1. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord
BARTOLOMEO, Fra
The Adoration of the Christ Child
c. 1499
Oil on canvas
Galleria Borghese, Rome
I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord 10
©Fr. Mark Emman H. Sese

2. Compendium of the Catechism
79. What is the Good News for humanity?
It is the proclamation of Jesus Christ, the “Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16), who died and rose from the dead. In the time of King Herod and the Emperor Caesar Augustus, God fulfilled the promises that he made to Abraham and his descendants. He sent “his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5).

3. Introduction
In order to save us, God sent his Son, who is Jesus, the Christ, Jesus Christ.
As the faith of the Church states, Jesus Christ is true God and true man.
Besides being our Saviour and Redeemer, Jesus Christ is the model for all mankind, and especially for Christians.
People who risk their lives to help others are often praised by the media. We could call them “saviours”, and those who have been saved remember thankfully those who helped them in difficult times. God took pity on men and promised them a Redeemer to save humanity from sin and from its serious consequences. In order to save us, God sent his Son, who is Jesus, the Christ, Jesus Christ.
The Gospels tell us what Jesus did and taught, showing that He is true man: He was born of a woman -the Virgin-, He has a body like ours, He speaks, weeps, feels hunger, suffers… The Gospels also announce His Divinity: He performed miracles, forgave sins, He referred to Himself as the Son of God, and rose from the dead. As the faith of the Church states, Jesus Christ is true God and true man.
Besides being our Saviour and Redeemer, Jesus Christ is the model for all mankind, and especially for Christians. It is logical that we have a special interest in knowing who Jesus Christ is: His life on earth, His passion, death, resurrection and ascension into Heaven; His doctrine. Christ lives, and we should not only know Him, but also love Him all the more. We will love Him, if we get acquainted with Him. But, how can we get acquainted with Christ? Through prayer and receiving the sacraments.
BOECKHORST, Jan van
Christ on the Cross
c. 1640
Oil on panel, 106 x 75 cm
Private collection

4. Main ideas
©Fr. Mark Emman H. Sese

5. 1. In spite of sin, God did not abandon men
In spite of sin, God continued to love our first parents and their descendants, and wanted to restore what their sin had destroyed.
He promised that He would save men from sin, recovering the gift of grace: men would return to God and be His children and heirs of Heaven, although without recovering the preternatural gifts.
In spite of sin, God continued to love our first parents and their descendants, and wanted to restore what their sin had destroyed. He promised that He would save men from sin, recovering the gift of grace: men would return to God and be His children and heirs of Heaven, although without recovering the preternatural gifts, that is to say, the privileges that God added to human nature: the immortality of the body, immunity from diseases. . .
MASTER FRANCKE
Birth of Jesus
1424
Panel, 99 x 89 cm
Kunsthalle, Hamburg

6. 2. Throughout history, God remembers the promise made to Adam and Eve
So that men should not forget that God would send a Saviour into the world, God frequently renewed that promise through Abraham, Jacob, Moses and David, Isaiah, among others. These were the Prophets, especially those who spoke of the coming of the Messiah. Isaiah (7: 14) proclaims that the Messiah would be born of a “virgin”; Micah (5: 2) even indicates where He would be born: in “Bethlehem”.
So that men should not forget that God would send a Saviour into the world, God frequently renewed that promise through Abraham, Jacob, Moses and David, Isaiah, among others. These were the Prophets, especially those who spoke of the coming of the Messiah. Isaiah (7: 14) proclaims that the Messiah would be born of a “virgin”; Micah (5: 2) even indicates where He would be born: in “Bethlehem”.
ALTDORFER, Albrecht
Christ on the Cross between Mary and St John
c. 1512
Limewood, 102 x 116 cm
Staatliche Museen, Kassel

7. 3. The Saviour or Messiah is Christ
“God loved the world so much that He sent His only Son” (John 3: 16).
The Lord is called Jesus, which means “saviour”. The Archangel St. Gabriel thus said to St. Joseph: The Virgin “shall give birth to a son, and His name will be Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins” (Mat 1:21).
In order to save the world from sin, God sent us His only Son. The Lord Himself said: “God loved the world so much that He sent His only Son” (John 3: 16). The Saviour is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary. For that reason the Lord is called Jesus, which means “saviour”. The Archangel St. Gabriel thus said to St. Joseph: The Virgin “shall give birth to a son, and His name will be Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins” (Mat 1:21).
GIOTTO di Bondone
No. 17 Scenes from the Life of Christ: 1. Nativity: Birth of Jesus (detail)
Fresco, width of detail 100 cm
Cappella Scrovegni (Arena Chapel), Padua

8. 4. Jesus Christ is truly God
He told us so and He confirmed His words with deeds. He told us: “I and the Father are one; he who sees the Father sees me; nobody can know the Father except through the Son”.
Jesus Christ heals the sick, the blind, the lepers…; He raises His friend Lazarus from the dead, as well as the son of the widow of Naim; He forgives the sins of the paralytic, and those of Mary Magdalene and of the adulterous woman…; and He did all these things with His own power, because He is God.
We believe that Jesus Christ is God because He told us so and because He confirmed His words with deeds. He told us: “I and the Father are one; he who sees the Father sees me; nobody can know the Father except through the Son”.
Jesus Christ does things that only God can do. He heals the sick, the blind, the lepers…; He raises His friend Lazarus from the dead, as well as the son of the widow of Naim…; He forgives the sins of the paralytic, and those of Mary Magdalene and of the adulterous woman…; and He did all these things with His own power, because He is God.
GIOTTO di Bondone
No. 23 Scenes from the Life of Christ: 7. Baptism of Christ
Fresco, 200 x 185 cm
Cappella Scrovegni (Arena Chapel), Padua

9. 5. Christ’s resurrection is the main proof of His divinity
Jesus Christ truly died and truly resurrected.
After His resurrection, He showed Himself several times to His disciples, and they gave witness to these apparitions.
Christ’s resurrection is the main proof of His divinity, because He rose from the dead by his own power.
Jesus Christ truly died and truly resurrected. After rising He showed Himself several times to His disciples, and they gave witness to these apparitions. His enemies tried to conceal this proof of His divinity (cfr. Mat 28, 11-15). Christ’s resurrection is the main proof of His divinity, because He rose from the dead by his own power.
BELLINI, Giovanni
Resurrection of Christ
Oil on panel, 148 x 128 cm
Staatliche Museen, Berlin

10. 6. Jesus is truly man Jesus Christ is a man like us, except in sin.
He had a mother, like us; He worked with His hands helping St. Joseph; He felt hunger and thirst; He had friends and wept when His friend Lazarus died, He was cheerful with his disciples, with children…
Jesus Christ was not only true God but also true man.
Jesus Christ is a man like us, except in sin. He never committed a sin, and He was never mistaken. But He had a mother, like us; He worked with His hands helping St. Joseph; He felt hunger and thirst; He had friends and wept when His friend Lazarus died, He was cheerful with his disciples, with children… Jesus Christ was not only true God but also true man.
BRAMANTE, Donato
Christ at the Column
c. 1490
Tempera on panel, 93 x 62 cm
Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan

11. 7. Jesus Christ is alive, and He is our model
Jesus Christ overcame death, rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven. Since He is God, He is everywhere, He sees and hears everything.
Jesus Christ is in Heaven and in the Eucharist.
He listens and talks to us, not with words but in our hearts.
He taught us what we must do in order to be saved. He Himself told us “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14: 6).
Jesus Christ overcame death, rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven. Since He is God, He is everywhere, He sees and hears everything. Jesus Christ is in Heaven and in the Eucharist.
We can talk to Him about our things and His things. He listens and talks to us, not with words but in our hearts. We have to learn from Jesus because, with His life, His actions and His words, He taught us what we must do in order to be saved. He Himself told us “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14: 6).
GRECO, El
Christ as Saviour
c. 1600
Oil on canvas, 73 x 56,5 cm
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

12. 8. Getting to know Jesus, growing in His friendship
We enjoy the company of our friends. As friends, we share each other’s thoughts and ideas, are interested in each other’s lives. The same is true of our friendship with Jesus.
If we wish to get acquainted with Him we can find Him in the Gospel, in talking to Him in prayer, and visiting Him in the Tabernacle.
We enjoy the company of our friends. As friends, we share each other’s thoughts and ideas, are interested in each other’s lives. The same is true of our friendship with Jesus. If we wish to get acquainted with Him we can find Him in the Gospel, in talking to Him in prayer, and visiting Him in the Tabernacle.
- The Gospel. By reading the Gospel we get to know Him better: who He is, how He loves His friends, and what He expects of them. We should read the gospels everyday, if only for a few minutes.
- Prayer. We can pray at church or in our home, in a quiet place where we feel at ease, so that we can talk to Jesus about the things that concern us, ask Him what we need, and thank Him for all of His blessings.
- Visit to the Blessed Sacrament. Though Jesus being God is everywhere, He is present in a special way in the Tabernacle. Therefore it would be good to visit Him everyday -even for a short while- to greet Him, to talk to Him, to listen to Him in the depth of our souls. We can also greet Him silently when we happen to pass by a church, because He is there in the Tabernacle.
GREBBER, Pieter de
Christ and the Woman of Samaria
1635
Oil on canvas, 107 x 143

13. Resolutions for Christian life
©Fr. Mark Emman H. Sese

14. Resolutions to move forward
Read the Gospel for a few minutes every day in order to become more familiar with the life of Christ and His teachings.
Make a short visit to the Blessed Sacrament to be near Christ, truly present in the tabernacle.