The Birthkeeper of Bethlehem by Bridget Supple

Author:Bridget Supple [Supple, Bridget]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781910559819
Publisher: Womancraft Publishing
Published: 2022-10-23T23:00:00+00:00

May God bless you and keep you;

may God make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you;

may God lift up His countenance and give you peace.

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;

may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

May he send you help from the sanctuary

and grant you support from Zion.

May he remember all your sacrifices

and accept your burnt offerings.

May he give you the desire of your heart

and make all your plans succeed.

May we shout for joy over your victory

and lift up our banners in the name of our God.

I am joined in the quiet prayer by Mary. It is a song of blessing and thanks to God for this baby, a petition to love and protect them both, cleanse them and be with them, a heartfelt request that they may always be held in the hand of God.

Mary ever-so-carefully circles the salt and oil around his chest, watching as this tiny rib cage rises and falls with each breath. I begin on his legs, from the feet to the middle, bringing the salt mixture up, always up. Head, arms, and then our hands swoop underneath him ensuring he is rubbed all over. He is so small and our hands seem so huge. It does not take long and once done we start the swaddle, wrapping him, round his head and down his body, right to his feet, the Lion of Judah displayed at the front, marking him as a child of the House of David. He is held tight, just as he would have been in the womb, and while he will not wear these for long, as his lower part must be free for expulsions, this is an important ritual to have been performed.

It is done. He has been cleaned and claimed as a wanted child, purified with salt and wrapped with love. A look of relief and contentment sweeps over Mary but I notice that she moves as if in some discomfort and my attention returns to her needs.

Now it is time for the cleaning and wrapping of Mary. Joseph has returned, so I ask him to take the baby while I attend to her. He takes baby Jesus in his arms, standing, gently rocking him. His tall frame makes the baby look so incredibly small as he sways, strokes and coos to the tiny life in his arms. He moves closer to the door, lovingly holding his newborn son, so I can wash down Mary’s body with some privacy. I can hear him talking softly to baby Jesus in the stillness of the night. It is late now, and the sounds of people have gradually fallen away, but every so often we hear some noise from the road outside: a shout, a dog bark, or a gust of wind.

I have some cleaned balls of smoothed wool for this washing in my bag, but first I will use water and rags to remove the blood and sweat, then wash and

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