Praying As Jesus Did

People often wonder what Jesus was doing during the first thirty years of his life, as the scriptures include no mention of his activities after his trip to Jerusalem with his parents around age twelve until he was baptized years later by his cousin, John.

I think that what Jesus was doing during those years was learning how to pray — that is, he was developing a relationship with God and grappling with how to become the person God was calling him to be.

We are privileged to see something of how Jesus’ prayer journey progressed in the description of his baptism, when the revelation of God’s intimate love for him broke into his consciousness; during his temptation in the desert, when he struggled to throw himself in total trust on his Father’s love rather than trust in his own power; and at the wedding feast of Cana, when (although he didn’t feel ready) he was moved by God’s love to enter into the work of building God’s kingdom of justice, love, and peace.

Jon Sobrino says, “We must be part of the building of the Kingdom if we are ever to come to know the Lord.” This truth is illustrated in the post-resurrection appearances of Christ, as David Farina Turnbloom notes in the April 2023 issue of Give Us This Day: “Mary Magdalen and the other Mary first encounter Christ after leaving the tomb, while on their way to bring the good news to the disciples. ‘Go to Galilee,’ the women tell them. Later, the disciples encounter Christ after they have traveled to Galilee. Christ is not found in the empty tomb; he is encountered when his disciples accept their mission and choose to go where they have been sent.”

During the Easter season, it is tempting to remain rapt in the wonder of the empty tomb, but Christ is calling us to go forth and help fulfill in his heart’s desire — to mend what is still broken in this world in whatever way that calls to us. As with Jesus, the relationship we develop with God through prayer will show us the way.