Here is another sneak peek at one of the images for "St. Joseph's Hammer." This shows a more intimate scene of the Holy Family in the cave where they stayed while in Bethlehem. There are many schools of thought on this particular subject. Typically the Holy Family is seen surrounded by a whole zoo of animals, as if in a barn. In this book, I went with the tradition of St. Alphonsus Liguori.
To summarize some of his writings, he wrote that this cave was abandoned on the outskirts of town because it was so dilapidated. Remember, Bethlehem was bursting at the seams... it is very difficult to turn away a 9-month pregnant young woman. St. Joseph had many family members living in this town, but they too didn't have the room for them. He would have known about this cave from his many travels to Bethlehem, and only used it as a last resort as it would have been cold and drafty. We know that it was bad because despite how full the town was, nobody else chose this spot to lodge even their animals.
When we say Jesus was born into poverty, it is NOT an exaggeration! But it is because of this humble birth that we feel comfortable going to Him. The shepherds were on the fringes of society, but they came. The Magi were society elites, and they too felt comfortable approaching Our Lord. His humility draws us to Him.
