In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, we read brief snippets of the early life of Jesus and the actions of His parents Joseph and Mary. These stories are proclaimed during the Advent/Christmas season each year from the Pulpit and have become very familiar to all, Christian and non-Christian alike. It may come as a surprise to the modern reader that much more detail is available to anyone who wishes to take the time to do some digging.
These details are the conclusions that were reached by holy men and women as they meditated on the Nativity narratives in the Bible and also on the oral tradition that was passed on and debated early in the history of the Church.
Who were these men and women?
Men like St. Irenaeus, St. Athanasius, St. John Chrysostom, St. Jerome, and St. Augustine. Holy women like St. Birgitta and even the mystic Venerable Maria d' Agreda.
The book takes the form of a diary that may have been kept by Joseph and Mary during the events that marked their lives and profoundly changed ours. The hope is that the reader will feel they are an eyewitness as Joseph and Mary's lives are touched by God in a unique way. Their reality was one of living in an occupied land with a tyrant on the throne
The story begins with Joseph as a child. Modern readers may be unaware that Joseph was a direct descendant of King David and as the first-born child was heir to the throne. This placed him and his family in constant danger from the paranoid and murderous Herod. We then proceed to an entry by Mary as a young child. Tradition holds that Mary went to live in the Temple at the tender age of three. Her stay in the Temple during these young years has been the subject of prayerful meditation. It provides details of the flight to Egypt and their stay there. On the way, they encounter robbers, the leader of whom tradition says is Dismas, the Good Thief who is guaranteed salvation by Christ while both hung on the Cross. It adheres to a tradition of Mary's visit to Elizabeth, a tradition that states Joseph went with her and remained with her there for three months.
Nothing about the Nativity story in the Bible is changed, rather the settings and the backgrounds are illuminated.
In addition, there is an appendix, 101 Questions and Answers About Saint Joseph.In this section, the reader learns more about the man chosen by God the Father to be the guardian of His Son and His Son's Mother. For those wishing to adopt Saint Joseph as their Patron Saint, this section is a treasure trove of insight.
Finally, as a bonus for the second edition, a sneek peek to the sequel, The Diaries of Mary, is provided.
