Chapter 12 - An Unbelievable Story

Just like before, everyone with the cat, now all present beneath the color trees, saw what the cat saw.

The vision was the cat sunning himself on the front stoop of Mary’s house in Nazareth. Mary could be heard inside singing. Walking down the road with a chair on his back was Joseph, who was coming to see Mary. He was smiling and whistling when he came to the stoop. The cat had stood up and was stretching.

“Excuse me, small cat,” said Joseph. “I see another lost animal has found its way to Mary’s doorstep.” He laughed and knocked on the door.

Mary answered. She was wearing a light yellow dress and as she stood in the doorway the sun made her shine. Joseph looked at her with pleasure and pride. It was obvious he was happy to have Mary as his chosen bride.

“Here is the chair I repaired, Mary. You look so beautiful today. I’m glad I decided to return it. I spoke to the rabbi and...”

Mary interrupted him. “Joseph, come in and let me speak to you. Something has happened to me.” Joseph and the cat followed her into the house. The cat climbed to a sunny window and St. Joseph put the chair by the table. He stood there looking a little puzzled about what Mary could have to tell him. Mary led him to a bench near the cat’s sunny window and they both sat down.

“Joseph, I know you have studied scriptures.”

“Yes, not like you Mary. You have gone to Jerusalem to study. But I’ve been luck enough to have an opportunity to work with learned men.”

The cat watching them could see how they loved each other. Every word they said, every movement they made had a great gentleness and a respect but now they both seemed troubled. Mary had something important to say and Joseph could feel it.

“You know,” Mary said, “of the many prophecies of the Messiah, how he is to come and save us.”

“Yes, all my life, I’ve heard people talk about his coming. I have wondered if I would live long enough to see him.”

Mary smiled at this and continued, “He is to be both the Son of God and the Son of Man. Many prophets have said this. How it would happen has been unclear. But now it seems...I...” She stopped for a moment and looked at Joseph.

“Go on, Mary,” Joseph said. “Tell me what you have to say.”

“Joseph, I’m going to have a baby.”

Joseph was a good man but this news hit him hard. An anger rose in his hear and a sickness in his stomach. He felt betrayed. In a moment, his vision of Mary as his wife had been destroyed and now he felt hurt. He fought all these feeling to find some hope and some control but his face turned red as if he had been slapped.

“Joseph, I know this is hard to understand but I’m carrying God’s child.

An angel came to me and said I was to be the one to bring the Messiah into the world. I couldn’t quite believe it, but I dared not disbelieve it either. The angel said it was up to me to agree and I knew I must.”

Joseph was now deeply stunned. It was on thing to hear Mary was going to have a baby. It was another to hear her talk of God and angels. He looked at Mary and saw someone he didn’t know. She was still beautiful but now her beauty was clouded by his doubts and suspicions. They sat next to each other but he felt far away from her.

“Of course, you know I cannot now marry you,” he said.

Mary now was troubled. “It is your right to leave me but I had hoped you would believe me. If God has chosen me for this, he must have also chosen you.”

“Enough of this God talk, Mary. I will tell no one of this except the Rabbi. He will set aside our engagement. I’m sorry, Mary.”

He stood to leave and Mary sat quietly. She had held onto the hope that he would believe but had prepared herself for rejection. The cat stood up and started meowing. He wanted to tell Joseph that what Mary had said was true, but Joseph paid no attention to him.

“I’m very concerned for you, Mary, but I’m confused. I will come back to see you but now I need time to be alone.”

Joseph left the house quickly and the cat jumped down and ran out the door after him. He wanted to find a way to convince Joseph that Mary was telling the truth. He didn’t hear the cat yelping, “Mwait, mwait.”