Image taken from en.wiki (Image:Enkhuisen Book of Hours (folio 39v).jpg). From http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/scwmss/wmss/medieval/jpegs/buchanan/f/1500/00100187.jpg (Miniature (illuminated manuscript) of Mary and Joseph discover Jesus among the doctors. From the Enkhuisen Book of Hours, late 15th century. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
A Rosary Meditation … The Fifth Joyful Mystery, the Finding of Jesus in the Temple. “And when they were returning, the boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem, and His parents did not know it.” Luke 2:43. Mary and Joseph had traveled a full day before they realized Jesus wasn’t with the caravan. It’s just a guess on my part but I think they realized He was missing when it was time for bed. The family would’ve been together at this point. Or should have. We’re told that they looked for Him three days before finding Him. Simple math. One day traveling from Jerusalem, one day to get back, one day spent looking. We think about the days, traveling, the rush of going, the dusty road, the fear while searching. But think about the nights for a minute. There were two nights that Mary and Joseph would have spent during this period of going and coming and searching. How early did they get up? How much sleep did they get? More to the point, how much sleep did they NOT get? Sleepless nights. And for good reason. Have you ever had a restless night, worrying about a loved one? Concerned for their safety? Or a night spent tossing and turning because you were worried over bills, or a job, or the lack of a job, or … The list is as long as there are people in the world. But Mary and Joseph know all about that. The thought here is very simple and direct. The next sleepless night you have spend your time in prayer with Mary and Joseph. They can sympathize. Let them know all about it and ask them to pray God for His will to be done. You’re going to be laying there awake anyway. Why not put the time, and even the worry, to a positive use?
Today … St. Bertilia. Foundress , wife, and virgin. She and her bridegroom took vows of chastity and remained virgins. When her husband died, Bertilia lived as a hermitess near the church that she had founded at Maroeuil, France. Sounds idyllic doesn’t it? A simple life, lived in purity and love of God. Nothing is ever that simple. If we could walk with Bertilia for a while we’d see those things constant in all lives, constant in a fallen world awaiting the return of Christ. There was illness, bad politics, natural disaster, and, for Bertilia, who no doubt prayed about these things and more, some sleepless nights. Spending sleepless nights doesn’t hamper a saint. It gives them, and us too if we’ll let it, an opportunity to exercise those saintly virtues.
Restless nights … I like what Billy Graham said when someone asked him what was the first thing he was going to do when he got to heaven. He said he was going to sleep for the first 1,000 years. 😉
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