Blessed Veronica of Milan was blessed with detailed visions of the life of Our Lord. In the following vision, she is given a sacred look into the Nativity of Our Lord and the noble role Saint Joseph was given in it.
Blessed Veronica Receives a Vision of the Nativity
Two days before the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, Blessed Veronica was resting on her bed at night when she found her soul taken up to the starry realms of heaven. There she saw the splendor of the celestial Jerusalem, adorned with unimaginable radiance and indescribable beauty. This heavenly city was of such immense magnitude that it seemed to be a thousand times larger than the entire earth, and it was filled with countless blessed souls and angels. Such was the beauty and majesty of the place that Veronica was unable to find any earthly words which could serve to describe it.
She could sense that the angels were all eager to express to her their superlative joy, just as human beings long to share their happiness with others. And she saw the portals of this celestial city, resplendent with gold of transcendent and blazing luster. But just at this point, Veronica was returned to her normal senses.
The Night of the Nativity
Then, on the night of Christmas Eve, Veronica was again taken up into a spiritual ecstasy. She beheld, this time, the Blessed Virgin Mary, evidently soon to deliver her Child, and seated upon a donkey. The Blessed Virgin appeared to be of tender years and of small stature, and therefore little more than a girl. Saint Joseph was present also, as was a maidservant, and a manservant who was leading an ox, bearing provisions for their journey.
Next, Veronica saw Mary (who was heavily pregnant) and Saint Joseph standing together, having their names recorded for the census. She noted that they signed themselves as a man and wife to the official. Their servants were absent at that point. The vision then ended, and Veronica returned to her usual consciousness.
In the morning, the Mother Abbess of the convent then summoned Veronica and sent her forth with another sister to beg for alms in the city of Milan, to help support the sisters. On the evening of that same day (which was Christmas), Veronica again devoted herself to intense prayer. Without delay, her vision was resumed.
Saint Joseph Seeks a Place for the Birth of Our Lord
She saw once more the Blessed Virgin and Saint Joseph in Bethlehem, where she had seen them previously. They were wandering the streets, earnestly seeking for a place where they could be accommodated for the night. But, despite making many inquiries, they found nothing available to them at all. For such was the multitude gathered in Bethlehem for the census at that time that not a single room was to be had, and even the humble dwellings of poor widows were completely occupied with guests to their full capacity.
Saint Joseph was visibly anxious and saddened by this situation, for he realized that Mary was due to give birth very soon. Now at the time, the twilight of evening was fading to darkness, and night was falling fast. Joseph saw a small and primitive stable by the side of the road. And he said to Mary: “My dearest wife, it behooves us to find a place of shelter, for very soon it will be night. Let us enter that little stable over there, for it is the only place where we will have a roof over our heads.” The Blessed Virgin promptly agreed to this and gracefully descended from her donkey.
Joseph Goes Forth in the Silent Darkness of the Night
She then said to Joseph: “Joseph, my time of delivery is drawing nigh!” At once, Joseph replied: “I will go and engage midwives and maidservants to assist you in the birth.” But at this, Mary merely laughed gently at his noble intentions, and the unlikelihood of his fulfilling them. “Do not laugh, Mary, for this is a most serious matter!” said Joseph. “You are a first-time mother, and you may well need help in the delivery.” And so, the noble Saint Joseph went forth into the silent darkness of night.
At this point, Veronica’s vision stopped, and she once more returned to her usual awareness of the external world. She realized then that it was now almost time for the Office of VigIls. So, having completed these prayers, she returned to prayer and meditation until dawn.
She was soon drawn back to her vision. She saw the Blessed Mary still in the stable in which Joseph had placed her. But she saw with her also now the infant Jesus, the Savior of the world! He lay peacefully in the manger, and with one hand, He clasped lovingly His Mother, while with the other He held onto the straw in the manger. Then, holy Mary removed her own veil from her head and tore it cleanly in two. She used half of it to cover the small body of her newborn Son, and she placed the other half under Him to shield His sacred form from the straw upon which He rested.
Saint Joseph Adores the Infant Lord
Now Joseph, her husband, was not present at this time and had not been present at the time of the birth of Our Lord. But now, he arrived back, accompanied by three women. These three women were afraid to enter the stable, for it was filled with a brilliant and heavenly light, which glowed all around the infant Jesus and His glorious Mother in glorious splendor. But Saint Joseph himself went in with no hesitation and fell to his knees in adoration before the Son of Mary, whom he knew also to be the true Son of God.
Seeing Joseph enter, two of the women took courage and went inside also. But, the third was still hesitant and said: “I have heard the oracles that a most pure and immaculate Virgin would give birth to the Messiah. But unless I see it, I shall not believe!” And then she entered the stable and reached out her hand to touch the radiant Virgin Mother, as if to verify the reality of the virgin birth. And upon touching her, a burning sensation at once overcame the woman. And this fiery pain that seized upon her almost struck her down.
Then, suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared and spoke to the afflicted woman. “Ask for mercy from holy Mary,” the angel said, “for doubting the truth which the prophets foretold about her! But now reach out your hand in adoration to touch the Son who has been born to her, and then you shall find relief.” This she accordingly did, and as soon as she touched the baby Jesus, her pain instantly vanished. And the three women all went forth and proclaimed to everyone that the Savior of the world had indeed been born.
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This article is taken from a chapter in The Life of Christ Revealed by Blessed Veronica of Milan which is available from TAN Books.
