No, they could not have anticipated that 6 men on a pilgrimage with 46 other men and women from the Midwest would have dared to try visiting the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth while wearing shorts, incurring abrupt eviction for their temerity.

They could not have dreamed that outside the courtyard of the church there would be a Palestinian merchant selling head-scarves.

They could not have foreseen that the tour guide who the day before had said, "Tomorrow will be an ‘informal’ day, so you can wear shorts if you want to," would negotiate with that Palestinian merchant for 6 head-scarves, which, instead of going on their heads, would hide the ugly knees of the 6 overexposed pilgrims.

They could not have imagined that the knee police guarding their church would accept this solution with relative equanimity and allow these head-scarf-skirted men to enter unchallenged.

Then again, maybe they’re the reason why it worked. While the 6 smile sheepishly, perhaps the Holy Family is smiling broadly. The Annunciation (and the birth which followed) is certainly God’s Great Smile for the human race. Even for those whose knees are showing.