Through Thy most divine life, Jesus, deliver us.
Jesus lived a human life. He was like us in everything except sin. He knew what it was like to be hungry and thirsty and tired. He knew what it was like to feel emotions; He even wept at the death of His friend Lazarus. He knew what it was like to be tempted. Jesus was fully human.
But Jesus was also fully divine, and He lived a divine life. In fact, He is divine life. Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus in constant communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit. We see Him, as He says, teaching what He hears from the Father and doing the works the Father gives Him to do. We see Him obeying the Father’s will all the way to the cross.
Through Thy labors, Jesus, deliver us.
Jesus worked. As a child and young man, He learned the trade of carpentry from Joseph and labored alongside His foster father. After Joseph passed away, Jesus likely kept the family business going until it was time to take up another job, His public ministry that would lead to the Paschal mystery.
We must follow Jesus’ example. Our work is important, and it provides us an opportunity to serve God and others. As we go about our daily tasks, whatever they may be, we should always begin with prayer, offering our work to God and asking for His help. We should also stop briefly during our work periods to focus our attention on our Lord, if only for a few moments. Prayer should accompany the end of each job, too, as we thank God for another task accomplished. This way, our work becomes sanctified, just as Jesus’ labors always were.
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