Flower of Devotion

Venerable Mary of Jesus describes the birth of the Lord Jesus in her apparitions as follows:
“By God’s unchangeable will, it was ordained that the Only Begotten of the Father should come into the world in the city of Bethlehem. To fulfill this sentence, you used an order issued by Emperor Augustus in the Roman state. According to which, as St. Luke describes, all the inhabitants of the whole world were to be recorded and numbered. This census consisted in the fact that all had to declare that they were subjects of the emperor and that they had to pay a tax to him as their secular lord. In order to register the population, everyone had to go to their hometown to register in the public books.
This command also came to Nazareth. Joseph learned of him when he went out into the city; sad and perplexed, he returned home and told the news to his Bride. The wisest virgin answered, “Do not let this command of the earthly emperor frighten you, my spouse and lord; yet here too the Lord and King of Heaven and earth disposes of all that befalls us. His Providence will be our help and guide in every situation. Let us give ourselves to it with full confidence and we will not be disappointed.”
When the day was set for the journey, St. Joseph was still trying to find a donkey to carry the Lady of the world on the journey. It was not easy to find such an animal, for many people had to go to all sorts of cities to carry out the emperor’s orders. Although, after a long and arduous search, St. Joseph at last found a donkey, not very splendid, whom we can truly call happy, for not only did he carry the Queen of the world, and with her the King of kings and Lord of lords, but he was also present at the birth of the Divine Child, and paid Him homage which men did not want to pay Him. Mary and Joseph prepared everything needed for the journey, which lasted five days. The food supply of these holy travellers consisted of bread, fruit, and some fish, which was their usual food.
Thus they journeyed from Nazareth to Bethlehem, where they arrived on Saturday evening at four o’clock, at which time the sun sets and night begins. They entered the city to look for an inn. They walked several streets and sought shelter not only in inn houses, but also in the homes of their acquaintances and nearest relatives; They didn’t want to take them anywhere. As they walked through the city, they came to a house where the people were recorded in the public book. In order not to return in vain, they ordered them to write off, paid their tax, and thus fulfilled their duty. Then they continued their efforts to obtain a place to live, visiting more than fifty houses, but were everywhere distant.
About nine o’clock in the evening, St. Joseph, seeing that they would not find an inn, resolved to go to a cave outside the city, which he knew to serve as a shelter for the shepherds and their flocks. The Blessed Virgin agreed to this, and they both went to this secluded asylum. When they arrived, they found the cave unoccupied, for which they praised God as a blessing bestowed upon them.
The place was so miserable that even though the city of Bethlehem was full of strangers and inns were not enough for them, no one wanted to dare to live there.
Mary and Joseph entered the cave. In the brightness of the angels who accompanied them, they could easily see for their advicethat she was poor and forlorn, as they humbly wished. The sight brought them to tears of joy. The Great Queen and Monarch of Heaven, who had already been informed of the secret that was to come, soon set about cleaning with her own hands this cave, which was soon to become the throne of the Kings and the place of grace. In order not to deny herself a single exercise in humility, and to show to her newborn Son an act of reverence and homage, which in these circumstances she was able to render by beautifying his temple. She was assisted in this work by St. Joseph. Then, in an inexpressible joy of heart, they ate some of the meager provisions they had with them.
When the Blessed Virgin knew that the hour of the graces of the full birth had arrived, she asked her bridegroom to leave her alone and to retire, for it was already late at night. When this was done, the Blessed Virgin fell into rapture, in which she remained for more than an hour immediately before the birth of the Son of God, in clear vision of the Deity. When she returned to the use of her senses, she knew that the moment of birth had come. It produced in Mary’s body and soul such sublime divine effects that they surpass all created reason. Mary was so spiritual, so beautiful, so radiant in her body, that she was unlike any human creature. From her countenance came rays of light, so that she resembled the sun shining in the most beautiful red. Her face was very serious, full of marvellous majesty. Her heart was all aflame with the fire of love. She knelt before the manger with her eyes raised to Heaven, her arms folded on her breast. Her spirit was enraptured in the Divinity, her whole being immersed in God. In such a state did this most noble Lady, at the end of the rapture above described, bring into the world the Only Begotten Father, her own Only Begotten, our Saviour
JESUS, who is true God and true man; at midnight, on Sunday (…).
Thus was born the Son of God and the Son of Mary, Jesus Christ, the sun of justice from the ever-virginal Mother completely immaculate, beautiful, radiant and pure, and it came to pass that the Son of God strengthened and sanctified His Mother in her virginal purity and immaculateness. For he came forth from it as the rays of the sun from a crystal, which by these rays is neither broken nor damaged, but even appears to be more beautiful and radiant.