‘But who do you say that I am?’

People reacted differently to Jesus during his public life and ministry. Some people welcomed Jesus. Others were hostile toward him Some viewed him as just another prophet who was claiming to have been sent by God. Some labeled him a ‘sinner’ and a threat to Judaism. Still others, as Paul did, changed their view of Jesus as they came to know him better. Jesus closest disciples came to know him slowly and to believe in him for who he really was―the Messiah of God.

‘But who do you say that I am?’ Word soon spread that Jesus of Nazareth was a great preacher, teacher and wonder-worker. He spoke with authority and possessed a vast knowledge of the Law and the Prophets. He demanded a deeper commitment to the Law and the Covenant. Many Jews expected a different type of Messiah, someone who would set them free from their oppressors and re-establish the kingdom of Israel. Jesus did not match up to their expectations.

Sacraments: experiential signs of Christ’s presence The celebration of the Sacraments is at the center of the Liturgy of the Church. Each of the Seven Sacraments brings us into a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, the sacrament of God. Central to the celebration of the Sacraments is the combination of signs and symbols and symbolic actions (objects, words and actions) that the Church uses to celebrate each Sacrament.

Key sacramental signs and symbols OBJECTS ACTIONS WORDS Water (Baptism) Pouring or immersing in Essential words Bread and wine (Eucharist) water (Baptism) Word of God Oil (Baptism, Confirmation, Breaking bread and sharing Prayers Holy Orders, Anointing of the cup (Eucharist) Liturgical texts the Sick) Anointing (Baptism, Lyrics of hymns Confirmation, Holy Orders, Anointing of the Sick) Laying on of hands (Confirmation, Holy Orders) Blessing/signing (Penance and Reconciliation, Matrimony)

Do you hear what I hear? Do you see what I see? God’s saving, healing and sanctifying love is always at work in the world, whether or not we see it or hear it. In the mystery of the Incarnation the Second Person of the Trinity became ‘see-able’ and ‘hear-able’ and ‘touch-able’ in Jesus of Nazareth. Through his humanity, Jesus made visible God working ‘wonders’ in the world. Jesus Christ is the sacrament of God. He is the fullest Revelation of God’s sanctifying and healing presence with humanity. Jesus Christ is the one true High Priest and Mediator because in him divinity and humanity were perfectly united in one Person.

A people of prayer The deepening of one’s relationship with God is one of the greatest desires of the human heart. All the Sacraments work together to deepen our encounter with God. Prayer is essential to our relationship with God. We raise our hearts to God in prayer, both as individuals and as the community of Jesus’ disciples. God always takes the initiative in prayer. Prayer is our response to God’s invitation.

A people of prayer Prayer is the living relationship of the children of God with their Father who is good beyond measure, with his Son Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit. The life of prayer is the habit of being in the presence of the thrice-holy God and in communion with him. —CCC, no Prayer is the encounter of God’s thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for him. —St. Augustine

Five forms of prayer Blessing and Adoration: We acknowledge God to be the source of everything in our lives and that we are children of God. As God blesses us, we respond to God in blessing and adoration. Petition: We acknowledge our relationship with God. We ask for forgiveness and for the graces to make our pilgrimage successfully to the Kingdom of God. Intercession: We acknowledge our relationship with all other people. We pray for others as Jesus did, including those who do us harm. Thanksgiving: We acknowledge that all life is a gift. We give thanks to God ‘for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus’ (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Praise: We acknowledge God alone to be God, from whom all things exist and for whom we exist. We honor God because HE IS.

The Church’s year of grace: the liturgical year The liturgical year is made up of four major times, or seasons: Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter. The liturgical year begins on the First Sunday of Advent. The liturgical year concludes with the Solemnity of Christ the King. The Paschal, or Easter, Triduum is the focal point of the Church’s year of worship. The Triduum includes: Holy Thursday―Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper Good Friday―Liturgies of the Passion of the Lord Easter Sunday―The Easter Vigil, celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord

Prayer of the heart Jesus was a person of prayer. The Church names three ways by which we give expression to our prayer. Vocal Prayer: Our words translate and externalize our innermost thoughts and feelings. We join with others in prayer. The Lord’s Prayer, or Our Father, is the first among those prayers. The Prayer of Meditation: We petition God to speak to our mind and heart. Meditation prompts us toward the conversion of our heart, and strengthens our will to follow Christ. The Prayer of Contemplation: We bring ourselves to God, open our awareness to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and simply be in God’s presence as God wants us to be.

St John of the Cross ( ) Juan de Yepes Álvarez, whom the Church honors as St. John of the Cross, was raised by his widowed mother. A turning point in Juan’s life came when he found work in a hospital and began to study at a Jesuit school. In 1564 he became a Carmelite friar and he was ordained a priest in Juan joined up with Teresa of Ávila, and their work of reforming the Carmelites resulted in the founding of the Discalced (or barefoot) Carmelites. Juan’s reform efforts resulted in his being imprisoned by his Carmelite superiors in an effort to make him change his ways.

St. John of the Cross: During his imprisonment and suffering, Juan composed the Spiritual Canticle, his best-known poem. After his release, Juan continued his efforts of founding monasteries committed to living strictly the Carmelite Rule. Pope Benedict XIII declared John of the Cross a saint of the Church in In 1926 Pope Pius XI declared him a Doctor of the Church. His feast day is December 14.