White Robed Monks of St. Benedict

Chapter 20 Your sorrow shall be turned into joy  (John 16:20-21)

John 16:20-21:
 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye
shall weep and lament, but the world
shall rejoice; and ye shall be
sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be
turned into joy.

A woman when she is in travail hath
sorrow, because her hour is come:
but as soon as she is delivered of the
child, she remembereth no more the
anguish, for joy that a man is born
into the world.

     Jesus Christ confirmed the Eastern belief that a male child's birth causes great joy. Christ likened the male child's birth to the disciples sorrow. They would weep and lament at his crucifixtion, but their sorrow would be turned into joy when they saw him raised from the dead. Just as a woman who remembers her anguish no more, for the joy when that a man child is born into the world.
     Christ also referred to a man child bringing joy. There is more joy when a son is born than a daughter. This custom is traced back to Eve when she thought that she had borne the man (the promised seed of Gen. 3:15) from the Lord.

Genesis 4:1:
And Adam knew Eve his wife; and
she concevied, and bare Cain, and
said, "I have begotten a (the) man
from the Lord."

     Eve was convinced that the Lord had helped her have the promised Christ child , however, it was not so, and Cain became the first murderer. From this time forward all godly woman desired to have a man child in hope of it being the savior. Even in the imminent death during child bearing a woman had joy of the child deing male.

Genesis 35:17-18:
And it came to pass, when she was in
hard labour, that midwife said
unto her, "Fear not; thou shalt have
this son also."

And it came to pass, as her soul was
in departing, (for she died) that she
called his name Ben-oni: But his
Father called him Benjamin (son of
my right hand).

      To even think of what Jesus Christ went through as he was being crucified brings us great sorrow, but knowing that he was raised from the dead and is coming back brings us even greater joy!

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