NOTE: THESE CHAPTERS ARE NOW AVAILABLE IN A MUCH IMPROVED, EXPANDED BOOK, "A SWORD SHALL PIERCE YOUR SOUL" from FriesenPress
From this point on the original version of the story and the so-called Catholic are one, hence the dropping of the subtitle, "The Catholic Version." Joseph and Jesus' siblings don't enter the biblical narrative together with any reference to Mary at this point and onward, so their continued story is immaterial to the conclusion of my version of Mary's story. Joseph is generally regarded by all Christians and historians as deceased by this time because his name never appears again after the family trip to Jerusalem for the passover when Jesus was 12. Jesus' siblings, particularly James, do possibly figure prominently in the life of the early Church, but that is beyond the scope of this story.
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John took his mother home first as it was nearer to the troubling scene they were leaving behind them. Then he walked Mary back to her parents’ home as dusk deepened. They hurried as the chill of the night began to envelop them, pulling their cloaks tightly around them. Little was said; they were all too distressed and dismayed by what they had just witnessed. Words could not do justice to their shared experience – yet.
When they reached Joachim and Anna’s home, Mary thanked John for being there with her. Then, somewhat impulsively, she stepped forward and embraced him. She looked up into his surprised eyes through her own tear-filled eyes and said, “Don’t forget, you now have two mothers!” With that she turned quickly towards the door of her parents’ home, stopping to wave goodbye to John who was till staring after her. He then turned and walked away but Mary could not help but note the droop in his shoulders. They were all grieving, and so unexpectedly; it was nothing short of a shock.
Mary’s parents rushed to the door when she arrived. They had already heard the news. They both wrapped her in their arms and they all burst into tears together. Once the floodgates were open, Mary could hardly stop sobbing. She clung to her parents, burying her head in her father’s shoulder. Finally, she pulled herself up and said softly, “I am exhausted; I just want to sleep now. You are probably tired too.”
Her parents understood but they also knew she had probably not eaten. She agreed with that and said she really had no appetite. However, at her parents’ insistence, she had a little to eat before she went to lie down where she slept. They knew Mary was too upset to ply her with questions about what she had seen, what had really happened. They reasoned they could talk about this further when Mary was ready.
Initially, Mary had trouble falling asleep. The awful images of what she had seen kept rolling before her weary eyes. The tears still came, but not like when she had first come to her parents.’ However, eventually her brain succumbed to here fatigue and she did sleep.
The next day seemed to drag on forever. Little was still spoken in the troubled household. They had no heart for going to synagogue or the temple. Was there any point? They uttered prayers, some audible, others not, as they gathered for their Sabbath meals. Again, they ate little. There was no pleasure in it.
When night fell, they all retired to their beds again. As with the previous eve, Mary did not immediately fall asleep. This time it was not so much the images of yesterday, although they were still present. It was more the questions and thoughts that swirled around in her mind. What were they all to make of all that Jesus had done in his short life? What had been the purpose? What did it mean? Surely, all those messages had not been in vain. And what had Joseph, the man who let Jesus be buried in his tomb reminded them of – that Jesus had suggested he would rise again if he were killed? Mary was not sure she could even put any energy into believing that and building up some hope. She felt somewhat guilty for not having observed the Sabbath better, but she was sure she could be forgiven for that. This had indeed been the darkest Sabbath she had ever known. Eventually, she slept again.
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