Luke 2:36-40
36 Anna the
prophetess was also there, a daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She
was by now a very old woman. She had been married seven years 37 and a widow
for eighty- four. She never left the Temple area, worshiping night and day with
her fastings and prayers. 38 At the very time Simeon was praying, she showed
up, broke into an anthem of praise to God, and talked about the child to all
who were waiting expectantly for the freeing of Jerusalem. 39 When they
finished everything required by God in the Law, they returned to Galilee and their
own town, Nazareth. 40 There the child grew strong in body and wise in spirit.
And the grace of God was on him.
Food for
thought!
Today's Gospel
reading is very revealing; it ends by telling us that Jesus grew, and that he
grew strong in body, and grew wise in the spirit. What this means is that Jesus
was a true human being, he was truly human; Jesus had a body and soul, the two
elements that define human beings. A normal human being must have a normal body
and soul. And if Jesus was truly human, he can help us understand how normal
life should be.
How did Jesus
care for his body and soul, so much so that he was growing strong in body and
wise in spirit? For many of us we're missing out, either on our bodies or our
souls. It always seems like there is so much, or too much to do. In the end,
there never seems like a lot of time to rest or take care of our bodies and
souls. Many times we're at extremes, we starve our bodies or our souls, we give
more attention to one at the expense of the other.
Which brings me
to the question: What did Jesus do for Himself to keep the balance? Looking
through the Gospels, there seem to be three key themes related to Jesus'
self-maintenance .
1. Jesus spent
time with friends. So many stories in the Gospels show Jesus eating, drinking
and enjoying the company of friends. Jesus even made friends with people who
some would consider unworthy, such as the tax collectors mentioned in the
Gospel of Mark.
While we all
have different ideas of what it means to be a friend and different thresholds
for the amount of friends we need, friendship is so important to leading happy
and healthy lives. True friendship brings out the best in us, lets us relax and
enjoy the gifts we have.
2. Jesus took
time alone. The Gospel of Luke reads, "The reputation of Jesus continued
to grow. Large crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their
sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to some place where he could be alone and
pray." It is crucial to carve out alone time to reflect, read, pray and so
on. When we make that time, we are more able to cope with life's joys and
challenges.
3. Jesus cared
for his body. The Gospel of Mark tells the story of a woman who anointed Jesus
with perfumed oil in Bethany. Some of the apostles questioned this
extravagance. But Jesus replied, "Let her alone. Why do you criticize her?
She has done me a kindness."
Some of us have
great disdain for spending time caring for our body. Much like the apostles, we
think this is an extravagance. As a result, many people are disconnected from
their body; getting a holiday or a massage never crosses our mind. When we take
care of our bodies, not only will we be better able to serve others, we will
also be more in touch with our spirits. It's a win-win, really.
Because Jesus
knew how to take care of Himself, He was better able to care for others. You
can't care for others if you don't care for yourslef.
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