The Happy Priest Challenges Us to Ask: Who is Jesus to Me?
There is no historical doubt about the actual existence of Jesus of Nazareth.
Who is this man that has divided history into two parts? Who is this man that has divided nations? Who is this man for whom many of his followers have given their lives rather than deny him? In this Sunday's gospel narrative Peter tells us who he is: "You are the Christ" (Mark 8: 29). There is no historical doubt about the actual existence of Jesus of Nazareth. But, Jesus asks the apostles "Who do people say that I am?" (Mark 8: 27).
PrintCORPUS CHRISTI, TX (Catholic Online) - The purpose of this Sunday's liturgy is to get us to contemplate the person of Jesus Christ so that we can know him more deeply. Knowledge leads to love, and love to imitation. Jesus, who is the way, the truth and the life, must be the center, the criteria and the model for our daily lives. This is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.
Had Jesus of Nazareth been a Roman or a Greek, certainly his contemporaries would have left behind statues in his honor. However, because the Jews had a strict understanding of idolatry, their interpretation of the Mosaic Law did not allow them to make any images whatsoever of any human person. It would have been interesting if we had been left something that would illustrate the physical attributes of the Lord.
Throughout the centuries, there has been much discussion on the subject. The Shroud of Turin and Veronica's veil tell us a lot about his Middle Eastern features; however, our faith is best served by depending on the one authenticated source, the Gospels.
The accounts written by the Evangelists depict Our Lord's great capacity for physical activity. The long hours spent at hard work in the carpenter shop had prepared him well for the grueling task of his public ministry.
He walked many miles under the blazing Middle Eastern sun in order to preach the Kingdom of God. He slept many nights under the stars, and he spent much of that time in the bliss of silent prayer. He found little time to eat because of the multitudes seeking his healing touch, and yet when he did find time to rest, he slept so profoundly that not even a terrible storm could awaken him.
His body was strong and so was his soul. During the hours of tribulation in Gethsemane, he persevered in profound prayer while the apostles slept. When Joseph of Arimathea requested his body for burial, Pilate was surprised to discover that Jesus had died so quickly. Pilate knew that he had encountered a strong Galilean.
Jesus did not display his divinity in the manner of the mythical figures of Greek and Roman literature. He did not fly from place to place as though he were some sort of superman. Amazingly, in him the supernatural and the natural were interwoven. His divinity seemed so simple and normal.
No mysterious beams of light, flashes of lightning, or peals of thunder occurred as he performed his miracles. Instead, it was enough for him to touch, or be touched.
Only once did he show the magnificence of his divinity before a select group of apostles. Even then, during the Transfiguration, the experience was brief, simple, and discreet.
Aside from his physical attributes, Jesus knew exactly what he wanted. He was one with his mission. Everything that he did proceeded from his passionate desire to fulfill the will of the Father.
Unlike the complicated discourse of many philosophers and religious leaders, Our Lord's teaching is simple and easy enough for everyone to understand. However, the message is so clear and precise that his words are irresistible to all those who listen.
Who is this man that has divided history into two parts? Who is this man that has divided nations? Who is this man for whom many of his followers have given their lives rather than deny him? In this Sunday's gospel narrative Peter tells us who he is: "You are the Christ" (Mark 8: 29).
Tacitus (54-119 A.D.), Suetonius (75-160 A.D.) and Pliny the Younger (61-115 A.D.) of the ancient Roman Empire all give written historical testimony about the existence of Jesus. Jewish thinkers Philo (died after 40 A.D.) and more importantly Flavius Josephus (born 37 A.D.) also gives written historical testimony about Jesus and his work.
There is no historical doubt about the actual existence of Jesus of Nazareth.
But, Jesus asks the apostles "Who do people say that I am?" (Mark 8: 27).
When we consider all that Jesus said and did, we are faced with the dilemma that C.S. Lewis wrote about in his book Mere Christianity: either Jesus is a liar, a lunatic, or he is who he says that he is: the one true God.
Keep in mind that Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled 1,093 prophecies of the Old Testament.
What do we need to do in order to truly know Christ Jesus?
Above all, we must be open. Far too many people attempt to live Christianity based upon their own terms. They do not come to the Lord with open minds and hearts. Far too many remove pages from the Scriptures and reduce Christianity to their own comfort level.
When we are completely open, the Holy Spirit floods our souls with his loving and peaceful ...
Had Jesus of Nazareth been a Roman or a Greek, certainly his contemporaries would have left behind statues in his honor. However, because the Jews had a strict understanding of idolatry, their interpretation of the Mosaic Law did not allow them to make any images whatsoever of any human person. It would have been interesting if we had been left something that would illustrate the physical attributes of the Lord.
Throughout the centuries, there has been much discussion on the subject. The Shroud of Turin and Veronica's veil tell us a lot about his Middle Eastern features; however, our faith is best served by depending on the one authenticated source, the Gospels.
The accounts written by the Evangelists depict Our Lord's great capacity for physical activity. The long hours spent at hard work in the carpenter shop had prepared him well for the grueling task of his public ministry.
He walked many miles under the blazing Middle Eastern sun in order to preach the Kingdom of God. He slept many nights under the stars, and he spent much of that time in the bliss of silent prayer. He found little time to eat because of the multitudes seeking his healing touch, and yet when he did find time to rest, he slept so profoundly that not even a terrible storm could awaken him.
His body was strong and so was his soul. During the hours of tribulation in Gethsemane, he persevered in profound prayer while the apostles slept. When Joseph of Arimathea requested his body for burial, Pilate was surprised to discover that Jesus had died so quickly. Pilate knew that he had encountered a strong Galilean.
Jesus did not display his divinity in the manner of the mythical figures of Greek and Roman literature. He did not fly from place to place as though he were some sort of superman. Amazingly, in him the supernatural and the natural were interwoven. His divinity seemed so simple and normal.
No mysterious beams of light, flashes of lightning, or peals of thunder occurred as he performed his miracles. Instead, it was enough for him to touch, or be touched.
Only once did he show the magnificence of his divinity before a select group of apostles. Even then, during the Transfiguration, the experience was brief, simple, and discreet.
Aside from his physical attributes, Jesus knew exactly what he wanted. He was one with his mission. Everything that he did proceeded from his passionate desire to fulfill the will of the Father.
Unlike the complicated discourse of many philosophers and religious leaders, Our Lord's teaching is simple and easy enough for everyone to understand. However, the message is so clear and precise that his words are irresistible to all those who listen.
Who is this man that has divided history into two parts? Who is this man that has divided nations? Who is this man for whom many of his followers have given their lives rather than deny him? In this Sunday's gospel narrative Peter tells us who he is: "You are the Christ" (Mark 8: 29).
Tacitus (54-119 A.D.), Suetonius (75-160 A.D.) and Pliny the Younger (61-115 A.D.) of the ancient Roman Empire all give written historical testimony about the existence of Jesus. Jewish thinkers Philo (died after 40 A.D.) and more importantly Flavius Josephus (born 37 A.D.) also gives written historical testimony about Jesus and his work.
There is no historical doubt about the actual existence of Jesus of Nazareth.
But, Jesus asks the apostles "Who do people say that I am?" (Mark 8: 27).
When we consider all that Jesus said and did, we are faced with the dilemma that C.S. Lewis wrote about in his book Mere Christianity: either Jesus is a liar, a lunatic, or he is who he says that he is: the one true God.
Keep in mind that Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled 1,093 prophecies of the Old Testament.
What do we need to do in order to truly know Christ Jesus?
Above all, we must be open. Far too many people attempt to live Christianity based upon their own terms. They do not come to the Lord with open minds and hearts. Far too many remove pages from the Scriptures and reduce Christianity to their own comfort level.
When we are completely open, the Holy Spirit floods our souls with his loving and peaceful ...
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Jesus is my best friend. He is beside me twenty four hours a day and I tell Him everything. He sees me in my good and bad moments and loves me anyways. He cheers me on when I want to give up and helps me to persevere. He shows me His love for me by the beautiful blue skies, the beauty of the clouds, the song of the birds, a smile, a hug or something said at the time I am most open to what He is trying to tell me. He shows me many miracles and He forgives me when I fail to be the kind of friend I should be.
To me, Jesus is someone I can turn to when I don't know who else to talk to, or don't want to talk to anybody else. He is human, too: not just divine. He is someone who truly understands all the angst and suffering I go through in my life (especially now, in my teenage years...) because he suffered the most horrible experience ever: the slow, agonizing death that only criminals ever suffered through. There is no pain too great for him to understand. Heck, he even had a moment of hesitation early in his miracle-working days: the Wedding at Cana. His mother, Mary, was the one to urge him into performing his first miracle. He probably thought he wasn't ready yet (didn't he say something like, "My hour has not yet come,"?), and yet, his mother ignored this and told the servants, "Do as he says." Thus, she was shoving Jesus out of the bird's nest so he could learn how to fly. I feel like my own parents put too much responsibilities on my shoulders, but I also know that I'll have to step up and bear the load, and that Jesus will be there to help me carry it if I'm struggling.
To me, Jesus is like a brother I can turn to when I feel lost, and this is especially important to me in my current stage of life, now that it seems that nobody but God can understand me.
God is and is alive thoughout time and for eternity for each and every generation. He has made Himself most alive through His only begotten Son,Jesus Christ. In Christ we can see the face of God. I will live and die in a given amount of time that I will call my lifetime,then I will be quickly forgotten forever. My ultimate finding in my short period of time for a lifetime experience,is to be a witness to the miracle that is the relationship that exists Father,Son and Holy Spirit,that is affectionately referred to as The Most Holy Trinity. The Holy Trinity unites the past,present and future and all time fades out for every life,so that infinity,eternity,becomes the only true reality. God is Love,Love never dies. Love is eternal. Love is the essence for the existence of life itself. Christ is the perfect example of a pure and Holy Love,lived out in a life as a single human person. In Christ we know that it is love that legitimizes each and every form of a human sense for existence. God is the source for our personal sense of being. God has created the human being with a capability for understanding this fact of life as the very reason for our being alive. To be truly alive is to love.
Who is Jesus to me? He is my way, my truth, my light within. I can not live...I can not go on if I do not have His LOVE...His PRESENCE with me always. I do not have to always be consciously aware of Him to know He is with me. I just feel Him. I can not explain it. I just have FAITH that He is and I also have the LOVE and PRESENCE of our Blessed Mother Our Lady.
I am am not a perfect woman...far from it. I am not a "holy roller' as the saying goes. Some may even say I may even be a be a bit of a radical in my Catholic faith but my faith is STRONG!!! My faith is COMPLETE. NOTHING can shake it!!
I wrote that poem last February "My Constant Love" that you so honored me by choosing it as the best poem in the Valentine's Poetry Challnege. It expresses well how I truly feel..
Here it is again..My Constant Love
By Catherine Anne Hayes
You my constant love
who never abandons me
I love You
I feel You
in the warmth
of the sun
as it touches my face
I feel You
in the softness
of the wind
I hear Your voice
in the music
of birds singing
and
children laughing
and
the sounds of life
beautiful life
around me
You are always
with me
My constant love
My Lord
My Life
My God
Here is another one that expresses how I feel...
I Spend Time With You
I am not my whole self unless
I spend time with You
Life's purpose is empty
the calm of my soul
does not exist
I need my time with You
Life is complicated
a challenge
full of tests of patience
But when I spend time
with You
my soul becomes calm
my mind ceases to be troubled
I know I am loved
The best part of my week
is my hour with You my Lord
I feel complete
I bask in Your Love
I know what it is to be truly cherished
You my Lord I most adore
My Savior
My One
My All
Because of You
I can meet life's adversities
I become strong
I am renewed
All because I spend time with You
copyright 10 july 2012 catherine anne hayes
Who is Jesus to me ? " He who is the express image of The Father & on whose image am I created" to become as He is.
One excellent discussion on suffering is the encyclical by Pope JP II: Salvifici Doloris. Describes the reasons for suffering: to correct an erring child (Prodigal Son), to draw out love towards ones neighbor (Good Samaritan), further purify a just man (Story of Job), and to share in Jesus' redemptive work (Passion of Christ) for the salvation of souls, conversion of sinners, and forgiveness of sins - redemptive suffering or salvific suffering (salvifici doloris).
Jesus is the only child of a virginbirth. The Father of Jesus is the Holy Spirit. Mary Is Imaculately conceived to be"The Mother of God",pure and without sin. Mary is still a virgin even after the birth of Jesus. Jesus is body,blood soul and Divinity. Jesus is unique. No man is Divine,only Jesus. A consecrated Host during Holy Mass becomes Christ ministering to all the Faithful,as a living Host during Communion,body blood soul and Divinity. This Christ is Mystical and chooses to act through Holy Orders. The (Holy Ordered Priest),acts in the Persona of Christ at Holy Mass and during the Sacrement of Reconciliation. Christ dies on a Cross to save all from sin. Christ is risen from the dead and reveals the truth of the Scriptures to his Apostles for 50 days,before ascending into Heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father,God. Jesus is the self proclaimed way,truth and the life,the only way to the Father,God. God is Love,the creator of all Life. Christ is the only true Divine,Priest,teacher,who can reveal what God is like. The Holy Spirit is Paraclete,acting on all during each and every Holy Mass,so all can know God and His only begotten Son,Jesus Christ. All Christian faith is ordered to the teachings of Christ through Holy Orders,the Priest is the Instrument of Christ specifically,as He is ordained to teach and to conform to the teachings of Christ in thought ,work and deeds. The Faithful(Laity) are ordered to be perfect as the Father in Heaven is Perfect. Faith must truly be a vocation for every believer in Christ. Obedience to God is key for the Christian. Christ must be the most controversial figure of all time? You bet He is,believe it or not! I Believe! No Man could dream all this up. They are simply too corrupt. This is the greatest revelation of all Human History. It is simply too good not to believe it. The Human Imagination cannot begin to conceive the mind of God,His thoughts are simply greater than any of our thoughts.