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It seems that he practiced the trade of carpenter, as St. Mark seems to indicate [6:3]: “Is not this, surely, the carpenter?” (Spiritual Exercises, 271) Words of St. Ignatius.
Commentary
Invisible to human eyes. Our Lord’s “hidden life” in Nazareth is the most splendid renunciation of a life of importance in the eyes of the world. The only thing extraordinary in these years is their religious value, which is visible only to the gaze of God. The source of perseverance and strength is hidden in what is invisible.
But how was it possible for the most excellent human “personality” that has ever existed to hide itself? Jesus’ merits go virtually unnoticed by others for thirty years. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?” the people of Nazareth will ask (Matthew 13:54). For them, Jesus is the son of a common worker, like so many others. They know his parents.
To picture Jesus among his contemporaries is to consider the mystery of Christian humility. He shares the ordinary life of all the rest, yet he is so different. They do not notice him any more than they notice the air that they breathe.
Hidden life. Consider Jesus’ hidden life with the Father in the light of this passage:
But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you… . When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you…. When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:3-4,6,17-18)
Family life. The Gospels do not give us a description of everyday life in the home at Nazareth, but we can well imagine that this is a family in which each member considers himself the least and at the service of the others. They are of one heart and one mind. Let us imaginatively listen in on their conversation. It does not put up barriers; it does not chill or sadden spirits. It elevates, unites, stretches, and opens horizons. Imagine, too, how Jesus, Mary, and Joseph help one another in their words and in their works and how they pray together, building up the bonds of true intimacy.
Jesus “was obedient to them” (Luke 2:51). Jesus is the Son of God, and however virtuous they were, Mary and Joseph were human beings. Even so, Jesus related to them as an obedient son. “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19). We must not fear confronting the mystery of our Christian obedience.
God’s wisdom. If we had been in charge of designing the Savior’s life, how very differently we would have distributed his years on earth and his occupations. Instead of thirty years of hidden life and barely two or three as a public figure, wouldn’t we have chosen the complete reverse? This is a sign that we will have to correct many of our impressions about what contributes to the establishment of the kingdom of God. God’s ways of acting do not coincide with many of our ideas about human progress.
Taking on God’s criteria for progress requires a sort of “Copernican revolution” in our way of thinking. It involves an inclination toward:
• obscurity, instead of anxieties to do something to distinguish ourselves;
• a sense of calm, which will cure our worries about rushing ahead and getting somewhere as soon as possible;
• the monotony of the same work, versus our search for change;
• composure and seclusion, to counter our restless urges to go out and see the world;
• depth, opposed to our superficiality;
• God’s serious work, in contrast with our tendency toward laziness.
Nazareth is the school of anchoring ourselves in the will of God: “How much better is one single act of perfect love by the Church than all the aposto-lates of the world” (St. John of the Cross, The Spiritual Canticle, XXIX,2). This pure love is the union of my will with God’s.
For Reflection
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you identify areas where you need a change of mind so that you can better appreciate the slow, hidden ways in which God works.
An excerpt from A Spiritual Retreat with St. Ignatius by Manuel Ruiz Jurado, S.J.