By Penelope A. Domogo, MD
Jesus is God becoming a person like us. He could have been born in the best of places. Being God, he had that power to choose where to be born. Wait, what is “best of places” to be born? A palace? A hospital? A clinic or any health facility? At home? Apparently, the stable is okay. With the cows and horses and sheep. With his Dad Joseph as the birth attendant. Did they bring with them a scissor to cut the cord? I don’t know if there were scissors 2016 years ago. But perhaps they had “rono” around the stable and like what Igorots would do, Joseph must have cut a piece of “rono” (lang-it) with which to cut the cord and cut a string from Mary’s garment and tied the cord with it. Or Mary could have tied the cord.
Getting pregnant and giving birth is a normal natural phenomenon for a woman. How Mama Mary got pregnant was one of a kind but I presume her pregnancy was just like any other pregnancy of any other woman in this world. Whatever tribe or race or color, pregnancy is the same because the development and growth of a baby is the same. Whatever era one gets pregnant – the Paleolithic Era, the Middle Ages or the 21st century- pregnancy is the same. It takes nine months for the baby to grow in the womb. Since Adam and Eve, women have been getting pregnant and giving birth. Where do you think women in the Paleolithic Era (the period from the beginning of human existence to about 12,000 years ago) gave birth? For the cave people, in the cave. For nomadic people like the San Bushmen in South Africa, women give birth alone, some distance from the settlement. And they are okay, their babies are okay. They have a very low maternal death rate. I believe so. Our God, whom we profess as loving us beyond compare, wouldn’t design a situation (such as pregnancy and childbirth) that would bring suffering or death. Nope, He wouldn’t.
Fast forward to the 21st century. Pregnancy and childbirth is medicalized, meaning it is viewed as a medical problem! When it is a medical problem, what do you think is the knee-jerk response? Go to the doctor. Go to the clinic or hospital. Well, anybody knows that the next question is, “Do you have money?”. Money for the transportation to go to the doctor, consultation fee of the doctor, for the medicines that will be prescribed, for the cotton balls and the bandages that will be used, etc, etc. Let’s analyze pregnancy and giving birth. Does a pregnant woman really need a doctor? Well, Mama Mary didn’t and Jesus was born with the cattle mooing.
After Jesus was born, he was wrapped in a blanket that I presume was brought along by his Mom and Dad. Joseph and Mary knew that the baby was about to be born so when they started on the journey to Bethlehem, they must have brought along an extra blanket. No baby clothes, no booties, no mittens, no diapers. The blanket was enough to warm baby Jesus, of course, cuddled by his Mom or Dad. And he was okay. He grew up to be a fine young boy, talking like a mature person at the age of 12.
Fast forward again to the 21st century. Disposable diapers, baby clothes so cute that they will outgrow at age 6 months, booties/socks, mittens, shoes ( the baby isn’t even walking yet), etc, etc. Then later, we have problems of waste disposal of disposable diapers, we have problems of where to put those many many clothes and shoes that don’t fit anymore. You can only put on 1 or 2 layers of clothes. Perhaps 3 layers if its winter.
Why is it that people complicate what is simple and natural? We have placed more value on the matter than on the reason or the spirit of the matter. Like we put on clothes to keep warm, not to show that we can afford such expensive clothing. Likewise, birthing is supposed to be a simple, natural event to bring out a child from the womb to the outside world. Some forces, though, are putting fear in the hearts of women and society so that women will deliver in a health facility even if it’s a normal pregnancy (which is supposed to be). And industry is cashing in on these individual and collective fears. Prenatal care and birthing and baby care are now big business. Who is gaining?
Today we celebrate Jesus’ birth. Jesus, the Son of God, was born in a stable. A blessed Christmas season to everyone!
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“Risen with healing in his wings, light and life to all he brings. Hail, the Son of Righteousness! Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace!” – Christmas Hymn “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.
