Who do you say that I am? Artistic Depictions of Jesus Works of
art reach our imagination and speak to us in ways that words alone
cannot. Artistic presentations of Jesus by Christian artists from
cultures throughout the world continue to contribute to our image
of Jesus.
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Who do you say that I am? What qualities did you depict in your
own image of Jesus? What does your image say about Jesus? What does
it say about you? What does your image of Jesus ask of your
life?
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Jesus is the Good News The Word Became Flesh in Jesus God
fulfilled his promise in a remarkable way in Palestine of the first
century. The Son of God took on a human nature and lived among us
in the body, mind and spirit of Jesus of Nazareth. The Son of God,
the second Person of the Holy Trinity, embraced a human nature in
order to bring us closer to God, to one another and to save and
free us from the bondage of sin.
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Jesus is the Good News The Word Became Flesh in Jesus All of
Gods saving work of Salvation revolves around and in Jesus. Jesus
was both a historical figure and a Person who transcends history.
Jesus is the one and only Mediator between God and man. The Letter
to the Philippians includes a hymn about Jesus. Philippians 2:58
expresses the faith of the Church in the Incarnation and the saving
work of Jesus.
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Jesus is the Good News Incarnation By the Incarnation, the
Second Person of the Holy Trinity assumed our human nature, taking
flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary. There is one Person in Jesus
and that is the divine Person of the Son of God. Jesus has two
natures, a human one and a divine one. USCCA, 515
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Jesus was fully human and fully divinefor us! The Word Became
Flesh For us and our salvation he came down from heaven. In order
to save us by reconciling us with God. So that we might know Gods
love. To be our model of holiness. To make us partakers of the
divine nature.
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Jesus was fully human and fully divinefor us! Jesus Was Both
Fully Human and Fully Divine These heresies in the early Church
falsely explained the Incarnation. Gnosticism and Docetism:
overemphasized the divinity of Jesus and denied his full humanity.
The Church condemned these heresies, insisting that Jesus Christ
has come in the flesh from God (1 John 4:2). Arianism: taught that
Jesus was not truly God because he was not of the same substance as
God. Council of Nicaea I in 325 taught that Jesus is truly God, of
the same substance. Council of Constantinople in 381 declared
Arianism to be heretical.
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Jesus was fully human and fully divinefor us! Jesus Was Both
Fully Divine and Fully Human Nestorianism: taught that Jesus was
two separate persons, one human and one divine. Council of Ephesus
in 431 decreed that there is one divine Person, Jesus, who has two
natures, a divine nature and a human nature. Monophysitism: taught
that there is only one (mono) nature (physis) in Christ; the human
nature of Christ ceased to exist when the divine Person of God the
Son assumed it. Council of Chalcedon in 451 responded that The
distinction between the natures was never abolished by their union.
Second Vatican Council reasserted this mystery of faith.
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JesusSavior, Redeemer and Liberator Jesus, the Redeemer and the
Savior of All Redemption is the Salvation won for us by Jesus by
his paying the price of his own sacrificial death on the Cross to
ransom us, to set us free from the slavery of sin. CCC Glossary
Salvation is the forgiveness of sins and restoration of friendship
with God, which can be done by God alone. CCC Glossary
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JesusSavior, Redeemer and Liberator Jesus, the Liberator The
title Liberator, meaning one who frees, is closely aligned with the
ancient title of Messiah. When we say Jesus is the Liberator, we
are professing our faith in the fact that Jesus sets us free from
the power of sin.
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Experiencing the Risen Jesus today Through his life and the
Paschal Mystery of his Death-Resurrection-Ascension, Jesus
fulfilled his work as Redeemer and Savior and Liberator. Jesus
gives us the power, Gods grace, to live the way he lived and
taught. Jesus remains present with us in Sacred Scripture, in the
Sacraments and especially in his Church. The Church is the
sacrament of salvation in the world, the sign and instrument of the
communion of God and men (CCC, no. 780). We also encounter the
Risen Christ today through the experiences and events and people in
our lives.