The Humanity of Jesus

Depending on what Mass you went to this weekend, you may hear the Gospel reading about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. This Gospel reading has always helped me to reflect more on the humanity of Jesus. Jesus weeps for his friend Lazarus. Jesus, who knows all things and already knew that Lazarus was dead before anyone told him, wept. Jesus, who knew that He could raise Lazarus from the dead at any moment, wept.

To weep is to feel sadness and emotional pain, which Jesus was clearly subject to in this moment. When it comes to our emotions, we frequently want to hide them, suppress them, or not feel them at all. It is also a temptation to view reason and logic as superior or somehow disconnected from our emotions.

While our lives are often a balance of the two, we cannot discard or dismiss our feelings as unimportant or unreasonable. If Jesus was perfect and felt strong emotions, then we should expect to experience the same.

However, it is important to know that our feelings are not always an accurate reflection of what is happening to us, our identity, or God’s love for us. Our feelings of anxiety, sadness, and anger can lead us to conclude that God does not care about us or love us, but this is absolutely not true.

If you find yourself struggling with difficult emotions, it might be a good idea to pursue counseling, even if just to give it a try. Counselors are here to help people process difficult emotions and find new paths forward with a balance between thinking and feeling. This week, consider reflecting on the difficult emotions in your life and how tied they are to the humanity of Christ. Also, consider reaching out for help if you find difficult emotions becoming a barrier to your spiritual life.