We grow up with pictures of the "creche" and we have a pretty hard time to shake that. You can perhaps not imagine the mental and emotional shock that you get when caves start to make more sense than the stable that we grow up imagining. My change of mind and faith came in stages, and this was the first step, actually, the second, but that's further down the page. Here we go, step by step. Hang on, it may be a bumpy ride.
1st -- Nazareth. Model farm like we have some in the United States where the past is recreated and the tourists parade through "oh-ing and ah-ing". Interesting because here, for the first time, It hit me and I became aware that caves are rather common in Israel.
2nd -- Bethlehem. Go to the hills a little bit further in from the center of the town. Fields at the foot of the hills and in the sides of the hills, several caves of different sizes. I tested several of them, and each one was rather "comfortable". They were all about 4 to 6 feet high from earth to "ceiling" and anywhere from 6 to 15 feet long and 6 to 15 feet deep. They are real shelters and it is but natural to realize that with animals inside with the humans, even in the Israel Winter, it would not be that bad. In fact, rather comfortable.
3rd -- Mary and Joseph are from Galilee and Nazareth to boot. The "city", so to speak, in comparison to Bethlehem. So a shepherd's cave rather that a man-made structure was perhaps somewhat of a culture shock. But, like I said, not terribly bad, weather wise. Remember, Israel (specifically, Bethlehem) is farther south that San Diego, California. Don't forget the animals -- smelly but warm. Think of the city dwellers here who sleep with their pets. Think of the people in third world countries who sleep with animals. We don't feel comfortable with the thought, but that's because we haven't ever experienced "roughing it" to that degree.
4th -- Assisi. St. Francis and his love for animals "invents" the stable because there are no caves in Assisi and what does he know? So, he uses his imagination and slowly but surely the pictures catch on and now for 11 centuries we have what we have, and we like it. By the way, this is not bull. This is historical fact, thanks to my reconstructive surgery of the last 21 centuries. But if you want, you can look it up.
5th -- My conscience. That's it. I now live with a new reality about the birth of Jesus. I have to admit that I like it because it makes more sense to me now than it ever did. There are still some questions that I have that were never satisfactorily answered about the anatomy of the whole thing, but I guess those are not supremely important. But when you think about it, being among a bunch of shepherds would be as good a place as any to deliver offspring. I mean, who would have more practice at that sort of thing than professional shepherds? That's my take. I had to come to it myself. I never found anyone, and I mean anyone, who wanted to even talk about that part of the story.
Therefore, you now have a part of me to think about. Wait until you read the story of what happened at the outset of the flight to Egypt.
Je vous souhaite un bon "Minuit Chrétien."
I wish you all a blessed "Oh Holy Night."
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