Copyright © February 2022 – Larry Johnson, Revised January 2023
As an introductory comment I would like to state that the intention in this essay is not to consider the Joyful Mysteries from a theological viewpoint. The exercise is merely that of a lay man who has undertaken to record of few thoughts and observations that have come to mind regarding the Mysteries or the praying thereof. The writer is certainly not claiming to have received any divine revelation, so whether these intuitions are of any value is for the reader to determine.
It became apparent to me that when pondering the Joyful Mysteries, a paradox was evident apropos the number of obstacles encountered by our Blessed Mother and indeed her spouse St. Joseph. Firstly, after hearing at the Annunciation in Nazareth that her cousin Elizabeth was six months pregnant, Mary undertook the journey to the latter’s home to assist in her support. Tradition holds that Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah lived in a town called Ein Kareem[i]. Ein Kareem was situated in the hill country west of Jerusalem. The journey from Nazareth to that town is estimated to be around 140 kilometres (80 miles). It is not known exactly how Mary travelled there, i.e., walking, use of a donkey or camel caravan; however, it would no doubt have required some days’ travel. It has been suggested that Mary possibly travelled in a group, but nonetheless the region was reputedly frequented by society’s undesirable constituents. The Gospel of Luke states that Mary remained at Ein Kareem for about three months, and assuming the undertaking of her journey was more or less immediate after the Annunciation, this means that Mary would have been at least three months pregnant when returning to Nazareth. There is no dispute that similar charity has been extended in our modern world by family members in similar situations; but it should be acknowledged that the airconditioned airplane or four-wheel drive, if it had then been available, may have made the trek a little more bearable. Henceforth the event, as well as others that will be discussed in the essay, highlight the hardiness of the folk of that era, juxtaposed with the constant striving for comfortableness of recent generations.
Subsequent to the Visitation to Elizabeth, we learn that in about six months, on the threshold of the birth of Jesus, a census ordered by Caesar Augustus requires Mary and her husband Joseph to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem. One would observe on a map that Bethlehem is a little longer journey than that from Nazareth to Ein Kareem. The Gospel of Luke again does not specify the method of travel and so we assume it to be one of those modes stated previously; popular tradition supports journey by donkey. Nevertheless, the point is that Mary had twice made similar arduous expeditions during her period of pregnancy. Upon arrival, the difficulties intensified owing to the town of Bethlehem being bereft of accommodation; and so, of necessity the birth occurs in a stable or cave normally used to shelter livestock. We know this as Jesus was laid in a manger – the appellation at the time for feeding troughs. In modern times, we can assume that husbands and wives may be somewhat miffed with the obstacles encountered.
Following the Nativity, the Holy Family were required by religious observance to visit the temple in Jerusalem to consecrate Jesus to God. The ritual required offering a sacrifice, in their case, as they were poor, ‘a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons’[ii]. Mary and Joseph were obedient in this, but while at the temple were confronted by a prophecy from a worshipper named Simeon that:
‘… this child is set for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.’[iii]
So, we see that Mary and Joseph bring their newly born son Jesus to the temple, more than likely in a spirit of joy, only to be confronted with the prophesy of much grief through His and Mary’s life.
Heightening the struggles shortly after Jesus’ birth, it then becomes incumbent on Mary and Joseph to escape to Egypt to save the life of the baby Jesus from being murdered by the tyrannically insane King Herod. Matthew’s Gospel informs us that Herod’s order was to kill all male children two years and under, so we can assume that the trip to Egypt occurred within this same period after the birth. The legendary resting place of the Holy Family in Egypt is Heliopolis; a location just north-east of Cairo[iv]. A direct line drawn from Bethlehem to Cairo registers 385 kilometres (240 miles), so this is at the very least how far the Holy Family had to travel. The journey was through country renowned for its perils to a place where they knew no one and had to start from the beginning apropos employment/income and so forth. In his book ‘To Know Christ Jesus’, Frank Sheed offered the following depiction:
‘It would have been a nightmare journey for any mother of a baby just born. Worse than heat and sand and thirst was the terror of pursuit. How could Herod’s men fail to catch them?’
‘The Egyptian border… was perhaps a week’s journey at the pace at which they could travel, especially as they would almost certainly have chosen the older and less frequented roads in preference to the main road, whenever possible. It must have been an appalling journey, most of it through barren country, uninhabited, with water almost impossible to find. The last part, as they approached the Egyptian border, was sheer desert, a vast sea of sand, treeless, shade-less.’[v]
Mr. Sheed states ‘perhaps a week’s journey’. Given the distance it is perhaps an optimistic estimate. However, we do not know by what mode of transport the crossing was completed.
As a concluding comment on the flight to Egypt, it has been stated by authors, including Frank Sheed, that the stay in Egypt may have been relatively short, thereby deepening the overall trauma; as having undertaken the ordeal of reaching this destination, there would in that case have been short duration for recuperation prior to commencing the return journey. No doubt Mary and Joseph would have been glad to return to their own country, but physically it must have been arduous following a relatively brief interval.
Finally, we visit the finding of Jesus in the temple when He was twelve years old. The story should be familiar to Christians but for readers who are not a summary is provided. Mary and Joseph took Jesus to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. After the feast had ended and the convoy commenced the return journey to Nazareth, Mary and Joseph had not realized that the boy had stayed behind. For those who think this unusual, Frank Sheed explains that travel was usually made to and from Jerusalem in large groups, with parties joining up along the road. It was not extraordinary for pilgrims to move from group to group with families and friends reassembling at the end of the day[vi]. At some juncture, it was discovered that Jesus was missing. After three days He was found in the temple in discussion with the teachers in matters of faith. One could well understand the terror and anxiety that Mary and Joseph felt in those three days.
At the commencement of this essay, I mentioned the paradox that the Joyful Mysteries included many obstacles as well as exultation . As confirmation of these ironies, it is worth mentioning that some of the events of the Joyful Mysteries can also be found in another Marian devotion – the Seven Sorrows of Mary. We could compare the joy of Mary visiting her cousin Elizabeth: a joyous occasion but requiring the journey to and from as previously described. The joy of the birth of Jesus accompanied by similar passage from Nazareth to Bethlehem. We can add as part of the Nativity the flight to Egypt and back. The joy of presenting Jesus in the temple tinged by the dire prophesy of Simeon. The loss of Jesus at the conclusion of the Feast of Passover when He was twelve years old followed by joy in finding Him. These last three episodes being part of the Seven Sorrows.
It is easy to imagine that many in the modern era would have found their faith greatly tested by all these events, particularly the rapid-fire dramas that occurred in Jesus’ infancy. Some would be tempted to superficiality and declare that God was lacking in concern to allow such things. But this argument falls away when we realize that Jesus is God – Second Person of the Holy Trinity. So, if God allows such suffering to parents who charged with the care of the Son of God, then is it not inconsistent that we would have our obstacles and difficulties as well. The topic of suffering is a subject to discuss perhaps in another essay, although there are many who have written and spoken about it more eloquently than this writer. The texts of any number of Popes and Saints would suffice. C.S.Lewis wrote a book called ‘The Problem of Pain’, which may be worth reading in regard to further investigation. It is here adequate to state that the example of Christ’s suffering and death and His consequent resurrection is the paradigm God has instigated for us to follow. Faith would appear to be one of the fundamentals in navigating a path through the traumas and difficulties encountered in a lifetime.
We should also look to Mary as inspiration in times of need. If we move beyond the time of the boy Jesus to His Manhood, we see further suffering for her. We see a mother observe her Son’s teachings ignored, insults regularly being hurled against Him, plots against His life and then that life being extinguished by the authorities. Mary witnesses Jesus condemned to death, observes His broken and bloodied body carrying a cross on the way to Calvary. Mary beholds nails being driven into His hands and feet, an agonizing progression to His death which included mockery and ill-treatment, and then a spear thrust into His side from which flowed blood and water. Finally, Mary held her Son’s bloody, beaten, and broken body in her arms prior to a hurried burial in the tomb. But then came the resurrection and Mary beheld her glorified Son: her faith rewarded.
It is perhaps fitting to conclude the essay with a quote from ‘The Lord’ by Monsignor Romano Guardini:
‘…every step the Lord took towards fulfillment of His Godly destiny Mary followed – in bare faith. Comprehension came only with Pentecost. Then she understood all that she had so long reverently stored in her heart. It is this heroic faith that places her irrevocably at Christ’s side in the work of redemption, not the miracles of Marianic legend. Legend may delight us with deep and gracious images, but we cannot build our lives on imagery, least of all when the very foundations of our faith begin to totter. What is demanded of us, as of her, is a constant wrestling in fide [in faith] with the mystery of God and with the evil resistance of the world. Our obligation is not delightful poetry but granite faith… The purer we see and understand the figure of the Mother of God as she is recorded in the New Testament, the greater the gain for our Christian lives.’[vii]
[i] This is the Holy Land, Copyright © 1960, 1961 in the United States of America by Hawthorn Books, Inc
[ii] The Didache Bible Copyright © 2014-2019, Rev. James Socias. Revised Standard Version Bible, Ignatius Edition, Copyright © 2006, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America, Luke 2: 24b.
[iii] Ibid. Luke 2: 34b-35.
[iv] This is the Holy Land, Copyright © 1960, 1961 in the United States of America by Hawthorn Books, Inc
[v] To Know Christ Jesus, Frank Sheed. Ignatius Press. Original Edition © 1962 Sheed & Ward, Inc. © 1980 Frank Sheed. Published with ecclesiastical approval.
[vi] Ibid. Pp 80-81.
[vii] The Lord. Romano Guardini. Copyright© 1954 Regnery Publishing. Copyright © renewed 1982 by Elinor C. Briefs. Published by Gateway Editions, United States of America.
