The Road Less Traveled-Seventh Encounter

(This fictional Advent story begins on post Nov. 28)

  Mary and Joseph had another long day of travel ahead of them.  Joseph kept thinking of Ruth's parting words, "You need to take good care of that little one inside you.  Soon your whole life will be changed."  Joseph wondered how he would protect and provide for the Messiah.  With each step Joseph prayed with all his heart, "My Lord, guide me along this path.  My life is Yours.  Your Will is my desire.  Enlighten and strengthen me to carry out Your Plans.  Help me to keep Mary and Your Son safe from all harm."
  "You have been very quiet, Joseph, have I done something to upset you?" Mary asked.
  Joseph turned and flashed Mary a smile. "You have done nothing to upset me.  I was just praying that I could be the husband you deserve and be able to provide for both you and our soon to be son."
  Mary slid off the donkey and reached for Joseph's hand, "Well that is a prayer I would like to offer as well.  I, too, hope that I will be the wife that you deserve, and that I will be a good mother as well."
  Mary and Joseph stood facing each other, holding hands, and silently praying for God's Wisdom to fill their hearts and minds, so that His Will would be accomplished.  Strengthened by their prayers and renewed with love they continued to walk the many miles that still laid ahead of them.
  As the day wore on, Joseph noticed Mary's walk was becoming much more difficult.  Although she never complained, He could tell Mary was very uncomfortable.  She was definitely getting closer to delivering.  Fortunately, Bethlehem was getting closer, too. If she could just make it there, he knew everything would be fine.  Finding a comfortable place to rest in Bethlehem would be easy.  That was his hometown and he knew lots of people there.  He would do everything he could to make up for the difficulties of the trip. Yes, Joseph was sure, everything would be better as soon as they arrived in Bethlehem.
  As the sun began to slowly approach the horizon, Joseph began to look for another place to stay for the night. "Joseph, could we possibly sit and rest for a while?" Mary asked.
  "Mary, I see some homes off in the distant. If we could make it there before the sun sets, we will be safe for the night.  I know you are tired.  Would you allow me to carry you the rest of the way?"
  Mary started laughing.  "Well that would be very unfair to you.  I know you are strong, but you may have misjudged my size."
  Joseph smiled and did his best to flex his muscles.  "My dear wife, I am stronger than you know, and I would consider it an honor to cross an entire desert carrying the Messiah and His mother in my arms."  Joseph dramatically bowed to Mary and then allowed his smile to reach her eyes.  
  Mary saw her smile reflected in Joseph's eyes.  He truly was a very good man. "My dear husband, I have noticed how hard the walk has been on your feet.  You have allowed me to ride on our donkey, and you have never taken a rest for yourself.  I could not bring myself to increase your burden. I can continue a few more miles, if it means an evening of rest." 
  "Should you change your mind, my offer still stands," Joseph tenderly offered.
  Mary again smiled at Joseph and said, "I feel very blessed to have you in my life."

(To be continued...)                        

The Road Less Traveled-Sixth Encounter

(This fictional Advent story begins on post November 28.)

  Mary and Joseph awoke early the next day eager to continue their journey.  As they made their way towards the door, they heard Ruth's voice.  "You're not leaving already are you?"
  "Yes, we have truly appreciated your kindness, but we must travel as much as we can while their is daylight," Joesph explained.
  Ruth walked across the room and gave Mary a hug.  "I want to thank you.  The baby slept through most of the night and then woke up hungry and nursed well for the first time.  I think it was your prayers last night.  I have never heard  anyone sing the psalms that way.  It was as if a part of heaven was touching the earth."
  Mary just smiled and said, "Our Lord is always eager to pray with us. Praying brings me such joy, I was happy to share that joy with your family."  
  Ruth handed Mary a small bag.  "I have packed some fruit and bread for your trip.  You need to take good care of that little one inside you.  Soon your whole life will be changed."
  Mary graciously accepted the gift Ruth offered to her Son.  It was just a small gesture, but neither Mary nor Jesus overlooked the love and generosity it contained.  As Mary and Joseph left their house, a multitude of blessings were bestowed upon Ruth and her family.  Their love for God grew stronger each day and peace reigned in their hearts.  Jesus gave Ruth a present as well.  Each night as she said her prayers, she could still hear Mary singing the psalms, and Ruth's heart would fill with joy as she sang along.   

(to be continued...)                                                                                                             

The Road Less Traveled-Fifth Encounter

(This fictional Advent story begins on post dated Nov 28.)

  When Mary finished singing the psalm, the man quietly and gently took the peacefully sleeping child out of Mary's arms, and laid her down in her bed.  The man smiled and said, "Thank you for bringing peace to my household.  You must be so tired yourself, please let me offer you my bed."
  "It is a very generous offer, but we can not impose.  You and your wife should get as much rest as you can.  Joseph and I will be content to sleep on the floor.  We appreciate you allowing us to stay for the night," Mary replied.
  Joseph and Mary were both quite exhausted from the day's journey and they almost fell asleep immediately.  As we allow the young Mary of Nazareth to sleep, let us now encounter Mary on a present day path.

  Mary slowly walked down a path in the middle of the town's square.  Night had just fallen and the trees decorated with shimmering lights looked very beautiful.  As she looked across the street, she saw other lights: "Christmas on Sale," "Celebrate the Season," "Buy the perfect Christmas present".  She saw people rushing in and out of the stores.  Mary sat down on a bench and remembered the birth of her Son.  God loved us so much, that He humbled himself to become one of us.  The mystery and the magnitude of such great love still overwhelmed Mary with tears of joy.  She closed her eyes and remembered the first time she held Jesus in her arms.  His face was so beautiful...
 "Wow, I just got the deal of the century!" a woman exclaimed with excitement as she sat down next to Mary on the bench.  "I am exhausted.  Do you know how hard it is for a mother to get ready for Christmas?"  She set down a number of shopping bags and began to drink a coffee.  "I'm going to need this caffeine if I'm going to have the energy to keep going.  You must just be starting, I noticed you don't have any bags.  My kids Christmas lists are so long this year. I have to admit, I have put a pretty good dent into their lists already.  I can't wait to see how happy they are going to be when they open all their gifts.  It's going to be a great Christmas!  How about you, do you have any kids?"
  Mary smiled and said, "Yes, I very much enjoy celebrating Christmas with my Son.  Christmas Mass is always so beautiful to me."
  "I wish we had the time to go to mass, but there is always so much to do that day.  I always have my side of the family over and I have to get the house ready, do the cooking, get the kids dressed and make sure everything looks festive.  You know how that is."
  Mary looked tenderly at the woman and said, "You are a very good mother.  You obviously love your children very much.  If you would allow me, I would like to give you a gift."
  The woman was quite surprised and said, "You want to give me a gift?  That is such a sweet gesture."
  Mary handed her a very small jewelry box with a single bow on top.  The woman carefully opened the box and saw a heart necklace. Underneath the necklace was a slip of gold paper that said, "This Christmas, let your heart be filled with the mystery of the Incarnation.  God became man for you."
  As the woman read the words she unsuccessfully tried to hide her confusion.  For the first time in her life, she had no words.  Finally she looked at Mary and said, "I'm sorry, but I don't understand."
  Mary replied, "I know you don't.  But if you spent your time praying about the Incarnation, and then shared that gift with your children, it would be the most valuable present you could ever give them.  Merry Christmas, Cheryl."  Then Mary stood up and walked away.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
  Cheryl sat in silence and stared at the little piece of paper.  A few moments went by as she tried to remember the entire conversation.  Her eyes grew wide as she thought.  She said, "Merry Christmas Cheryl."  How did she know my name?  Cheryl  looked around expecting to see the woman a little way down the path, but she was no where in sight.  Cheryl took out her smart phone and googled the word "Incarnation".

(to be continued...)

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

-Susan

The Road Less Traveled: Fourth Encounter

(This fictional Advent story began on post Nov 28, 2016.)

  After several hours of traveling, Mary and Joseph decided to look for a place to stay for the night before they lost the light of day.  Although Mary never complained, Joseph could see how uncomfortable this trip was for her.  His concern grew that perhaps this trip would put her or their precious baby's health in danger.  They came to a house on top of a hill and requested lodging for the night.
  A man answered the door saying, "I'm sorry I do not have any room available.  I have relatives traveling as well and they just arrived this morning.  Try the house at the end of the hill.  I don't know if you will have any luck, she just had a baby two weeks back."
  Joseph thanked the man and he and Mary continued down the hill.  As Joseph and Mary approached the house a young man suddenly appeared.  Joseph smiled, "Excuse me, my wife and I have been traveling all day, and we are in need of a place to stay for the night.  Could you kindly allow us a small space?"
   The man shook his head back and forth and was about to say "no" when he noticed Mary's condition.  "She's not in labor is she?"
  "No." Joseph replied.  "She is just worn from the trip."
  "That's good, because one crying baby is more than we can handle right now.  My wife delivered over two weeks ago.  She had some problems and the baby doesn't feed well.  The baby cries nonstop.  You can stay here if you want, but I doubt you will get any rest."
   Joseph looked at Mary and Mary said, "Joseph, I really could use a rest from traveling." Then she looked at the man and said, "Sir if you would allow me, I would like to assist your wife in any way that I can."
  The man nodded and lead Joseph and Mary inside his home.  As soon as the door was opened the sound of a baby crying echoed all around them.  "Ruth, we are going to have two visitors staying the night.".   A woman a few years older than Mary appeared with a crying baby and a toddler wrapped around her leg. She had dark circles under her eyes as if she hadn't slept in days.  The woman said something to her husband, but the cries of the baby got louder and drowned out her meek voice.
 Mary took a few steps forward towards Ruth.  "Would you allow me the honor of holding your beautiful child?"
 Ruth looked at her husband.  "Go ahead and let her.  It's not as if the child can cry any more than it already is."  Reluctantly, Ruth placed the child in Mary's arms. 
  Mary saw a chair and sat down allowing the baby to partially rest on her pregnant abdomen and whispered something in the baby's ear.  As soon as the baby touched her body,  the child stopped crying.  Mary softly hummed a familiar psalm, and the baby lovingly looked at Mary.
 Ruth sat down next to Mary and said, "How did you get her to stop crying?"
 Mary smiled and said, "I asked her if she wanted to join me in praising the Lord."
 "I have been so exhausted,  and I have tried everything.  I never would of thought to ask her to pray with me.  She's too young to even know what prayer is." 
 Mary smiled and said, "When our words are not adequate, God, himself, will supply the words. It is an awesome privilege to teach a child to love the Lord."  Mary continued to sing her psalm and meditate in prayer as the baby peacefully drifted off to sleep. When Mary finished praying, she looked at Ruth and saw that both her eyes and her toddler's were closed as well, so she continued to softly sing. 
 Ruth's husband had stepped outside with Joseph to attend to the donkey. When he came back inside and saw his family sleeping, he was pleasantly surprised. He looked at Joseph and said, "Your wife has brought peace to my whole family. How is this possible?"
 Joseph recognized the psalm Mary was singing and the love in her eyes.  He looked at the man and said, "She is praying. She has asked God to bless your family.  It has been my experience, that I feel closer to God when I join my prayers with Mary."  Joseph looked at the man and then the future's horizon and said,  "I would encourage you to pray with her well."

(to be continued...)

The Road Less Traveled: Third Encounter

(This fictional Advent story began on post dated 11-28-16)

  Joseph helped Mary get back on the donkey as they continued their journey towards Bethlehem.  "It seemed to me you made quite an impression on that woman back there.  What were you talking about?" inquired Joseph.

  "One of my favorite subjects, prayer.  I just shared how important prayer was in my life.  I told her how we made prayer a priority in our lives, and how important it is for a husband and wife to pray together.  I told her how blessed I was to have such a holy man as my husband."

  Joseph turned back to see Mary smiling at him.  He blushed at such a generous compliment.  "Well I hope you told her that it was actually I who was blessed with such a devout spouse.  I really have no idea what I ever did to deserve having you as my wife."  Joseph stopped walking and leaned up against the donkey and Mary's side.  He looked up at Mary's face and said, "You have no idea how much I thank God every day for the gift of you and our soon to be son." Joseph turned his head into Mary’s side so that she would not see the tear of joy and love slide down his cheek.  As he gently pressed his face against her abdomen, he unexpectedly felt a kick.  "Mary, did you feel the baby just kick?"

  Mary smiled and said, "I think we both did that time.  I think our son enjoys the sound of your voice and how much you love us both."

  "Mary, sometimes I am completely overwhelmed when I think how you will give birth to the Messiah.  What do you think he will be like?  Do you think he will be just like other babies or will he know everything and just start talking to us?"

  Mary laughed and slid off the donkey.  "Well I hope he doesn't start talking the minute he is born.  How could we possibly explain that to others?"  Mary took Joseph's hand in hers and said,” I wonder what he will be like as well.  It's exciting, isn't it?"

  "Did the angel tell you if people will know he is the Messiah?"

  "How and when people will know was not revealed to me.  I'm sure in time, God will let us know.  Joseph, don't worry.  I know you will be an amazing father."

  "Just promise me one thing, Mary."

  "What?"

   "Please don't have this baby while we are traveling.  I honestly don't know if I would be of any help."

  "Joseph, I wish I could make that promise.  I get nervous, too, sometimes, but I close my eyes and I feel God's love inside my growing more each day, and I am filled with such joy.  Joseph, I think when his birth occurs it will be amazing."

  Joseph looked at Mary with so much love that he felt his heart could not contain all the love he felt for her.  Again, he silently asked God what he ever did to deserve to have Mary as his wife?

(to be continued)

The Road Less Traveled: Second Encounter

 (This Advent story began on the post dated Nov 28, 2016)

 Mary and Joseph awoke early the next morning and began their trip towards Bethlehem.  Joseph felt fortunate that they owned a donkey and Mary would not have to walk the entire way.  However, Joseph could tell that riding the donkey was not a comfortable situation for Mary.  Although she did not complain, Mary often requested that they stop and rest a minute as she rubbed her back.
 "Well Joseph, I think it is your turn to ride the donkey," Mary said jokingly.
  "Oh, you think I'm going to sit on this poor tired donkey while my pregnant wife wattles alongside?  I don't think you would be able to keep up with us," Joseph said teasingly as he flashed Mary a smile.
  Mary started laughing.  She really enjoyed Joseph's playful sense of humor.  He was going to be a very good father.  He was loving and kind, generous and good natured, and He had a heart of gold.  "Well you and the donkey will have to forgive me for being so slow these days," Mary said with a smile.
  "I will forgive you in a heartbeat, but I'm not so sure about our friend, Donkey.  He can be quite stubborn sometimes."  Again, Mary smiled at Joseph.  "Tell you what I think we should do.  Why don't we both walk together and give Donkey a rest.  I believe there is a small town coming up soon and we can stop and have lunch.  Maybe if you rested for a little bit your back will stop hurting."
  Mary nodded her head in agreement, "I think that sounds like a good idea."
  When they reached the small town, Joseph knocked at the first house and asked where he might find some water and a place for Mary to rest.  The man who answered the door looked at Joseph and then Mary.  He couldn't help but notice the young woman was with child.  He very politely invited Mary inside his home and then showed Joseph where he could get some water for the donkey.  While Joseph was gone, Mary quietly sat down on an empty seat and closed her eyes for a few moments.  Suddenly she was startled when a pot fell and an older woman emerged mumbling to herself and carrying a loaf of bread.
  "My husband told me to offer you some bread.  I'm surprised you would be traveling when you are so far along.  You're pretty young, too.  Don't you know any better?" the woman rudely asked.
  Mary politely accepted the bread that was offered to her.  "Thank you for your kind hospitality.  My husband and I are traveling to Bethlehem because of the Roman census."
  "There are a lot of people traveling these days, thanks to Caesar.  As if Rome isn't already taking enough of our money for taxes, now they want a census taken, for what?  More taxes and more money?  Travelers just keep coming by and I'm just expected to give out what little food and drink we have," the woman sighed very loudly and then mumbled under her breath.  The woman was obviously not very happy.
  "Again, I thank you for your kindness.  I shall keep you in my prayers today and ask God to bless you for your generosity."
  The woman stopped for a moment and looked at Mary.  "You keep praying, because I have just about given up.  All my life I have prayed for the Messiah to come and save us.  And yet here we are, day after day, subjected to the Romans and burdened by their taxes and selfish leaders.  Why has God not heard our cries?"
  Mary compassionately look at this woman.  It appeared that this woman had let her faith wear thin as the troubles in her life increased.  Her hope was gone. Her eyes blind to God's love around her.  Cautiously, Mary continued the conversation.  "I am young, and certainly not as wise to the ways of the world as you are, but I pray every day, and I do believe God hears our cries.  My prayers seek out God's love.  I, too, pray for the Messiah to come, but not to be a governing leader, but to lead my heart toward salvation.  I would like to see changes, too.....but I don't think a government can bring about the changes I desire.  I think the power of change resides in our own hearts.  I try to live as if the Messiah was already in our midst.  What if you found the Messiah to be your neighbor, would you conduct yourself differently?
  We are all capable of changing this world we live in.  We can change our attitudes.  We can change how we speak to each other.  We can change how generous we are with one another.  We can change how we love one another.  Those are changes each of us are capable of making, and those changes could change our world.  It's a choice really.  You can live as if nothing you do matters, or you can live and truly believe that everything you do will be for the coming of the Kingdom of the Messiah.  Perhaps, only a few have power here on earth, but I think in God's Kingdom the power will reside in each and every heart faithful to God's covenant.  Love can be very powerful."
  The woman looked thoughtfully at Mary, surprised and touched by her words.  "Your wisdom is greater than your years, but how powerful can one heart be?  Can it fight an army?"
  "It is my prayer that one day we will all realize how much God loves us.  When we learn to love as God does, there will be no need for armies.  A heart filled with love desires peace,  and has no desire to allow power or jealousy to take root.  Jealousy is the seed of the Evil One.  We may not even notice it growing until it's roots begin to choke us and cut us off from the springs of everlasting love inside of us.  I try very hard to guard my heart from jealousy, and the riches and power of this world."
  The two woman continued to talk and eat. Mary spoke about the joy she experienced while praying, and the woman listened very carefully to all that Mary shared with her.  Twenty minutes later,  Joseph and the woman's husband returned.  Joseph looked at Mary and said,  "How are you feeling?"
  "I am feeling better.  We have been blessed to have found such gracious hosts along our travels."  Mary looked at the woman and said,  "I am grateful for your kindness.  I will pray that God brings blessings to this house."
  The woman looked at Mary and said, "I feel as if God, himself, already blessed us, the moment He brought you to our door.  Please, keep us in your prayers and I will keep you in mine as well.  You were hungry and I fed you with some bread, but you have fed me with your faith, and I didn't even realize I was starving. I feel that God is very near to you. I will pray for my heart to be changed as well."
  Mary smiled.
  "Shall we continue our journey, Mary?" Joseph inquired.
  "Yes, I am ready," Mary replied, and then asked, "Are you?"

(to be continued)