The Holy Family is travelling from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and we want to travel with them. We hope these letters, narrating the trip from St. Joseph’s perspective, helps all of us get ready for the journey, face the challenges that come our way, and, above all, prepare our hearts to welcome God, who makes Himself a Child for us.

 Download all six letters as an ebook: Joseph’s Journal (epub)

Mary came to the workshop today. Smiling as always, she asked about the neighbouring family who commissioned me to repair a cart wheel. One of the children is very ill, and Mary wants to know whether she might go and visit them.

Tomorrow we will leave Nazareth. A caravan will travel along the Jordan Valley route, and it seems like the best way to get to Bethlehem. Which begs the question: why didn’t we start the journey earlier? Of course I didn’t just wait until my wife was about to give birth to set out on an eight-day journey through the desert.

The announcement of the census ordered by the Romans took us by surprise a couple of months ago. As soon as we received the order to relocate, I talked to Mary. I insisted that she could stay in Nazareth until the Child was born, but she refused:

“Joseph, I am your wife, and I will go wherever you go. Besides, the prophecies say that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem. All of this is part of God’s plan.”

Once we made the decision, we started to prepare. I asked some merchants when a caravan heading to Bethlehem would pass through Nazareth. I took on more jobs than usual to save some money, which sometimes meant working extra hours at night. Mary sold bread in the Nazareth market and even made beautiful palm-woven baskets to offer to the wealthier families of the village. You should have seen her, with her big eyes full of excitement, offering her goods to the neighbours.

We’ve never had much money, but in those weeks it seemed to slip through our hands like water in a river. One of my relatives died, and we used part of our savings to bury him. My hand saw broke, and I had to buy materials to make another. A heavy storm opened a hole at the entrance of the workshop, and much of the wood I was working with became unusable because of the damp. There came a point when I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. So I chose my usual solution: talk it over with Mary. Our sense of humour came to our rescue, although I confess that we cried a little too.

Meanwhile, we waited for news of the merchants’ caravan we would join to travel to Bethlehem. December arrived, and it still had not come to Nazareth. I began to worry and think about other options. Travelling alone was unthinkable: we wouldn’t risk the danger of crossing such a long desert route by ourselves. One day, I walked to Cana of Galilee to see if any merchants were leaving from there toward Bethlehem, but I had no luck there either. Once again, I talked to Mary; throughout the conversation, she kept her usual calm, but I could see the concern in her eyes. We concluded that if the caravan did not arrive within the next three days, I would travel alone to Bethlehem, and Mary would go to live with her cousin Elizabeth.

Two days later, at dusk, news arrived that a caravan had set up camp on the outskirts of Nazareth. This very morning, I left the village to make the necessary arrangements with the merchants and to travel with them. Everything is ready, but time is pressing.

I am worried. I wish things had been different. I do not know where we will stay when we arrive in Bethlehem, nor whether I will find work soon enough to provide for my family. I trust in God, but even so, I am afraid. I think of Mary’s smile… She has faith in God and, because of that, she trusts in me.

Tonight, after closing the workshop, I went with Mary to visit that family and their sick child. We left them the wooden toys I made months ago for Jesus, that we will not be able to take with us to Bethlehem now.

When we returned home, I noticed a star I had not seen before. Mary saw it too.

“Look, Joseph. It’s as if it came out just for us. How good God is: He never leaves us, not even for a moment!”

I may not understand much, but Mary does. She is right. How good God is… for choosing me to be by her side.