A decision to make
Simeon furrowed his brow as he recalled his dream from the night before.
It had been so vivid that he could remember every single detail. Could it be just a product of his imagination? After all, over the past two days, he had been pondering over what to do with Mary as she was turning fourteen soon.
Usually, the girls would return home when they reached fourteen years of age and their families would arrange for their marriages thereafter. However, for Mary, she had no parents to take care of such affairs.
The incident with Deborah a few nights ago reminded him that Mary was coming of age.
It was customary for the first born maidens not to leave the Temple without being provided for. They needed to make some kind of arrangements for her. But there was no precedent to follow.
He glanced heavenwards.
Lord, if this dream was really from You, please give your servant a sign.
He turned back to the torah scrolls to prepare for his sermon on Sabbath.
Just then, Anna burst into the room, her face animated, her eyes twinkling. She paused to catch her breath.
"Simeon, I had the strangest dream last night about Mary!
I dreamt that the Lord spoke to you while you were in the Tablenacle. He asked you to arrange for her bethrothal.
He would give you a sign of the man whom He has chosen, by making a white flower bloom from his staff.
Isn't it strange?!"
In his amazement, Simeon almost dropped the scroll. That was it! His dream was exactly as Anna had described.
"Bless the Lord! " Simeon exclaimed and told Anna that he had the exact same dream. They rejoiced at their answered prayers. For both of them had been discussing about Mary with no solution.
But there was just one problem. There were so many unmarried men from various tribes in Jerusalem. How should they go about gathering all of them, much less identify "the one"? Should they choose a tribe first ? Do they set an age limit?
It was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
"The Yom kippur ( day of atonement)! " Anna exclaimed excitedly.
"It is just two weeks away . Every Jew staying in Jerusalem would come to the Temple for the service. We can discuss and pray about it with the other priests when they arrive. Many heads are better than two of us!"
Simeon smiled.
Yes, God would make a way.
