Birth of Christ: Devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows

The birth of Our Savior Jesus Christ seems to be the happiest and most heralded of all the Christian festivities. In the Philippines, the anticipation and preparation begins at the start of the ‘er months, that is September. This length of time until Christmas Day is approximately a quarter of a year! The Church reminds us that the weeks of Advent prior to Christmas Day must be spent for recalling our sins and to be sorry for them so that the birth of Christ brings along its purpose, to save us from our sins, free us from the bondage of slavery.

When we think about how human were the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, the more we would appreciate in a new light, the Nativity.

It started when the Roman Emperor mandated the Israelites to register or in our time to partake in a census. For Joseph, it has to be in Bethlehem. The couple therefor have to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem. The bible tells us that when they arrived in Bethlehem, the houses and inns were already full and the couple with Mary, about to give birth, found an animal stable where they could pass the night.

This time, Mary travelled with Jesus in her womb about to be delivered. When the baby is already nearing delivery, a lot of discomfort is already setting in even when the mother is in a comfortable home. Imagine Mary, on an oxen or a wagon travelling, maybe not only for hours, or a day; it might be for days! Did they have enough food? Have they rested along the way, as in a tavern or inside the wagon? How did they handle the dirty clothes, was there washing or they have to wear them even when dirty? This is winter. How did they keep themselves warm? These concerns have not entered the minds of billions of Christians, to be one with the difficult, uncomfortable and dangerous journey of Mary and Joseph with our Savior, still unborn.

As they looked for a house to stay, going from one to another, what discomfort, what pain must had been felt? Hunger? Longing for a place to clean up, a place to rest? We add to these, the embarrassment, to say the least, of being rejected by several house owners.

At last, they settled down in an animals’ stable. Lo and behold, the great event happened. JESUS CHRIST WAS BORN! The Christmas story began.

How many minutes must Mary had been in labor? What cleaning of the stable was done by Joseph before the birth? Where did he get the freezing water? How did they keep themselves warm especially the baby Jesus? The rest of the Christmas story presents beauty, ease, joy without any hint of the accompanying pains and sufferings of the natural cycle in life which the Holy Family underwent.

Mother Mary and St. Joseph, we love you more as we remember your sacrifices during the birth of Our Savior Jesus Christ.

From here, the holy St. Joseph went a long journey to hide Jesus from the massacre of King Herod.