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We believe that Christ came into this world “like us in all things but sin.” Well, that’s what we say, but sometimes it is rather challenging when we think what this might really mean. Sometimes it is fun to just let our thoughts flow and wonder whether Christ experienced the same things we do. The Scriptures tell us something about the beginning of Christ’s life—his birth in Bethlehem, the coming of the Wise Men, the return to Nazareth after fleeing to Egypt. We get another small glimpse when we learn about the time when Jesus was twelve years old and how his parents looked for him for three days only to find him in the temple talking with the religious teachers. After that the Scriptures say only that “he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.” Luke 2:51-52. Then—silence! The Gospels don’t report these events because, in reality, they are not significant moments in the history of our salvation. But we are still curious! Perhaps a little speculation could help us gain some insights—at least into ourselves. How did living in the home in Nazareth prepare him? Isn’t it likely that Joseph passed away during this time because we hear no more about him? How did Jesus handle the death of a loved one? What was he like as a teen? Friends? What did they do for fun? Don’t all adolescents have issues with authority and independence? No doubt he later supported himself and Mary in the carpenter shop. How did he wonder about God and the meaning of God in his life? The events of these years helped him to mature; he was becoming Jesus the man. The Gospels pick up the story by seeming to jump suddenly to Christ’s baptism in the Jordan by John and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The Father proclaims that this is the Son he loves. His mission has begun: to build the Kingdom of God, to overcome Death with Life, to be the Son of God made man. We shouldn’t think this was all clearly laid out. Maybe he felt something like we do when we go off to college or start a new job, or meet someone really wonderful, and just get overwhelmed by someone’s hopes for us? Or when we get the feeling that maybe God is calling us to something new? By our baptism, we have been joined to Christ in his victory over sin and death and have risen to new Life with him. Right here and now, we can also look back over many years. We have been formed by the events of our lives. Some have been good, moments of love and joy. Some have been painful and hard, and we want to forget some of them entirely. But they have brought us here, made us who we are. And knowing all of that, Christ has called us to share in his mission. At our baptism we too received the Spirit so that, even as weak and broken as we sometimes feel, Christ can continue to build the Kingdom through us. Obviously Christ had to come to grips with his humanity and embrace it. What did it feel like, that day at the Jordan? Does this help me accept and appreciate my life’s experience, the good and the bad? How has the Spirit been preparing me to be part of the mission to build the Kingdom?
Fr. Dave Foxen, MSC
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