Let’s take a look at Mary’s behavior before God’s silence.
Nazareth is about 150 kilometers from Bethlehem on the modern highway. It is possible that, at that time, the distance was somewhat greater.
The country’s road ways were not yet laid out and attended by the Romans, masters in the matter, but they were bad and barely transit-able for the caravans of donkeys and camels. The consorts, at best, seem to have only had one donkey at their disposal to transport provisions and the most precious objects, one of those donkeys that even today, are seen in Palestine, following a group of walkers.
We do not know if Mary had to be present at the census; It seems she did not. In any case, the fact is that Joseph went to Bethlehem “with Mary, his wife, who was pregnant” (Luke 2:5).
“These words may very well imply a delicate allusion to one of the reasons why Mary also went: that is, the proximity of childbirth, a circumstance in which it was not convenient to leave her alone” (7).
The Mother had to walk slowly, with occasional rest stops. Due to her state of pregnancy, the trip was slow and tiring for Mother. We can estimate that, under these circumstances, the trip took between 8 and 10 days.
Once again it is necessary to place ourselves in a contemplative state to look at Mary’s inner senses, listen to her spiritual pulsations and admire her inner beauty.
Poor and dignified, there the young woman advances with difficulty. Today dawned a cold and rainy day, the walk is going to be particularly annoying. But Mary is a servant, she has no right to complain. Within her spirituality as her Servant of the Lord, she responds to the inclemencies: it is ok, my Father, let it be done. And the Mother, remains full of peace, despite the rain and the cold.
The psychology of the young woman who is going to be a mother for the first time is very unique: she lives between emotion and fear. God’s silence, like a dark sky full of questions, fell on Mary: when would the discomfort of childbirth begin? In those times, all birth deliveries were a possible risk of death. In our case, would there be serious complications or would everything turn out normal and well? No one knows. Will we arrive in Bethlehem before the birth? And if the birth occurs on the way, before reaching Bethlehem, what do we do? Will there be an experienced woman that can help me at this moment?
Nobody knows anything. God remains silent. Faced with these and other questions, the Mother does not remain irritated or anxious. She is full of peace, she answers again and again: thy will be done, I agree.
My Father, I abandon myself in You. There has never been seen on this earth a woman so full of peace, strength, sweetness and elegance.
Where are we going to sleep tonight? At that bend in the road, at the foot of that hill. Let’s go there. And what seemed comfortable from a distance was actually a hollow structure of mud and wind. Don’t we have a better place? Night is falling, and it is too late to look for another place; So, here we will have to sleep, or badly sleep, between the humidity and the manure. God does not show signs of life. Within her spirituality the Mother only rightfully says: My Lord, we did everything possible to find a better place; You have allowed for us to have to settle for the night here. My Father, everything is all right. Let your will be done, I abandon myself to your will. And this inextinguishable “thy will be done” will ensure that she never breaks down emotionally and will free her from all anguish.
The days go by. They do everything possible in terms of food and rest. When all the results were adverse, no resistance nor agitation rather, she surrenders “They must have had to sleep in public rest places, that were by the roadside, laying on the ground, like the other travelers, among camels and donkeys.” And God was still silent. What will Maria do?
Mary will not cry, because crying is a kind of protest; and the servant of the Lord cannot protest, but accept. Her thy will be done will give her perpetually a formidable inner state of calm, serenity, elegance, dignity, an exceptional inner category. There will not be on earth painful emergencies or unpredictable circumstances that can shake the emotional stability of the Mother. Before she was our Lady, she was Lady of herself.
From the book “The silence of Mary” by Father Ignacio Larrañaga.
