, and especially from the environment
in which Jesus was raised, which we get to know through socio-cultural
studies of that period. It is important to see clearly that Jesus was
an unknown little boy, just like many others of his time, a young man
who did not dazzle anyone either by his “wisdom” or by his “power,” who
“enters into history” when, impressed by John’s preachings, he allows
himself to be baptized and responds to the call of God.
Jesus’
infancy helps us see more fully what the mystery of incarnation is. God
has revealed Himself to us in the most humble of peasants from a truly
miserable farm village almost unknown in a province of ill-repute, of
a country exploited by the most powerful imperialists of that period.
Jesus emerged from among the poor. Like theirs, his life was anonymous
until he began his mission.
In
Jesus’ time in most of the countries in the Orient, it was the father
who decided the marriage of their daughters. Nevertheless, in Israel,
this was valid only before the daughter was twelve years old. Starting
from this age, the daughter’s consent was needed in order to conclude
the compromise. In any case, the dowry was always the responsibility of
the daughter’s father. The amount varied greatly, from one town to another,
depending on the capabilities of the family. The engagement period prepared
the daughter’s passage from the father’s responsibility to that of her
spouse. Sometimes, this would take place when the betrothed was only a
six or eight-year-old girl. The average age though, was twelve or twelve
and a half years. At this age the girl was already considered an adult.
In Israel, women got married very young: thirteen or fourteen years was
the common age. The men were a few years older: seventeen, eighteen...
In
the cities, there were several cases of marriages with relatives, because,
since the women lived a cloistered life, it was difficult for them to
have the freedom to meet other men of marrying age. This would not happen
on the farms. Men and women worked together since their young years, planting
and harvesting, and during which time they would normally nurture their
friendship. Besides, in such a small place like Nazareth, it was easy
for everyone to know each other.
Marriage
was always preceded by engagement which we must not confuse with simple
courtship as we understand it at present. Being engaged was practically
being married. The engaged couple were called “husband” and “wife.” The
woman’s infidelity during the engagement period was already considered
adultery, even if the union between the two had not been consummated.
The engagement was much more than a word given. It established a very
strong juridical and familial relationship. This explains Mary’s fear
of being repudiated by Joseph once he found out she was pregnant. The
time between engagement and marriage is not exactly known. Ordinarily
it was one year, although this depended on the place, the family customs,
the time of the year, etc.
The
gospel gives very little information about Joseph, Mary’s spouse. But
the customs of the period and life in Nazareth may give us some perceptions
of him. He must have been a strong, young man at the prime of his life
at the time he was engaged to Mary. A farmer, a laborer, a believer, like
many of the young men of the time, hoping for the liberation of their
country, and living the poverty of their social class. Ironically, tradition
has shown him to us as an old bearded man. In their life together, Mary
and Joseph understood one another and opened themselves to God ever more.
From this love-filled relationship, Jesus would receive a decisive influence
during the first years of his life. Nazareth was an insignificant village
lost in the fields of Galilee where about 20 families lived during that
period. For their houses, the farmers made use of caves dug into the hill
upon which the village was located. In the present-day Nazareth, – a rather
big and very populated city – water still springs from the well that existed
in the village in Mary’s time, where she had to go hundreds of times with
her friends and neighbors. This is found in the interior of a small, beautiful
Greek orthodox church dedicated to Mary. Part of the water from this fountain
has been channeled to another fountain, more recently constructed in the
middle of the street, where the Nazarenes drink and fill their pails with
water. Everyone calls this “Mary’s well.”
Luke,
with his account of the angel’s visit to announce the birth of Jesus to
Mary, wants to tell us many important things. For this purpose, he utilizes
Biblical images to show this with intensity. In the Bible the angel is
always used to tell us that God is going to act. The angel is God’s messenger.
In this case, it is Gabriel, the same angel who appears in the book of
the prophet Daniel announcing the coming of the day of the Lord the end
of time (Dn 8:15-18; 9:20-24). Gabriel’s appearance in the annunciation
means that with Jesus comes that much awaited day in which God manifests
His justice and love, that with him comes the “end of the times” where
the unjust triumph, because God will intervene in favor of the lowly.
This text of Luke is inspired by several prophecies in the Old Testament:
Zep 3:14-18; Is 7:14 and 9:6.
Throughout
the whole Old Testament there appear children who are born in a surprising
manner, by the “grace” of God, as a gift to their mothers who are sterile
or old, who had no more hopes for childbearing. This is the case with
Isaac, the country’s patriarch, the son of the ancient Sarah and Abraham
(Gen 18:9-14). Also Samson, the great judge of Israel, was said to be
the son of a sterile woman (Jdg 13:1-17).
Samuel,
the first Israelite king, was the son of Anne, another sterile woman who
continually prayed to God to give her a child (1 S 1:1-18). Such, too,
is the case of John the Baptist, in the New Testament. Before such great
men like Isaac or Samson or Samuel, the narrators of their lives want
to show, from the time they were born, that they were God’s “blessing”
for the people, that they were a gift from God, more than the fruit of
an act by which their parents had begotten them. These stories likewise
mean, that where man and woman are found to be incapable, where hope is
already lost, God is capable of drawing out new life. Because God is always
the master of life, from Him comes life, He fertilizes the earth and the
woman’s womb.
When
Luke writes his gospel and tells us the story of the annunciation, he
is aware of all these stories from the Old Testament and makes a similar
account. Mary does not know any man, she is a virgin. But this notwithstanding,
she is going to have a child that comes from God, the greatest grace given
by God to human history, surpassing everything that humans can do or even
imagine. Luke tells us that Jesus’ birth is in the will of God, in order
to save humanity. God will bring forth a son from a virgin: one who cannot
by herself conceive, who has nothing (this sense of lack or wanting is
what the virginity of Israel was); God will draw out a life that will
eventually overcome death. Only God can do something like this.
In
this episode, no angel appears. But here is Mary who questions, doubts
and wonders what is happening to her. This is exactly what is told us
in the gospel. She will get hope from her grandfather, Isaiah. There is
symbolism in this man, similar to what Luke has done with calling the
angel Gabriel. Isaiah was the prophet who announced, eight hundred years
before Jesus, that a boy would bring peace and justice to Israel, a boy
who would be called “Emmanuel,” which means “God is with us” (Is 7:13-14;
9:5-6).
Grandfather
Isaiah asks Mary the same thing as the angel in Luke’s episode, and as
God asks of every woman when she is pregnant: to accept life, to rejoice
with it, to receive it as a gift, to welcome it with the hope that if
God begins a work, God will finish it. In this “yes” to life, Mary began
a long and difficult way to faith that would end up on the cross, where
Jesus lost that life given him by his mother. This faithfulness, becoming
ever more mature, makes of Mary the new and true “daughter of Zion” about
whom the prophets had also spoken as the symbol of all the people (Is
60:1-2).
(Lk
1:26-38)
Taken from the book: A Certain Jesus, Vol. 3
(Chapter 131)
Copyright @ 1998 by Claretian Publications,
Philippines
This
book offers a new approach to appreciating the life of Jesus. The first
part of the Chapter is in dialogue form in an up-to-date conversational
language. This makes the reader realize that Jesus was once a very ordinary
guy, a typical man in his time. The last part of each chapter contains
an explanation of the biblical references, thus giving one the perspective
for reflection.
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