This exercise should be experienced between January 15 and January 18. It is not technically part of the Exercises of Ignatius, but it is completely consistent with Ignatian Spirituality.
Ask for the grace to know Jesus more fully.
Imagine Jesus as a teenager. He is continuing to learn the trade of carpentry from Joseph. How do they speak to each other? How well do they listen to each other? Can you see the expression on the face of Joseph when Jesus does something well? Can you see the expression on the face of Jesus while he listens to Joseph teach him?
How does Joseph react when Jesus makes a mistake? Remember Jesus learned. Are there any parenting lessons here?
Jesus learned how to speak from Mary and Joseph. He must also have learned how human beings love.
What other lessons did Jesus learn from Mary and Joseph? Imagine Jesus coming home with stories about other people his age. How would Mary and Joseph have responded?
We know from Luke 2 that Jesus sat in the temple listening to the teachers and asking them questions. Did this conversation continue with the rabbis in Nazareth? Imagine Jesus in the synagogue at Nazareth learning Hebrew so that he might read the scriptures. He would have learned Aramaic from his parents and Hebrew from his rabbi.
What is the reaction of his rabbi as he listens to the teenage Jesus' passion for his faith? Is Jesus grateful to his rabbi for the time his rabbi devoted to teaching him?
We all imitate our teachers in certain ways. How did Jesus imitate his Jewish teachers?
Imagine Jesus as he interacts with people in Nazareth. How does he conduct himself in his business relations?
All of Jesus' learning and living prepared him for the enlightenment he received during his Baptism.
We continue to walk with the Lord as we contemplate his life.
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