The Road to Jerusalem (Introduction)

Every year the people of Israel made their pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover Feast. Families travelled together in groups, walking long distances through hills, valleys, villages, and fields, singing psalms and sharing stories of God’s faithfulness. It was both a journey of faith and a journey of community.

The Holy Family was faithful to this tradition. The Gospel tells us that the parents of Jesus went to Jerusalem every year for the feast of Passover (Luke 2:41). From their home in Nazareth, they joined the caravan of pilgrims and walked the long road toward the Holy City, where the Temple stood as the sign of God’s dwelling among His people.

During these journeys the Child Jesus walked beside Joseph, whom he lovingly called “Appa,” a tender word used by children for their father. Like every child, Jesus observed everything with wonder, the mountains, the rivers, the trees, the animals, the people, and the many events that unfolded along the road. His heart was filled with questions.

Joseph, the quiet and faithful guardian of the Holy Family, answered these questions with patience. As a righteous man formed by the Scriptures, he often explained the world through the words of the Psalms. The ancient prayers of Israel became his way of teaching the young Jesus about God, life, suffering, trust, and hope.

The road to Jerusalem was therefore not only a physical journey; it was also a journey of learning and contemplation. The landscapes they crossed became lessons, the encounters along the way became occasions for reflection, and the Psalms gave voice to the deeper meaning of what they saw.

The following stories imagine some of those moments along the pilgrimage road. They portray the curiosity of the Child Jesus and the gentle wisdom of Joseph, who guides him through the ordinary experiences of life while pointing always toward God.

These stories invite the reader to walk with them, to see the world through the eyes of a child, to listen to the wisdom of Scripture, and to discover how every path, even the difficult ones, can lead toward the city of God.

(This series is inspired by an incident in the Malayalam novel Joseph the Carpenter by Nettiyadan)