How was Jesus like us Every human being

How was Jesus like us? Every human being is a unique person. Each and every person, in their own unique way, is an image of God became one of us in all ways except sin without giving up his divinity. This mystery of faith is called incarnation. The word ‘incarnation’ comes from the Latin roots in’ and ‘carne’, meaning literally ‘into the flesh’. The Son of God came down from heaven and became human without losing his divine nature.

God became one of us in Jesus The Church names the mystery of the union of the divine nature and human nature in the one divine Person, Jesus, the Hypostatic Union. Jesus had a human body and a human soul, a human intellect and a human will. See the Nicene Creed.

Mary’s ‘Yes’ The New Testament account of the Incarnation begins with the Annunciation. (See Luke 1: 26– 38. ) The Annunciation event includes the angel Gabriel’s announcement to Mary that God had chosen her to become the mother of the Son of God and Mary’s ‘Yes’ to God.

Perpetual virginity of Mary The Church honors Mary as the ‘Blessed Virgin’. Mary was a virgin in conceiving Jesus, in giving birth to him, and in remaining always a virgin ever after. —USCCA, 523 This mystery of faith and teaching of the Catholic Church is known as the ‘perpetual virginity of Mary’. This mystery of faith, which cannot be explained by science, reveals the power and presence of God at work in our lives and in the world.

Hail Mary • The first part of the Hail Mary is based on the angel Gabriel’s greeting to Mary. • The second part is a Prayer of petition to Mary, the Mother of God. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Shortly after the Annunciation, Mary visits Elizabeth in response to the “sign” The angel gave her: “ And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son. . For nothing will be impossible with God’ (Luke 1: 36 -37). This event is called the Visitation.

Mary, the Virgin Mother The journey from Mary’s home in Nazareth in Galilee, to Elizabeth’s home in the hill country of Judea, was a 4 days journey. As Mary saw Elizabeth, Elizabeth’s unborn son, John the Baptist, sensed the presence of Jesus, and he stirred in Elizabeth’s womb. (See Luke on page 84) Mary responds by praising God for fulfilling his promise with the Magnificat which is a canticle or song to praise the Lord. The Church honors Mary as the ‘Mother of God’( Theotokos), ‘Mother of Jesus’, ‘Mother of the Church’ and ‘mother of all believers’. Praying the Hail Mary is the most widely used Catholic devotion honoring Mary.

Hail Mary takes the name from the angel Mary, the Virgin. The Gabriel’s greeting to Mary. Mother The Hail Mary has two parts: 1. Angel Gabriel’s greeting to Mary in Luke 1: 28 and Elizabeth’s greeting of Mary in Luke 1: 42. In the first part we profess the Church’s faith that God chose Mary to have a privileged place in the divine plan of salvation. 2. Prayer of petition acknowledging Mary to be the Mother of God. The second part is a prayer of petition. We acknowledge our faith in the role Mary continues to have in God’s saving plan. See page 85.

Joseph, husband foster-father Joseph was Mary’s husband the earthly father of Jesus. Because Mary conceived Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, we call Joseph the foster-father of Jesus. The Hebrew name ‘Joseph’ means ‘one who fulfills’. Joseph, the husband of Mary, was a man of great faith, who responded to his dreams.

Matthew’s Gospel account describes Joseph to be: Joseph, • a righteous and just man who strove to live in right husband relationship with God; an obedient man who sought to conform to God’s foster-father • will; • a man of great courage who was committed to caring for Mary and Jesus. • The Gospel according to Matthew describes Joseph as being of the house of David. When Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant, he was unwilling to expose her to public disgrace (Matthew 1: 19). See page 87 (Matthew describes Joseph’s response) Joseph did not dismiss the message as ‘only a dream”. He ‘did as the angel of the Lord commanded him’ and “ took Mary as his wife”. Joseph like Mary was a just person of great faith.

The Old Testament foreshadows the coming of Jesus Throughout the Old Testament the Messiah (Jesus) promised by God is a descendant of David. (See Luke 2: 10 12. ) Wise men from the East will travel to Bethlehem: Micah 5: 2 There are many Old Testament passages that foreshadow or prefigure Jesus Christ. ‘Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. —Isaiah 7: 14

God chooses the powerless The people of Nazareth referred to the adult “Jesus” as “the carpenter” (Mark 6: 3). The Evangelists tell us that Joseph made his living and cared for the Holy Family as a Tekton (Matthew 13: 55); a word that means “skilled Craftsman”, but the most common translation is “carpenter”. Against all human expectation God chooses those who were considered powerless and weak to show forth his faithfulness to his promises. —CCC, no. 489

Jesus came to set things right ‘Expiate’ means ‘to restore a situation of complete harmony’ or ‘to set things right’. The word “Expiation” is used to describe the act of Redemption that Christ won for us by his death. Jesus’ obedience to God erased the disorder caused by our sins and set the universe right.

The teaching of St. Anselm was a theologian and Doctor of the Church (AD 1033 -1109), Archbishop of Canterbury in Great Britain, taught: • When people sin, God’s order within the universe is disrupted. • Human good deeds alone cannot make up for sins. • Only God is powerful enough to set things right again. • God became one of us in Jesus to represent us as man, and, as God, to be capable of paying our debt. • Jesus brought about our at-one-ment (Atonement/reconciliation) with God. • St. Anselm question: “Cur Deus Homo? ” (Why did God become a man? ) The word Theosis (to divinize) summarizes the response: to live the life of holiness for which God created us. • St. Athanasius, one of the greatest teachers of the Church summarize this belief of the church in this statement, “The Son of God became man so that we might become God”.

Expiation The act of redemption and atonement for sin which Christ won for us by the pouring out of his blood on the Cross, by his obedient love even ‘to the end’ (John 13: 1).

Atonement By his suffering and death on the Cross, Jesus freed us from our sins and brought about our reconciliation with God the Father. —USCCA, 505

The mission of Jesus • Jesus redeemed us. He is the redeemer. Re-demeo means ‘to pay the price”. • Jesus saved us. The Hebrew name Yeshu’a (Jesus) means “God saves”. • Jesus came to bring us to eternal life. • Jesus liberated us from sin. • Jesus came to open us to the divine life within us. • Jesus came to be our model of holiness.

Names for Jesus • Christ/ Messiah: ‘Anointed one’; Christos in Greek and Christ in English. • The ancient Israelites held an anointing ritual to install those who had been chose by the Lord God for a special work of service, or mission, among God’s people. The Israelites would pour oil over these “chosen one”. • LORD: Used in place of the divine name YHWH. • Son of God: Steadfastly loyal and faithful in his love for God. Jesus revealed himself to be uniquely the ‘only Son of the Father’. (see pp. 93 94)

The Jesus Prayer • The Jesus Prayer is one of the oldest of Christian prayers. • This prayer it dates in its original form to the words the two blind men cried out to Jesus in Matthew 20: 31. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

The story of Saint Perpetua and Saint Felicity • Saints Perpetua and Felicity lived in the third century. • In the year 203, the Roman Emperor Septimus Severus made it a crime for anyone to convert to Christianity. • Perpetua was the daughter of a prominent Roman citizen. • Felicity was her servant. • Perpetua and Felicity were both sentenced to death for giving bold witness of their faith in Christ. • These two martyrs represent steadfast loyalty to Christ, freedom of conscience and courageous resistance to public pressure.