Jesus said to
the disciples, “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the
angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of
Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days
before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in
marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing
until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming
of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and
one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be
taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on
what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the
house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would
have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.
Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an
unexpected hour.” Matthew 24:36-44
Dear Aunt Elizabeth,
this has been a terribly hard day and how I wish I could come back and stay with you until the child arrives. My mother is really trying to be cool and collected but she is beside herself with worry. My dad is doing a lot of work outside when he is not inside complaining about my foolishness. It is worst when he starts saying mean things about Joseph. They want to believe that we are being used by God, yet I know from how they talk and look at each other, they think I have been brainwashed. Just a stupid girl charmed and overwhelmed by an older man. You understood me. Our days together were so gentle, prayerful and supportive. We talked about preparing our hearts as well as our bodies for what God is doing. We made our daily work to be about giving God space in our lives. We understood something new was happening. We both knew the world would not accept or understand us.
Now, chaos reigns and I wish I could be anywhere but here. We are supposed to be preparing for the baby, but Momma would rather just ignore it. She only lets Jospeh visit for a small amount of time each day, and even then, Poppa dominates most of the conversation. What does he think will happen if he keeps him away? That the baby will some how magically disappear? I try to remember all the prayers and songs you taught me but some days I am very weak. I find myself crying all the time. Life as we knew it will never be the same and I am so scared right now. But I also hold on to all you said to me. I fall asleep at night repeating the psalms we prayed together.
Auntie, please pray for me and if you can, find a way to calm Momma and Poppa. They want the best for me and think this is the worst. I have to hold on to what I know - that God is in the midst of this, even when it seems impossible.
Much love,
Mary
1 comment:
What a beautiful and slightly discomfiting letter. We never know the day or the hour, and often it comes when we are unprepared. In the best of times, it is easy to see G-d in the midst of all things. But when we are doubted, treated differently, and perhaps not even supported, it is at times all we can do to hold on to that which we know.
Thank you for this letter at the start of Advent.
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