The hidden life of Jesus

LA TOUR, Georges de Christ in the Carpenter's Shop 1645 Oil on canvas, 137 x 101 cm Musée du Louvre, Paris The hidden life of Jesus 12

Compendium of the Catechism • 104. What does the hidden life of Jesus in Nazareth teach us? • 533-534564 • In the course of his hidden life in Nazareth Jesus stayed in the silence of an ordinary existence. This allows us to enter into fellowship withhim in the holiness to be found in a daily life marked by prayer, simplicity, work and family love. His obedience to Mary and to Joseph, his foster father, is an image of his filial obedience to the Father. Mary and Joseph accepted with faith the mystery of Jesus even though they did not always understand it.

Introduction • When we recite the Creed, we profess with utmost clarity the mysteries of Our Lord Jesus. But nothing is said explicitly about Jesus' hidden or public life. The Gospels, on their part, pay attention, although briefly, to the mysteries of Jesus’ childhood and hidden life, and develop at great length His public life, emphasising what Jesus did and taught. • We, as Christians, should imitate the whole life of Jesus. We need, therefore, to get acquainted with the whole of that life: with the thirty years Jesus spent in Bethlehem, Egypt and Nazareth; with the three years He devoted to preach the Kingdom of God. VERONESE, Paolo Jesus among the Doctors in the Temple 1558 Oil on canvas, 236 x 430 cm Museo del Prado, Madrid

Main ideas

1. The life of Jesus, a continuous lesson • The life of Our Lord Jesus Christ was a continuous lesson: • His self-effacement, • His obedience, • His work, His miracles, • His love for people, • His predilection for the poor and the little-ones, • the unrestricted acceptance of His immolation on the cross for the salvation of the world. BEUCKELAER, Joachim Christ in the House of Martha and Mary 1565 Oil on oak, 113 x 163 cm Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels

2. The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem • Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judah: God sent His Son, born as a man, begotten in Mary’s virginal womb, to redeem all of us. • He was born in a humble stable, within a poor family. • These are lessons of meekness, poverty, simplicity…, that all Christians must learn and follow. CORREGGIO Nativity (Holy Night) 1528-30 Oil on canvas, 256,5 x 188 cm Gemäldegalerie, Dresden

3. The great event of Christmas • “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled (…). And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, His betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to His first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” (Luke 2:1-7). FRANCESCO DI GIORGIO MARTINI Nativity c. 1470 Panel, 52 x 57 cm

4. The mysteries of Jesus’ childhood • The great events or mysteries of Jesus’ childhood are: • The Circumcision; it was a ceremony prefiguring Baptism. • The Epiphany or manifestation of Jesus as the Messiah of Israel, revealed by the worshipping of the Magi. • The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. Mary, being a virgin and free of any blemish of sin, was not compelled, but chose to submit herself wholly to the law of God. • The flight into Egypt and the massacre of the Innocents. BATONI, Pompeo Madonna and Child c. 1742 Oil on canvas Galleria Borghese, Rome

5. Jesus’ hidden life • Jesus spent the greater part of His days as the immense majority of people do: He led a common and apparently unimportant life, that of a worker and a law-abiding and religious man, a small-villager existence in social intercourse with relatives, friends and acquaintances. • Only the incident of Jesus´ being lost and found in the Temple when He was twelve-years-old breaks the apparent monotony of Jesus’ hidden life, otherwise so full of meaning and teachings. MURILLO, Bartolomé Esteban The Holy Family with a Bird 1650 Oil on canvas, 144 x 188 cm Museo del Prado, Madrid

6. The role of St. Joseph • Although God was His Father, Jesus Christ wished that someone could act as His father on earth. • Joseph, virginal spouse of Mary and legal father to Jesus, acted as husband towards her and as father to the Son of God. • Working as an artisan in the small town of Nazareth, he earned a living for the Virgin and Jesus, cared for them, and taught Jesus His job. GRECO, El St Joseph and the Christ Child 1597-99 Oil on canvas, 289 x 147 cm Capilla de San José, Toledo

7. Sanctifying ordinary work • Following the example of Jesus Christ and also that of the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, Christians should seek holiness in the daily endeavours of their ordinary work. • To sanctify ourselves with our own job means to search, to find and to love God in the things we do, and so to serve others. • The life of ordinary Christians can be summarized saying that they must sanctify their own work, sanctify themselves with their own work, and sanctify others through their professional work.

8. It is crucial to become friends with the Holy Family • Jesus, Mary and Joseph made up the admirable family of Nazareth, that we call the Holy Family. • If we accompany Joseph, Mary and Jesus, and see how they related to one another, we can learn to imitate their virtues, and desire to follow the example they set for us. BATONI, Pompeo Holy Family 1777 Oil on canvas, 226 x 149,5 cm The Hermitage, St. Petersburg

Resolutions for Christian life

Resolutions to move forward • Read what is said in the Gospels about the hidden life of Jesus and make it the object of attentive reflection. Consider if you take advantage of your family life, and of the hours you devote to study and work, to live nearer to God, as Jesus did; that is, to lead a holy life. • Gain the friendship of St. Joseph as the Head of the Holy Family, and imitate the virtues he practiced at home in Nazareth.

The hidden life of Jesus