(Based on Luke 2 & Gospel of James 19-20)
Before he left in search of a midwife, Joseph had the presence of mind still to throw his cloak down on the straw for Mary to lie down on. The homeowner’s wife was running back towards their area of the house yelling at her husband and family. In short order, she was back with a burning lamp that she placed on the flat top of a stone in the wall where it protruded from the one above it. Soon a child whom Joseph judged to be one of their children appeared with a basin of warm water which which her mother placed near Mary’s feet. Straightening up, Rachel turned around and saw Joseph and his sons, “What? You still here? Go and find a midwife! Hurry!”
As Joseph and his sons set out in the fading daylight, they saw a womancoming down from the hill-country. Probably identifying them as travellers, she greeted them and asked them, “Where are you going?”
Joseph responded, “I am seeking a Hebrew midwife.”
She answered, “You are of Israel?”
“Yes,” Joseph answered hopefully. Then he told her he had a woman that needed her help, and that she was in a nearby cave. He did not say wife, or anything else more definitive, as he was still sometimes unsure, especially with strangers, of how to describe this enigmatic woman whom destiny had brought into his life.
Perhaps picking up on that lack of clarity, the woman said: “Who is it then that is bringing forth in the cave?”
Then the woman said to him: “Is she not your wife?”
Joseph answered: “It is Mary that was reared in the temple of the Lord, and I obtained her by lot as my wife. And yet she is not my wife, but has conceived of the Holy Spirit.”
Joseph said to her: “Just come and see. We need you. You are a midwife? God has lead us to you if so. I will pay you whatever is necessary for your help.” So, the woman, who was indeed a midwife, named Salome as she told them, went with him to the cave. As they entered, they saw a luminous cloud overshadow the cave and fill it with an eerie light. The midwife said: “Now I am seeing strange things. My soulhas been magnified this day because of this.” And immediately the cloud disappeared out of the cave, and a great light shone in the cave, so that their eyes could not bear it.
Just then Mary gasped again as pain struck her once more. Salome looked at her protruding abdomen, then up to meet Mary’s eyes, “Are you in labour?”
“I don’t know,” Mary panted, maybe? She looked beseechingly into the woman’s eyes, “What can I do?”
Joseph’s mind was in turmoil. What was happening to their trip? What seemed to be unfolding in front of him was not something he had at all anticipated!
In spite of the blinding light that enveloped them all, the midwife approached Mary and offered to help, as she could hear from the sounds Mary was making that she was indeed in labour. Meanwhile, Joseph shepherded his sons away from the cave, as it was not appropriate for them to be part of what was transpiring there.
Salome, meanwhile had helped Mary settle comfortably onto the straw. She asked Joseph to sit at Mary’s head. Joseph was willing to comply. It seemed that someone knew what she was doing. He sure did not know what to do.
Just then Mary had another of her pains. “Yes, Mary,” Salome said, “I think you are going to have a baby.” Joseph’s eyes widened and he had to struggle to calm the panic he felt coming over him.
“Joseph,” the midwife said, “put your legs alongside Mary and let her rest on your chest. It will give her support and make it easier for her. At some point she will have to push and you can be what she pushes against!”
Joseph meekly followed the woman’s instructions. He had no other ideas. Meanwhile, she was helping rearrange Mary’s garments to make room for the baby to be born.
Mary was young, strong and healthy, and it was not long before she cried, “I think the baby is starting to come!”
.
The woman of the house, Rachel, was still present and she called to her husband, “Ephraim! A knife and more clean water!” and he appeared with a knife which he lay beside the lamp and took the basin of water away and then returned with it filled with clean warm water again.
“Mary,” she said, “I know it is hard, but if you can squat – Joseph can put his arms under yours and help you up, it will be much better.”
The couple continued to follow their helper’s suggestions. When it was evident Mary was having another contraction, she was instructed to push. Joseph had braced himself against her to keep her upright. A few contractions later a head of black hair appeared and with the next contraction they saw the whole head.
“Try to relax and take some deep breath between the pains,” Salome said gently. She worked with Mary and as she did so the light gradually decreased, until the infant appeared. Suddenly the baby cried, just as Mary felt another pain coming on. With a cry and extra strain on her part, the baby emerged in its entirety and into a cluster of clean torn cloths Salomewas holding at the ready. The baby cried again as she wrapped it in the cloth – it was a boy – Rachel had brought, and lifted him up to Mary’s breast and laid it between her and Mary.
Then Salome reached for the knife and, passing it through the flame, cut the umbilical cord. After quickly tying the ends in knots she began to bath the baby with the water in the basin. Mary began to wrap her newborn more tightly in the cloths when Salome told her, “You are not done yet, there is still the afterbirth.” A few pushes later Mary rid herself of that and suddenly she felt a whole lot better. Instead of the pain filling her mind she was now filled with wonder at this miracle in front of them. What an amazing thing had just happened!
“Joseph,” she whispered turning her fact up towards his, squeezing his hands once more, “This is Jesus.”
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