For a long time, Catholic theology has held that each of us is called to a life of holiness. In a society where a “good” or “successful” life is increasingly defined by achievement and visible results, holiness is often seen as exceptional and rare. Yet the Gospels make clear that Jesus of Nazareth, the incarnate Son of God, spent most of His time on earth in a quiet, hidden, ordinary life. Indeed, before His short but intense public ministry, Jesus lived for about three decades in the small village of Nazareth, engaged in family life and manual labor.
As this example shows, holiness is not only about outstanding achievements—it can also be found in the ordinary aspects of family, relationships, work, love, and sacrifice. As this essay shows, we must rethink what it means for a life to be “great” by considering the Gospel’s omission of most of Jesus’ earthly life, the universal call to holiness in Catholic teaching, and spiritual traditions that emphasize simplicity. Greatness—in a Christian context—is measured less by visible achievements than by loyalty and love, qualities often shown in small, mundane, unnoticed actions.
Jesus and the Mystery of His Hidden Life
The four Gospels provide little information about Jesus’ life from infancy to the start of His public ministry. After the stories of His birth, the flight to Egypt, and a brief episode of His adolescence in the Temple (Lk. 2:41–52), St. Luke reports that He “went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them” and that He “increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man” (Lk. 2:51–52). Jesus does not reappear in the narrative until He is about thirty years old (Lk. 3:23), when He is ready to begin His public preaching, miracles, and Passion.
Theologically, those hidden years are neither accidental nor unimportant. According to Catholic teaching on the Incarnation, the Son of God assumed a complete human nature and lived a fully human life (CCC 461–463). Therefore, His ordinary experiences, including growing up in a family, learning a trade, and engaging in the routine activities of village life, were not exclusively incidental to His mission but integral to the salvific mystery. In Laborem Exercens, Pope St. John Paul II (1981) observed that the Son of God “devoted most of the years of his life on earth to manual work at the carpenter’s bench,” a circumstance that “constitutes in itself the most eloquent ‘Gospel of work’” (par. 6). In Redemptoris Custos, he added that “along with the humanity of the Son of God, work too has been taken up in the mystery of the Incarnation” (John Paul II, 1989, par. 22).
The fact that Jesus spent most of His time on earth in ordinary, unremarkable conditions shows that ordinary life is not devoid of spiritual meaning; rather, it is a special kind of existence in which God chooses to be present. Jesus’ early years in Nazareth show that holiness does not always make itself known through showy displays; instead, it enters the daily aspects of human life, such as learning, eating, resting, working, relating, and growing. Therefore, Catholic theology sees Jesus’ hidden years as both revealing and restorative, showing God’s regard for the ordinary and how Jesus makes it holy by taking on ordinary life.
Holiness Beyond the Extraordinary
At the same time, Jesus’ so-called hidden life invites us to rethink what “holiness” means. As stated in Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church issued by the Second Vatican Council, “all the faithful of Christ of whatever rank or status, are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity” (Vatican Council II, 1964, par. 40). This “universal call to holiness” is addressed not only to the clergy or the religious but also to laypeople in their ordinary daily lives. In this context, holiness is understood as a way of life that increasingly reflects the love of God and of our neighbor (CCC 2013). Although this love may sometimes be expressed dramatically, it is typically shown through daily obedience, patience, and service.
From this perspective, holiness is not only about remarkable outward acts; it also entails cultivating a close relationship with God that shapes every aspect of daily life. As Pope Francis (2018) notes in Gaudete et Exsultate, “We are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves” (par. 14). The pope also observes that holiness can be found “in those parents who raise their children with immense love, in those men and women who work hard to support their families, in the sick, in elderly religious who never lose their smile” (par. 7).
Ordinary Life as a Place of Encounter With God
In Catholic life, we have clear opportunities to encounter God through religious practices, especially prayer and worship. Yet God is also present and can be encountered in everyday life. This belief is supported by Catholicism’s sacramental view of the world: the idea that created realities serve as both signs and instruments of God’s presence and grace.
What David Tracy called the “analogical imagination” (1981), often described as the Catholic “sacramental imagination,” does not confine God’s action to the seven sacraments; it also extends to everyday life. God’s presence can be felt in simple things, such as a conversation with a friend, caring for someone in need, sharing a simple family meal, or even doing one’s job conscientiously. Because God created it, the world reflects His beauty: “The beauty of creation reflects the infinite beauty of the Creator” (CCC 341). And in Nazareth, “Jesus gives us the example of holiness in the daily life of family and work” (CCC 564).
Jesus’ “hidden life” in Nazareth supports this view. If the incarnate God spent most of His human life in simple activities, then those realities cannot be spiritually neutral for His followers. Thus, our ordinary daily routines, such as eating, working, and resting, can also be “filled” with prayerful awareness and love. Because ordinary life can be seen as a place to meet God, believers are urged to regard their daily duties not simply as things to endure but as vocations to embrace.
Rethinking What Makes a Life “Great”
Modern society generally defines a “great” life in terms of power, achievement, wealth, and influence. For example, biographies of famous individuals are filled with such stories. We must keep in mind, however, that such accomplishments—though valuable and reflective of human virtue—do not completely capture the Christian view of greatness.
In Catholic theology, greatness is fundamentally linked to faithfulness, steadfastness, sacrifice, service, love, and compassion. Indeed, Jesus gives greatness new meaning when He says, “whoever would be great among you must be your servant” (Mk. 10:43). Similarly, the lives of the saints support this new idea. While some became famous for their public actions, many more are venerated for their modest, persistent love, even in ordinary daily life.
Therefore, the real question is no longer “What have I achieved?” in terms of observable results or public acclaim, but rather “How have I loved?” This question focuses not only on the quality of one’s relationships but also on loyalty, rather than on status or influence. Jesus’ hidden life strongly supports this shift.
Because the incarnate Son of God deemed it appropriate to spend most of His human life without notable outward achievements, a life led in love in obscurity is not less valuable. In fact, it might be one of the most Christ-like ways to live. Furthermore, the common appears holy when it is filled with love, and the holiest moments of our lives may be the ordinary ones in which we choose to love even when no one is watching.
Image from Wikimedia Commons
