5 The Humanity of Jesus

The Humanity of Jesus Teresa of Avila teaches that Jesus is a living, constant companion. Jesus’ sacred humanity is the essential gateway to all deep prayer. His humanity defines true contemplation not as abstract meditation but as an intimate, heartfelt friendship. Jesus fully understands human weakness because he is God become flesh. Because humans live in mortal bodies, God gave us Jesus so we can relate to someone who ate, slept, suffered, and struggled with physical and emotional limitations. St. Teresa strongly disagreed with contemporary spiritual advisors. They claimed souls should move past Christ’s humanity to reach pure, abstract contemplation. Teresa, however, insisted we never outgrow our need for His physical reality. She viewed the incarnate Christ as the mandatory "gate". Through this gate God grants higher spiritual favors and deep mysteries. Teresa invokes Matthew 3:17 in Chapter 22 of her autobiography. At Jesus’ baptism, the Father speaks from heaven. “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Teresa argues that God takes divine delight specifically in Jesus' physical, human existence. She uses it to ground her assertion that if a soul wishes to receive God’s graces, those blessings "must pass through the hands of His most Sacred Humanity" because the Father is well pleased in Him. Teresa of Avila underscores that Jesus declares Himself to be the gate for the sheep in John 10:7-9. She explicitly frames Christ's humanity as the gate through which the soul must enter if it desires God’s Sovereign Majesty to reveal deep spiritual secrets. For Teresa, bypassing the human Jesus means locking yourself out of true interior growth. She emphasizes the sacred humanity of Jesus as a compassionate friend, a relatable companion in suffering, and the indispensable "living book" through which souls safely navigate all stages of prayer. Across her major works, she highlights aspects of His physical vulnerability, emotional life, and earthly companionship. She portrays Jesus as a man acquainted with weakness, weariness, and trouble, making Him an approachable companion rather than a distant abstraction. Jesus, becoming human, bridges the gap between heaven and earth. It emphasizes Christ as a relatable friend, a true brother, and the physical channel of divine grace. This fifth retreat conference includes these artistic works: Luis de Morales’ 1565 of Jesus enduring suffering, Leonardo Da Vinci’s 1500 “Salvator Mundi”, George Rouault’s 1933 “Holy Face”, Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment” fresco in the Sistine Chapel, Janet McKenzie’s millennium portrait “Jesus of the People”, and Giovanni Antonio Galli’s 1630 “Christ displaying His Wounds”.