By Father Casey

Merry Christmas, everyone. There are a few days left, so pray for grace to hold onto the holiness of this season just a bit longer! There are presents still to be enjoyed if we can resist the temptation to hurry on to the next thing.

This weekend we leave the manger behind and travel ahead in time as though accompanied by one of Dickens' ghosts. Our gospel will feature the one and only story that takes place between Jesus' infancy and the start of his public ministry nearly 30 years later. It's about the time the Holy Family journeyed to Jerusalem for Passover and tween Jesus got left behind. It's equal parts poignant and funny – Melody says it's Jesus' most "human" moment, as what is more human than adolescence? – and a worthy story for us to consider in this season of Incarnation.

But imagine if someone wrote the tale of your life but told only one story between your birth and age 30. That would seem to leave out quite a bit, wouldn't it? When I think about who I am today, I can point to all sorts of things that happened when I was growing up, about successes and mistakes, adventures and regrets. I can point to dozens of people and hundreds of events that contributed to who I am. But about all those years, Luke says only this: "And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor."

What was Jesus doing? Where did he go? What was he learning or experiencing? While there is plenty of scholarly speculation and fantastical legend – he traveled to Britain, no, India! – the truth is that it is a mystery. It is, as some mystics and spiritual mentors have written, Jesus' "Hidden Life." But not hidden in sense of being a scandalous secret; hidden in the sense that it occurred in the obscurity of the ordinary.

It's tempting to assume that Jesus must have experienced fantastic things as a young person in order to grow into the man he became. But the simple truth is that wisdom does not only come through excitement, and divine favor is every bit as present in the simplest moments of life as in the most extraordinary. Frankly, we do ourselves a great disservice as Christians when we put too much emphasis on the big moments and not nearly enough emphasis on the little ones. It is in our own "hidden lives," away from notice, unmentioned on our socials, unremarkable to anyone save God, where we do most of the work of growing in wisdom and grace.

Here we are at the outset of a new year, the time when we feel the desire for self-improvement most strongly. Perhaps you have some goals for your physical health, and if so, go for it! Getting healthy is a great thing, and if you're anything like me, when you are exercising and eating well, your mental health comes along for the ride, too. Perhaps you have some spiritual goals, too, and if so, great! There is no better time than the present to embrace the sorts of disciplines that lead to spiritual flourishing: spending time with God in prayer and Scripture every day, attending worship every single week, examining your conscience and making amends, looking for Christ in the least, giving away more and more of your wealth.

But whatever your goals may be, remember that the vast majority of the work toward them will happen in your hidden life. You'll have to decide to do the right thing even when no one is watching. You'll have to muster the resolve to do what is good even when there seems little reward. But over time, in your hidden life, you will grow in wisdom and divine favor. Over time, you will mature more and more in your Christlikeness. Over time, you will accumulate the grace you will need for whatever life brings. 

Fr. Casey +