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During the Advent season at Madonna House Combermere, behind St. Mary’s building, you can see a couple slowly travelling through a field. The man, wearing a red plaid lumberjack’s shirt and matching cap, pulls a donkey, on which a woman is sitting. Each day to the pleasure of those watching, they travel a little bit further on their journey.
The Advent I first encountered Mary, Joseph, and their donkey, travelling on the road to Bethlehem, I was captivated by them. I had read Catherine’s writings on the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem in her books Donkey Bells and Grace in Every Season, but there’s a difference between reading about something and seeing it.
Seeing an almost life-size Mary and Joseph physically moving closer to me each day gave the spiritual reality substance. Each day they seemed to whisper to me, “Will you be ready to welcome us?” I was enchanted and delighted by these plywood images.
After my extended stay at Madonna House, as Advent approached, I found myself making my own travelling trio as a gift for my nieces and nephew. I wanted to share with the kids I love, the joy I had received when I followed Mary and Joseph’s journey at Madonna House and to silently proclaim the message of the Gospel to the people living in my area.
I sketched the images on plywood, cut them out, and clothed them in fabric. As a finishing touch I placed an old pair of my father’s work boots on Joseph’s feet.
In the dark of night, as the Church celebrated the First Sunday of Advent, I placed them on the far edge of the field on the farm where my brother and his family live. Their destination: Bethlehem (known to everyone else as the farmhouse).
Each day, I went to the farm to assist the Holy Couple on their journey, slowly moving them across the field. The children loved seeing Mary and Joseph travel to their house. During the day, my nieces and nephew would visit the Holy Couple and encourage them on their journey. “Mary and Joseph are coming!” they would exclaim when they saw me.
I loved hearing them speak about Mary and Joseph as I used to speak about Santa and his reindeer. Mary and Joseph were coming to their house for Christmas and the entire neighbourhood was watching!
I had expected this activity would bring the kids joy, but I could not anticipate the lessons I would learn, as the journey Mary, Joseph and their donkey made across the field became my journey.
As autumn turned into winter and rain turned into snow, we travelled together. I greeted them as I would my good friends. Across the field, wet and cold, with clay sticking thickly to my boots, I carried these figures ten to twenty feet further each day, and was reminded of the burden the donkey carried that first Christmas.
At a certain point, a smaller version of Mary and Joseph appeared on the prayer table in my bedroom. Belonging to my Nativity set, they had, it seemed, prematurely escaped the confines of the Christmas storage box and found a place to rest beside my Advent wreath.
Mary knelt with her arms outstretched, reaching towards the warmth of a small vigil light, the glow of the flame dancing on her face.
Joseph stood close behind her, his hand resting on her shoulder, and the donkey rested at their feet. In the morning, they stood there inviting me to join them in their prayer. In the evening, they were there waiting for me, reminding me to thank God for the blessings of the day.
Never before has the Holy Couple figured so prominently in my daily journey through Advent.
On December 23, shortly after the sun had set, Joseph, Mary, and the donkey reached their destination. The clothes they wore were weathered and muddy from the long journey. I brought Joseph and Mary up the porch steps, stood them on the porch, and rang the doorbell. Then I hid in the bushes and watched as the children opened the door. “They’re here!” they shouted.
Was I ready? Would I ever be ready to welcome the Holy Couple into the humble stable of my heart?
The truth I learned that Advent was that I don’t have to be ready. It’s enough to be present and available. While it’s nice to feel prepared for Christmas, it’s nicer still to enter into the story.
My journey of faith doesn’t have to be expensive, elaborate, or well thought out. The joy I received came through an idea that was simple, poor, and childlike in every way.
In the process of turning this idea into reality, the journey of the Holy Family became my journey, from Nazareth to Bethlehem.
