How do we discover our true identity? God has created us in the image of God, who is a Triune Communion of Love. We are created to live in community—in communion with God and one another. It is our nature to desire to live in and be part of a community—we want to know others and to be known.

Jesus’ unique identity and mission Jesus’ closest disciples only came to know him and the true nature of his identity and mission over time and gradually.

Jesus’ unique identity and mission Jesus was fully human and fully divine, true God and true man. Jesus is the Incarnate Son of God, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. Jesus’ power is the very power of God.

The wedding at Cana Jesus performed the first of his miracles by changing water into wine at the wedding in Cana. (Read John 2:1  12.) This was Jesus’ first Revelation that he was someone very special—our Savior and Redeemer.

Mary’s role in Jesus’ first miracle Though Jesus thought he was not ready, Mary presumed that he was and told the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you’ (John 2:5). At the request of his mother, Jesus turned the water into wine and saved the wedding celebration. Ever since, the story of the Wedding at Cana has encouraged Christians to pray to Mary, asking her to intercede for them with her Son.

Foreshadowing the Paschal Mystery The Cana story points to the Last Supper and to Jesus’ Death and Resurrection. Turning water into wine reminds us of Jesus’ final meal, at which he turned the wine into his blood. Mary, the Mother of Jesus, was present at Cana, as she was at the Cross.

The Transfiguration at Tabor The final week of Jesus’ suffering, Death and Resurrection—his Paschal Mystery—begins with his Transfiguration. The Transfiguration was a theophany, or ‘appearance of God’.

The Transfiguration at Tabor At the Transfiguration, a voice from heaven said, This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him! —Mark 9:7 This was the Revelation that Jesus is indeed the Son of God.

What does ‘transfiguration’ mean? The word ‘transfiguration’ means ‘change in appearance’. The Transfiguration is the mysterious event in which Jesus—in the sight of Peter, James and John—was transformed in appearance, revealing himself to be truly divine, the Son of God.

Jesus’ identity revealed The Transfiguration was the Revelation of Jesus’ true identity. This event reflected both his public ministry and what lay ahead in Jerusalem.

Jesus’ identity revealed The Transfiguration is a preview of Resurrection life and of Jesus’ Second Coming again in glory, when the reign of God will come about.

Son of Man Jesus used the title ‘Son of Man’ to identify himself and his mission in the four accounts of the Gospel. Rooted in the Scriptures of ancient Israel, most especially the Books of Ezekiel and Daniel, the term ‘son of man’ refers to the ‘ideal human’, the one most faithful to YHWH.

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord As Jesus approached Jerusalem, the reality of his mission began to be recognized. Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem foreshadowed both his suffering and his triumph and exaltation.

Holy Week Christians remember the event of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem each year at the beginning of Holy Week with the celebration of the liturgy of Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion.

The Seven Sacraments of the Church The Seven Sacraments of the Church are visible realities and signs of the invisible saving presence of the Triune God at work in our lives. Each of the Seven Sacraments— Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance and Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Matrimony and Holy Orders—is ‘an efficacious sign of grace’.

The First Eucharist In the Eucharist we encounter—we meet —the risen Jesus face to face. At Mass the risen Jesus is present among us. He is present in the proclamation of the Scriptures, in the person of the priest and in the people in the pews. Jesus is uniquely present with us in the consecrated bread and wine. What still looks like, feels like and tastes like bread and wine is no longer bread and wine; it is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.

The Eucharist is source and summit The Eucharist is the ‘source and summit’ of the Christian life (CCC, no. 1324).

Passover and Eucharist Passover is the central feast in the Jewish religion. During Passover, Jews remember that God set them free from slavery in Egypt and established a Covenant of chesed—faithful love—with them. Read Exodus 12:1  13, 28  32.

Passover and Eucharist Jesus and the disciples entered Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. At the Last Supper table Jesus changed the unleavened Passover bread and the Passover wine into his own Body and Blood and gave them to his disciples to eat and drink, and he told them to ‘do this in memory of me’. Each time the Church celebrates the Eucharist, Christ is made present again.

Passover and Eucharist The Eucharist is the celebration of the ‘Passover of the Lord’; it is the new and everlasting Passover, the final Exodus. The Eucharist is at the center of Catholic life today.

The story of the martyrs of the University of Central America Six Jesuit priests and two civilians were murdered on November 16, 1989 at the University of Central America in San Salvador, El Salvador by the army during the country’s civil war. The work of these Jesuits was to record and tell the stories of the working class and the poor, something that severely threatened the political leaders. The Jesuit martyrs help us to remember an important message: ‘There’s more going on in our society than first meets the eye.’