What Jesus’ hidden years reveal about our ordinary work

Thirty of Jesus' 33 years on earth were spent "hidden" in ordinary work at home. What were these years like? What can we learn from them?

Did you ever stop to think about the kind of wild fact that 30 of the 33 years Jesus spent on this earth were “hidden” in the heart of his home, while just 3 were spent in public ministry?

During his “hidden” years, Our Lord worked, prayed, and took part in community life as a son, neighbor, citizen, and friend. But what were these years like? And what can we learn from them?

We can see from his words in the Bible that his carpentry work must have been a big part of his life. He deeply understood the world of work, especially in the fields of carpentry and construction: “A number of Jesus’ parables take place at construction sites.

How much of Jesus’ personal experience might be reflected in these parables?”
As a carpenter, Jesus worked hard, with care and precision. Pope Francis described Jesus “learning the carpenter’s craft from St Joseph in his workshop in Nazareth, sharing with him the commitment, effort, satisfaction and also the difficulties of every day.”

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