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
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104. What does the hidden life of
Jesus in Nazareth teach us?
533-534
564
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 with him 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
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VERONESE, Paolo
Jesus among the Doctors in the Temple
1558
Oil on canvas, 236 x 430 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid
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.
Main ideas
1. The life of Jesus, a continuous lesson
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The life of Our Lord Jesus
Christ was a continuous lesson:
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BEUCKELAER, Joachim
Christ in the House of Martha and Mary
1565
Oil on oak, 113 x 163 cm
Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels
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.
2. The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem
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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
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“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
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The great events or mysteries
of Jesus’ childhood are:
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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
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MURILLO, Bartolomé Esteban
The Holy Family with a Bird
1650
Oil on canvas, 144 x 188 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid
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 twelveyears-old breaks the apparent
monotony of Jesus’ hidden life,
otherwise so full of meaning
and teachings.
6. The role of St. Joseph
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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
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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
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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
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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.