Chapter 2: Who is Jesus Christ? ©Ave Maria Press

Friends, Romans, and countrymen; lend me your ears. The Power of Words Friends, Romans, and countrymen; lend me your ears. Language sets us apart from other creatures.

Words can do much good. But they can also do great harm. As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master.

The Word of God became man in Jesus Christ. The most important word ever spoken is the Word of God. The prologue of the Gospel of John calls the Son of God “The Word” – o logo . The Word of God became man in Jesus Christ.

The Incarnation of Jesus The Incarnation is the essential Christian belief that the Son of God became human in the person of Jesus Christ.

We celebrate the conception of the Son of God at the Annunciation. With Mary’s “yes,” the Son of God became human. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke tell how the angel Gabriel brought Mary the news of God’s plan for the salvation of the world, and how she named her baby Jesus, which means “YHWH is salvation,” or “savior.”

Today, we associate Christmas with gift giving. This is appropriate, for on the first Christmas, God gave us the greatest gift of all – his Son. The Nativity refers to the birth of Christ in Bethlehem, nine months after the Annunciation.

The presence of Joseph is strongly felt in the Gospels. We know Joseph was a man of tremendous faith and great courage. He raised Jesus to become a man of love, gentleness, and hard work. Joseph should also be an example for us of these important values.

While the Gospel of John does not describe the Christmas story, it makes a powerful statement about the origins of Jesus. In the Prologue of John’s Gospel, the evangelist makes it clear that Jesus is true God and true man. He wrote this to combat a heresy called Docetism, which said that Jesus only appeared to be human.

The Purpose of the Incarnation Why did God become human? ► To reconcile us with God. ► To show us God’s love. ► To be our model for holiness. ► To enable us to share in God’s nature.

Learning about Jesus Who is the real Jesus?

Many ways to know Jesus Whether we get our information about Jesus from our parents, priests, teachers, bishops, popes, or from reading the Bible; all knowledge about Christ goes back to the apostles, who knew him in life and saw him after his death and Resurrection.

The Jesus of History We know from historians outside the Bible, that Jesus was known to be a carpenter and lived in Galilee according to the Law of Moses. We know also, that Jesus gathered disciples and preached a powerful message to them. Historical records verify that Jesus was a real person, not just the invention of early Christians.

His message was one of repentance and the coming of God’s Kingdom. Because Jesus spoke with authority and challenged the way people had come to respond to God, he angered many of the leaders in the Jewish community. His message was one of repentance and the coming of God’s Kingdom.

The Miracles and Ministry of Jesus In addition to preaching about the Kingdom of God, Jesus performed miracles to show that God’s Kingdom had already broken into human history.

The Humanity of Jesus Jesus was a human being – like us in all things but sin. He had a charismatic personality, experienced human emotions and human pain.

Jesus, Resurrected Lord The teachings of the Church pass on to us that Jesus was much more than an influential human figure. The doctrine of the Incarnation tells us that Jesus is the Son of God. Another essential belief of the Church is that of Christ’s Resurrection.

He rose from the dead, and is alive now, in glory forever. Our belief in the Resurrection tells us that after Jesus suffered a painful death on the cross …

In Prayer In his body, the Church Meeting Jesus Today We can read about Jesus in the New Testament – especially the Gospels. Christ also makes it possible for us to know him and have a relationship with him in several ways: In the Sacraments In Prayer In his body, the Church

The Seven Sacraments are efficacious signs instituted by Christ to confer grace upon us. Baptism Eucharist Marriage Anointing of the Sick Reconciliation Confirmation Holy Orders In the Sacraments of the Church, Jesus comes to us in the very special moments of our lives, to give us powerful signs of his love for us.

Prayer Jesus told us: “Wherever two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.” This is the Lord’s invitation to us to approach him in prayer. He also showed us, by his own example, the importance of prayer.

Christ’s Body: The Church Jesus lives in the institution that he established to be a vehicle of our salvation – the Church. Christ is the head of that Body, and he lives in each of its members. Because the Son of God became human, all of humanity has tremendous dignity. In Matthew 25, Jesus reminds us how important even the poor and outcast among us are by telling us that whatever we do to these least of our brothers and sisters, so we do to him.

The Mysteries of Christ’s Life A mystery is a truth about God that will always be beyond human understanding. Mystery also refers to God’s saving plan that was gradually revealed in human history.

The Birth and Infancy of Jesus In the Nativity, God humbled himself and came into the world as a vulnerable infant. The first to witness his arrival were poor shepherds.

The Birth and Infancy of Jesus In the Epiphany, Jesus is revealed as Messiah to non-Jewish wise men from the east—signifying that Christ is the Savior of the entire world.

The Birth and Infancy of Jesus At Jesus’ Presentation in the Temple, Simeon predicts the suffering and death of Jesus, as well as the sorrows Mary will experience. Mary and Joseph presented Jesus as a firstborn son in the Temple forty days after his birth to fulfill the Law of Moses.

The Hidden Life of Jesus The Evangelists don’t tell us much about the childhood of Jesus. The Gospels do convey, however, that Jesus grew in wisdom, and our faith shows us that Jesus lived out respectful obedience to his earthly parents and the Jewish religion. On one pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem, Jesus was left behind, and amazed the priests with his understanding of his heavenly Father.

The Baptism of Jesus Even though he was without sin, Jesus submitted to baptism by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. At this beginning of his public ministry, God the Father revealed that Jesus is his beloved Son, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove.

The Temptations of Jesus Satan tempted Jesus to use his divine power to create bread to satisfy his hunger. He then tempted him to throw himself off the Temple parapet, knowing that angels would catch him and the crowd become his devoted followers. Finally, Satan offered Jesus worldly power if only he would worship him. Jesus resisted all these temptations, and remained sinless. The Gospel accounts of Jesus’ being tempted by Satan in the desert help us to understand that Jesus had free will like all human beings, but that he resisted every temptation put before him.

Jesus proclaims God’s Kingdom The message of Jesus’ words and actions was to consistently proclaim the Kingdom of God, or Kingdom of Heaven.

Christ’s Ministry Begins at Capernaum Jesus called us to turn away from sin and listen to the message he proclaimed about God’s love for us. He chose twelve apostles to follow him and help to spread the Good News. The first of Jesus’ chosen apostles were Peter, Andrew, James, and John; whom Jesus called away from their fishing nets to go and follow him.

The Kingdom Is Open to All Jesus opened his arms to everyone. Sinners, too, are called to enter God’s Kingdom—but people must repent of their sins and respond to God’s love.

The Poor and Lowly are Beloved in the Kingdom. Jesus tells us in many ways that we must have a special love for the poor and persecuted in the world. He also tells us that we must become as little children and be open and accepting of others and God’s will.

Messages about the Kingdom A few examples of Jesus’ familiar paradoxical teachings:  “Many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” “Whoever wishes to be first among you, shall be your servant.” “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” With parables and rich images, Jesus explained God’s Kingdom. He surprised his listeners and helped them understand that the true nature of our God is vastly different than many of their assumptions. He often used paradoxes, which are statements that seem contradictory, but actually contain a hidden truth.

The Miracles of Jesus Jesus performed many miracles that confirmed the truth of his words and his authority to proclaim his message. When Jesus said that he could forgive sins, some of the scribes accused Jesus of blasphemy, which is a sin against the dignity of God, since only God can forgive sins. By healing the sick, Jesus proved that he did, indeed, have the power to forgive.

The Miracles of Jesus The miracles themselves teach us important truths about God’s Kingdom. With different types of miracles, Jesus communicates different truths. Physical healings demonstrated Jesus’ power over sin and revealed that the coming of God’s Kingdom brings wholeness and happiness. When Jesus drove out evil spirits through exorcisms, he established his power over Satan. Jesus showed his power over the forces of nature, since all of creation came to be through him, with various nature miracles. And by raising people from the dead, Jesus proved his mastery over life and death as the true Son of God.

The Transfiguration of Jesus The Transfiguration confirmed Jesus’ divinity as he appeared gloriously transformed alongside the prophets Moses and Elijah. The presence of the Old Testament prophets confirmed that it was Jesus whom they had foretold as the savior. This event inspired Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God.

The Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Obedient to his Father’s will, Jesus submitted to humiliation and an agonizing death to become the Savior of the world.

The Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus But Jesus’ story did not end in death. On the third day after his crucifixion, Jesus rose to eternal life.

The Meaning of the Paschal Mystery The sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf repaired the broken relationship between God and humanity.

The Meaning of the Paschal Mystery By his death, Jesus liberated us from sin. By his Resurrection, he opened for us the way to new life.