Jesus grew strong!

Luke 2:36-40

When the day came for them to be purified as laid down by the Law of Moses, the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. When Jesus’ parents had fulfilled all the requirements of the Law of God, they returned home to Nazareth in Galilee. There the child Jesus grew strong, robust lad, and was known for wisdom beyond his years; and God poured out his blessings on him.

Food for thought!

Today's Gospel reading is very revealing; it ends by telling us that Jesus grew, a robust lad, and was known for wisdom beyond his years. 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 grew up in a family. It is the truth that Jesus was not raised by Mary alone nor was he raised by Joseph alone. It took two, a man and a woman, Joseph and Mary, to raise the child Jesus. We are saying that it takes both parents, the mother and the father together, to raise a child. This is the normal environment; this is how we too are called to raise our children. All the other arrangments are simply that, “other”. Today, we thank the Lord for our families; families that raised us; families that raise us when we fall and faill.


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; this was his time to feed his soul and spirit." When we make time for our spirits, 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; we think this is an extravagance. As a result, many people are disconnected from their body; getting a holiday or a massage or a pedicure 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 yourself.