4th Book

THE ELDERLY AND THE DIVINER WOMAN

A Hebrew woman is considered unclean for forty days after giving birth to a boy. Moses’s law commands that after forty days, the purification is complete whether a son or a daughter, the mother must bring a one-year-old lamb as an entirely burned offering (sin offering) to the priest at the entrance. The priest will present it before the Lord and make reconciliation for her. She will then be cleansed from her blood flow. This is the instruction for any woman who has a child, male or female. But if the mother cannot afford a sheep, she can bring two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for the entirely burned offering and the other for the purification offering. The priest will then make reconciliation for her, and she will be clean.

To obey this law, Mary has to leave City of David and move to Jerusalem. Israelites have such regulations for the purpose of enabling to have a relationship with the Holy God maintaining ritual purity. To do so they must be whole/clean before entering any sacred place, lest the Holiness of God destroy them.

In giving birth, the woman challenges the penalty of death on mankind for sinning against God in the Garden of Eden, for each birth insures the continuation of the race. Symbolically each birth strikes a blow on the head of the paradisiacal serpent, the champion of death. Giving birth was a momentous act of victory.

Mary and Joseph followed the regulations when Jesus was a newborn. As an adult however, Jesus showed that he was not especially concerned by becoming ritually unclean. He was not bothered when a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years and was “contagiously unclean” touched him. Jesus does not chastise but encourages her and says, “Take heart daughter, your faith has healed you.”

For us today with access to clean water and modern medicine, the purification regulations have little practical value. And for us who are followers of Jesus, they have little spiritual value, as in the New Covenant, there is no requirement of physical purity in order to have access to God’s presence.

In the Virgin Mary’s arms is Baby Jesus, and beside her is Joseph her good husband. They went to the Temple, and on the stairs there were offerings of different kinds. The Nazarene Virgin is poor, and she can only afford one pigeon to offer. At the time of their firstborn Son’s Presentation, the Holy Family were sitting at the synagogue’s entryway under the tall trees, and according to the gospel, that at the time there was a man in Jerusalem name Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. A Holy man paved his way to many people leading his way to the couple’s location. After kneeling at the couple’s presence, old Simeon took the child Jesus in Mary’s arms with his two hands, raised the child Jesus up to his face and recited these words filled with joy:

—“Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel.”

The Blessed couple were overwhelmed as they watched old Simeon’s tearful eyes, gazing at the God-child face, they listen to his words of prophecies. Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother:

—“Oh! Fortunate Mother,” the old man continue after a few seconds of silence.

—“Blessed lady you found grace; you brought forth life; you became the Mother of Salvation. Your Divine Son will be brighter than the sun; He will end Israel’s dark some nights; this child is destined to cause of well-being to many and the destruction for some; His name will give strength for the weak and fear for the strong; and you who carried him in your womb, behold, swords will pierce through your heart, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.”

Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him. The old man’s prophecies startled Mary, and she can’t help but admired his prophecies. She can envision from those words the pain that beset her life, destined by heaven. She remained silent, she can’t open up her lips for any words to say.

At that time an old woman named Anna was living in Jerusalem a diviner. She is Phanuel’s daughter from the Asher’s clan. She was very old. Her husband died after seven years of marriage. The good widow is living through penitence, fasting and praying, she is practically residing in the Temple, she never left the Temple, she stayed there day and night. Anna is respected by the Jews for having the knowledge of a true priest.

The baby Jesus was already in old Simeon’s arms by the time Anna arrived in the Temple. The diviner stand close to Simeon and upon seeing the child Jesus, her face change its color at once. Her heart leaped for glorious joy, she cried out full of admiration, then she spoke the following:

—“What is this? God that can’t be seen!”

Then with fascination, she fixed her eyes to Jesus, charmed and mesmerized. One outcry of excitement affirmed her lips, as she abruptly knelt at Mary’s foot with her arms straightened, beholding the Mother and child.

—“You are the Messiah’s mother, let me kiss your child’s foot.”

Anna is a respected visionary by her people in Jerusalem and for her intelligence. The town people, spectators and some passers by crammed around her to hear her words from seeing the child Jesus.

—“Oh, Israel!” Anna said with her tearful eyes looking up to heaven.

—“Oh, Israel! The fortunate descendants of Abraham and Jacob! To your prosperous land of Judah came down the powerful God! The Mighty God that will wave your noble flag in the entire East. Watch him!……….this is………………….. human in the flesh, seen by your fortunate eyes, inbound in God’s Mighty Power He possessed! Shower him with flowers and palm leaves, and the road where His Blessed Mother walks. Sing her hosanna for her Son’s glory…….Run, all you good women, the Blessed Israelites, the wise priests, the powerful leaders, spread this outstanding news, through Palestine’s remotest villages. Jerusalem’s children! Prepare it like its the Tabernacles Feasts, scatter oil and perfumes like in the Prince’s wedding, because for all these some performed offerings are still not enough, for He is the Messiah, the Savior’s persecuted clans.

Anna the fortune-teller, whose ears God whispered, the Blessed widow, left the Zion’s Temple and ran to the City street, shouting and proclaiming the Messiah’s arrival, God’s birth!

The crowded City of Jerusalem heard the proclamations, and the women along with some aged citizens came rushing through the Temple, leading and shoving each other to get near and kiss the Virgin Mary’s poor and rough cloak. For this whole clamor, they took Mary away, but the confusion surprised her by what was happening around her. Anna’s astonishing words made her cry with gladness, she can’t find the right words of what was just transpired. Tears of fine pearls ran down her beautiful face, but she rewarded them with her sweet and warmth smile for all the respect offered to her.

Like St. Ambrose said:

—“Not only the Angels, the Prophets, and the shepherds generated the Redeemer’s birth glorious popularity but also the Blessed Elderly of Israel that brightens the enlightening truth.”

—“Men and women, young and old testifies to this belief and made vigorous to so many miracles.”

—“A virgin conceived, a barren woman gave birth, Isabel prophesied, the Magi’s believed, the widow confirmed the wonderment of this event and was accepted by the Holy men.”

Then the chime sounded, Presentation in the Temple. “Room for the Firstborn” or Sala de los Primogenitos” time to offer the child. For this Joseph left his Blessed wife at the Temple’s patio and entered the house of Almighty God, carrying their Son.

But Oh! Like a despicable Hebrew, they treat Jesus with no importance in that room. Received from the father’s hand, an oblation of the God-child that’s not even regarded by the impatient Jew and a dreadful priest. A lowly sacrifice offered by the honorable Carpenter, they have given Jesus a dismal look at the “burnt offerings” shrine.

Thirst for gold hardened the hearts of many, a time that can’t be forgotten. They see Jesus as a rubbish of the world, for he was poor. Accepted in greed by the presenter and received from Joseph’s hand by a Levite priest, the presenter softly recites the obscene words that are not intended, and expected.

For this reason, Joseph, the virtuous Patriarch, covered his ears, asking himself why this person was mistreating him this way, while earlier, on the other side of the Temple’s entryway, everyone was worshipping his noble son.

According to Flavius Josephus, (Roman-Jewish Historian) to his book, “Jewish Antiques,” and John James Besnage of the Jews, that arrogance, pretentious, and greed of the Priest’s Prince’s in Jerusalem had reached its peak, from beyond imagination.

Extorting tithes are the Pontiff’s commands to their farm workers, the reason why some priests are living a miserable life with no other food other than figs and nuts. But even so, they can’t open up their mouth to refuse, for the accusation to disobey can end up in the Roman’s hands immediately.

One day, Governor Felix imprisoned forty priests, for simply giving “Jewish’s Congregation” to the synagogue’s Prince’s. One more damnable behavior that the Jewish’s hearts adapt, are to practice more on wickedness than selfishness for “vengeance.”

A person that don’t know how to build and accumulate anger, and who don’t know to avenge are not deserving to be called a “Rabbi.” For the truthful nearing end of the world’s destruction, Christ’s coming back in the world is exceedingly needed.

Jesus turned out to be the Humankind’s Redeemer. Through the blackness of darkness that covers the society, the bright beckon of light absolutely handed down by God, granted to come here and scatter the sparkling radiance of His light!

The unending Escola Pia Balmes tells us about these dark times, and we are repeating his words:

—“A truly horrible exposure of the ugly scenes sets to our societies eyes, while in the midst of this darkest times born Christianity. The society covered with beautiful, and colorful clothes, but the hearts remains wounded, a pain that cannot heal. The effect of a beautiful picture shown to our human eyes are covered by the magnificent regalia of conceit, and wealth, but behind the portrayals are the disgusting and the rotten. Manners and behaviors have no more basis. No more shame to foul and unclean works. Hearts impulses, and impatience are uncontrollable anymore. Punishment by law is no longer governed. Faith has no God, and minds are even soaring, carrying suspicions with wrong presumptions, the philosophers contemplation.”

—“People back then is a one deep mystery without understanding of its own prudence, and don’t know how to value its own majestic self, for they agreed to devalue and bring down their height to the animal level.”

—“While the majority of people are weeping to this disgraceful slavery, the famous fearless are celebrating their freedom with no uncertainties, with tens of their disgusting habits, on top of their gods and goddesses altars.”

—“Christianity emerged, but course of Politics was never altered, and He did not plan to oppose any governments; there was no intervention to whatever belonged to earth’s land; He brought humans two treatments in life of whom are called to the pathways of endless glory, and besides this, He sprinkled handfuls of no second healing to destroy the bad society, to give way for the seed of a new life; a slow procedure but sure mighty to fight the coming storm. This seed that will defend the world for its own destruction, a brilliant valuable seed which bring forth higher and pure lessons to give as a gift to every human race, young and old, men and women, rich and poor. Like the generous refreshing rain, gently pouring flowing through the dried farmland.”

After the necessary ceremonies required by Moses’s law, Joseph left the Temple. As he met his Blessed wife, they both left the Priest City and went to Nazareth trailing Galilee’s road.