Jesus as the Romantic

When I was little (well, little-er, as Hiccup would say) there was a picture in my bedroom of Jesus surrounded by small children with the golden words "Jesus loves all the little children". It hung there for as long as I can remember--and then when I was seven we moved. The picture was packed away somewhere. It was never hung up again. We moved again a few years later and it somehow wound up in my possession. I neglected to hang it up, and even forgot about it. We moved a third time in 2007. I placed it in my closet behind some Breyer horses and perhaps a jar with loose change and whatever else ended up in front of it. It was left there to peer out from behind horse tails and through glass jars and around pennies and horse ears. Again, I forgot about it.

My sister's 7th birthday was recently. For her birthday, among other things, she received a large picture with the word "princess" on it and other "princessy" things. I was the good big sister who hung it up, and already having a hammer and nails in hand, I hung up another of her pictures. Then I remembered.

Jesus loves all the little children.

I got into my closet, moved the horses and unicorns and general clutter. I dusted it off with my shirt, and then hung it up, too. It's really a beautiful picture, and particularly fitting since I share my room with a seven year old. Let's not forget here that I am a simple teenager; I have a severe case of "romantic addiction" and value love above all other virtues.

In the picture, Jesus is not only surrounded by children, but his arms are outstretched around them. Like He's protecting them. Of course! If you love someone, you protect them, right? You keep them safe. You watch over them.

I think 90% of the female population finds that lads who play earnestly with children are much more romantic and attractive than lads who don't. I find this accurate, as I am one of them. I love children. I mean a lot. And to see a lad playing with them--oh my gosh, what gets more romantic than that? Well, except for maybe a lad taking a girl on a surprise date and he takes her to Mass. That's pretty romantic, too, in my opinion.

Part of Jesus's humanity must have Him as a romantic. Jesus loves all the little children. He loves them. He protects them. He plays with them. Then, Jesus died for us. Not a Romeo death. Not a Brutus death. Not even a Harry Potter death. He didn't die because we were already dead (or in a land of sin). He didn't die because He felt like getting revenge at Satan for tempting Adam and Eve (although that's not why Brutus died). He didn't have to die, but He did.

He died for three reasons:

He loves us.
He wants to protect and save us.
He wants to be with us.

How romantic is that? I mean, seriously. If Romeo had done that, every female in the world would want their own Romeo. If Edward Cullen had done that, every girl would want an Edward (some unfortunate females still do, I hear, even without the self-sacrifice). If Brutus had died for that, he would have been forever known as the Roman who died to save someone else's neck, not because he had a choice of a quick death or a painful death.

But Romeo, Edward, and Brutus didn't do that. Jesus did. But why? Because He loves us, of course. Duh. Some non-romantic person out there is going to say "So?" or some variation. Simple answer. Love conquers everything. Poets, writers, play-writes--they all get it, even if they don't write about it.


Jesus has become, in my humble opinion, the most romantic person since sliced bread. Not that sliced bread is a person or anything, but you get the idea. He loves and He listens and He laughs and He's serious and then He died and then He came back! Romeo didn't do that. 


And He plays with children. Perfection. 


And to strengthen the butterfly effect, I've found the picture that hangs in my room. ♥

[Source: http://differentvoice.150m.com/wv/angels2/jpic5.html]