St Joseph's Intercession as We Make Our Final Preparations
Five more days until Christmas, and so much to do! On top of the usual stuff, one of our sons will be traveling with his wife to visit us - traveling quite a distance. He, like me, has much work to do in his everyday life. And since he's only got two days before beginning the long drive to our home, I wonder how he's holding up under the pressure of getting whatever work he's got on his plate completed before taking some time off. (And, of course, I would imagine his wife has a few things to finish up too!)
Yes, taking time off at Christmas - specifically between Christmas and New Year's Day - may be my favorite time off from work. But to make sure it's really time off, I've got to get things all buttoned up...oh right, by tomorrow. Monday's Christmas Eve and the office is closed. Almost forgot.
But with all this pressing, swirling activity, let's take a moment to remember how St Joseph had to take time from his work to travel all the way from Nazareth to Bethlehem. The distance is 80 miles. If he and Mary travelled with a caravan - a common way to travel in those days, then it would take about four days (20 miles a day), plus the time spent in Bethlehem registering for the census and - as we all know - tending to the Birth of Our Lord.
I wonder if he felt pressure or anxiety as he prepared to travel to Bethlehem. He had a business, and I suspect there were some customer demands he had to attend to before leaving for the journey. As opposed to my business, he couldn't bring his laptop and cell phone and stay on top of things or respond to problems if need be. He couldn't just pick up his carpenter shop and carry it with him, of course.
In fact, I just realized he might have been feeling a lot more pressed than I am (or maybe my son is) given the fact that not only did he have to close up shop for a while, and travel by caravan for four days (something I can hardly imagine), but, as we know, Mary was just about to give birth.
Once I had to travel when my wife was almost due with our third child. I remember the stress of being a long distance from home, wondering if she was OK. The due date was a few days after I was scheduled to return from the trip, but you never know with these things. And I traveled by jet and stayed at a nice hotel, with the ability to call her any time to check in. How different things were for St Joseph!
I also just realized that today - five days before Christmas - might have been the day that he set off on his journey with Mary. Right this moment, as I'm feeling pressed, he would have been loading the donkey and gently helping Our Blessed Mother up onto it so she could ride while he walked. And here I am feeling pressed!
(One thing I know is that if it were I facing this long, difficult journey I'd be grinding my teeth at having to make such a trip for the convenience of the Roman government - especially with my wife about to give birth. Then again, maybe St Joseph knew how to accept this hardship as a kind of passive suffering, as we talked about earlier in Advent.)
Today, I'm asking St Joseph for his intercession in my final preparations. I pray for the grace of patience and quiet strength in the face of the last minute rush that seems to always press in on us these days before Christmas. I especially need his help in being gentle with my wife, as he was to Mary. How often these hectic times find me acting gruffly, sometimes even like a lunatic! But the more I think about, or perhaps even meditate on, St Joseph and Our Blessed Mother as they journeyed to Bethlehem, the more a deep, inner calm begins to work its way through my soul.
May I suggest you try to spend even a few minutes just thinking about the circumstances that led up to the birth of Our Lord over 2,000 years ago? Meanwhile, I wish you a continued Blessed Advent. If I can, I will try to post something between Christmas and New Year's Day, but we'll see. With our son visiting for a spell, a bit of travel to my brother's home, never mind the great blessing of having our other children with us these coming blessed Christmas Days, my first priority will be to simply spend these precious moments together.
St Joseph, Blessed Mother Mary, please pray for us all that we turn our minds and hearts to Bethlehem, as you did on your journey these coming days.
Yes, taking time off at Christmas - specifically between Christmas and New Year's Day - may be my favorite time off from work. But to make sure it's really time off, I've got to get things all buttoned up...oh right, by tomorrow. Monday's Christmas Eve and the office is closed. Almost forgot.
But with all this pressing, swirling activity, let's take a moment to remember how St Joseph had to take time from his work to travel all the way from Nazareth to Bethlehem. The distance is 80 miles. If he and Mary travelled with a caravan - a common way to travel in those days, then it would take about four days (20 miles a day), plus the time spent in Bethlehem registering for the census and - as we all know - tending to the Birth of Our Lord.
I wonder if he felt pressure or anxiety as he prepared to travel to Bethlehem. He had a business, and I suspect there were some customer demands he had to attend to before leaving for the journey. As opposed to my business, he couldn't bring his laptop and cell phone and stay on top of things or respond to problems if need be. He couldn't just pick up his carpenter shop and carry it with him, of course.
In fact, I just realized he might have been feeling a lot more pressed than I am (or maybe my son is) given the fact that not only did he have to close up shop for a while, and travel by caravan for four days (something I can hardly imagine), but, as we know, Mary was just about to give birth.
Once I had to travel when my wife was almost due with our third child. I remember the stress of being a long distance from home, wondering if she was OK. The due date was a few days after I was scheduled to return from the trip, but you never know with these things. And I traveled by jet and stayed at a nice hotel, with the ability to call her any time to check in. How different things were for St Joseph!
I also just realized that today - five days before Christmas - might have been the day that he set off on his journey with Mary. Right this moment, as I'm feeling pressed, he would have been loading the donkey and gently helping Our Blessed Mother up onto it so she could ride while he walked. And here I am feeling pressed!
(One thing I know is that if it were I facing this long, difficult journey I'd be grinding my teeth at having to make such a trip for the convenience of the Roman government - especially with my wife about to give birth. Then again, maybe St Joseph knew how to accept this hardship as a kind of passive suffering, as we talked about earlier in Advent.)
Today, I'm asking St Joseph for his intercession in my final preparations. I pray for the grace of patience and quiet strength in the face of the last minute rush that seems to always press in on us these days before Christmas. I especially need his help in being gentle with my wife, as he was to Mary. How often these hectic times find me acting gruffly, sometimes even like a lunatic! But the more I think about, or perhaps even meditate on, St Joseph and Our Blessed Mother as they journeyed to Bethlehem, the more a deep, inner calm begins to work its way through my soul.
May I suggest you try to spend even a few minutes just thinking about the circumstances that led up to the birth of Our Lord over 2,000 years ago? Meanwhile, I wish you a continued Blessed Advent. If I can, I will try to post something between Christmas and New Year's Day, but we'll see. With our son visiting for a spell, a bit of travel to my brother's home, never mind the great blessing of having our other children with us these coming blessed Christmas Days, my first priority will be to simply spend these precious moments together.
St Joseph, Blessed Mother Mary, please pray for us all that we turn our minds and hearts to Bethlehem, as you did on your journey these coming days.
Divine Infant of Bethlehem, come and take birth in our hearts.
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