The Trip to Bethlehem- The Nativity Of Our Lord(2023-12-25)

Introduction

On Christmas, God the Son was born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem. St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin lived in Nazareth, but they had to travel to Bethlehem when, on a human point of view, it was not the right time to make such a journey. Indeed, Our Lady was about to give birth. Nevertheless, they obeyed the will of Divine Providence, and in so doing cooperated to the realization of the good which God had planned.

Today, I will speak about the reasons for which Divine Providence made Jesus be born in Bethlehem, and about a spiritual lesson that St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin have given us.

Caesar's census

St. Joseph and Our Lady went to Bethlehem because of the census commanded by the Roman emperor Augustus Caesar. The emperor may have given this command out of pride, to know how many people he was ruling over, or maybe for reasons of administrative organization. In any case, the emperor's decision came at a very wrong time for St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin. According to the census edict, they had to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem to register, a three-day journey. Joseph and Mary had to go to Bethlehem because both were direct descendants of King David, himself a native of Bethlehem. You can easily guess all the worries and difficulties of a long journey when the mother is about to give birth to a baby. However, as the emperor was the legitimate ruler and his command was not contrary to God's law, Joseph and Mary obeyed despite the difficulty. They put their trust in Divine Providence. And of course, they were right to do so, for above men there is God, who directs all things and, through the decisions of men, accomplishes His own plan. Now let us see how God fulfilled His own plan by bringing St. Joseph and Our Lady to Bethlehem.

   

God's plan for the journey to Bethlehem.

First, God had promised to King David that the Savior would be one of his descendants. By means of the emperor's edict, God had the fulfillment of his promise officially recorded in the public registers of Bethlehem and Rome. Mary and Joseph registered in Bethlehem as descendants of King David, at the very moment of the Savior's birth. Not only was this official registration a proof of God's faithfulness in His promises, but also it was to be a sign by which the Jews would be able to identify Jesus as the promised Messiah.

     

Secondly, God had announced through the prophet Micheas that the Savior would be born in Bethlehem. By means of the emperor's edict, God made his prophecy come true. Although Joseph and Mary's home was in Nazareth, Jesus was born in Bethlehem. And this became another sign by which the Jews would be able to identify Our Lord Jesus as the Messiah announced by God.

Then, by bringing Jesus to Bethlehem to be born, God was announcing discreetly the great mystery of the Holy Eucharist and preparing our minds to believe it. The name “Bethlehem” means "House of Bread". So, Jesus was born in the "House of Bread" on Christmas Day. At Mass, at the time of the consecration, we can also say somehow that Jesus is born in the "House of Bread", for Jesus makes himself really present under the appearances of bread. The Jesus in the Holy Eucharist is the same Jesus who was born in Bethlehem; the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist is the continuation of the Mystery of the Incarnation.

Here is another reason why God brought the Holy Family to Bethlehem: to sanctify the shepherds. Because Jesus was born in Bethlehem, these shepherds received many great graces. Had the emperor not issued his census edict and had St. Joseph and Our Lady not obeyed Divine Providence in making the journey to Bethlehem, these shepherds would not have received these graces. 

Finally, let us mention one last point. God knows the future. He obviously knew that King Herod would seek to kill the Infant Jesus. By having Jesus born in Bethlehem, God was bringing the Holy Family closer to the border with Egypt, making it easier for them to flee when the necessity of it would come. The difficult journey to Bethlehem helped to protect the Holy Family afterwards.

Let us summarize what we have just said. The Roman Emperor's decision to carry out a general census and thus obliging Joseph and Mary in late pregnancy to make the journey to Bethlehem was, from a human point of view, really unwelcomed. However, by means of this decision, God fulfilled His plan: He showed His faithfulness in His promises, He fulfilled the prophecies, He confirmed in advance the teaching that Jesus would give about the Holy Eucharist, He sanctified the shepherds and He prepared the Holy Family's flight to Egypt. St Joseph and the Blessed Virgin did not know all this in advance. They simply believed in God's infinite wisdom and goodness. And this is where St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary teach us a great spiritual lesson.

A moral lesson for us.

We too must believe in the wisdom and goodness of God, who directs all the circumstances of our lives, even trials, even trials that happen to us because of others. When we face a trial, we see the suffering or difficulty of it, but we don't see the good that God achieves or will achieve by means of this suffering or difficulty. However, this good that God achieves is somewhat the same as the good achieved by God through the emperor's edict. 

   

Through the census, God fulfilled His promise to King David. In the same way, through the events of our lives, God fulfills his promise to save us: he cleanses us from our sins and makes us love God with perfect charity.

Through the census, God fulfilled His prophecy and gave a sign by which people could recognize Jesus as the Savior. Likewise, Christians who patiently bear the trials of life are a sign of the true religion. Remember, for example, how the sufferings and deaths of the martyrs were the occasion for the conversion of many.

Through the census, God taught us something of the Mystery of the Eucharist. Through the trials of life, God teaches us the Mystery of Redemption through suffering. St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus said: "Holiness does not consist in saying great things, it does not even consist in thinking great things, or feeling them... it consists in suffering and suffering of anything." (Letter 89)

Through the census, God brought great graces to the shepherds of Bethlehem. In the same way, through the circumstances of our lives, God makes us gain graces for the salvation of souls. St. Therese of the Child Jesus said: "Jesus wants the salvation of souls to depend on our sacrifices, on our love; He begs us for souls." (Letter 96)

Through the census, God prepared the Holy Family's flight into Egypt. In the same way, what appears to us as an incomprehensible trial at the time it occurs, often serves our future good. We don't see it, but God knows it.

Conclusion:

Dear Faithful, in all the events of our lives, let us always imitate the Holy Family. Let us always follow God's will, even if it seems difficult. It will always turn to the glory of God and our own good. Let us ask the Holy Family for the grace to always trust in God's wisdom and goodness for us. The birth of Jesus is one of the best proofs of it.

fr. E. Demornex