Sentence:  He spent concentrated weeks putting his two figures together : a Mary who would be young and sensitive , yet strong enough to <WSD>hold</WSD> her son on her lap ; and a Jesus who , though lean , was strong even in death - a look he remembered well from his experience in the dead room of Santo Spirito . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  keep in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., "keep clean"