THE CATECHISM OF
THE
CATHOLIC CHURCH
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THE PROFESSION OF FAITH
The Good News: God has sent his Son
422 'But when the time had fully come, God sent forth 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.'[1] This is 'the gospel of Jesus Christ,
the Son of God':[2] God has visited his people. He has fulfilled the promise
he made to Abraham and his descendants. He acted far beyond all
expectation - he has sent his own 'beloved Son'.[3]
423 We believe and confess that Jesus of Nazareth, born a Jew of a
daughter of Israel at Bethlehem at the time of King Herod the Great and
the emperor Caesar Augustus, a carpenter by trade, who died crucified in
Jerusalem under the procurator Pontius Pilate during the reign of the
emperor Tiberius, is the eternal Son of God made man. He 'came from God',[4]
'descended from heaven',[5] and 'came in the flesh'.[6] For 'the Word became
flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his
glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. . . And from his fullness
have we all received, grace upon grace.'[7]
424 Moved by the grace of the Holy Spirit and drawn by the Father, we
believe in Jesus and confess: 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living
God.'[8] On the rock of this faith confessed by St. Peter, Christ built his
Church.[9]
"To preach. . . the unsearchable riches of Christ"[10]
425 The transmission of the Christian faith consists primarily in
proclaiming Jesus Christ in order to lead others to faith in him. From the
beginning, the first disciples burned with the desire to proclaim Christ:
"We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard."[11] It And they invite
people of every era to enter into the joy of their communion with Christ:
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen
with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands,
concerning the word of life - the life was made manifest, and we saw it,
and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the
Father and was made manifest to us- that which we have seen and heard we
proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our
fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are
writing this that our joy may be complete.[12]
At the heart of catechesis: Christ
426 "At the heart of catechesis we find, in essence, a Person, the Person
of Jesus of Nazareth, the only Son from the Father. . .who suffered and
died for us and who now, after rising, is living with us forever."[13] To
catechize is "to reveal in the Person of Christ the whole of God's eternal
design reaching fulfilment in that Person. It is to seek to understand the
meaning of Christ's actions and words and of the signs worked by him."[14]
Catechesis aims at putting "people . . . in communion . . . with Jesus
Christ: only he can lead us to the love of the Father in the Spirit and
make us share in the life of the Holy Trinity."[15]
427 In catechesis "Christ, the Incarnate Word and Son of God,. . . is
taught - everything else is taught with reference to him - and it is
Christ alone who teaches - anyone else teaches to the extent that he is
Christ's spokesman, enabling Christ to teach with his lips. . . Every
catechist should be able to apply to himself the mysterious words of
Jesus: 'My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.'"[16]
428 Whoever is called "to teach Christ" must first seek "the surpassing
worth of knowing Christ Jesus"; he must suffer "the loss of all things. .
." in order to "gain Christ and be found in him", and "to know him and the
power of his resurrection, and [to] share his sufferings, becoming like
him in his death, that if possible [he] may attain the resurrection from
the dead".[17]
429 From this loving knowledge of Christ springs the desire to proclaim
him, to "evangelize", and to lead others to the "yes" of faith in Jesus
Christ. But at the same time the need to know this faith better makes
itself felt. To this end, following the order of the Creed, Jesus'
principal titles - "Christ", "Son of God", and "Lord" (article 2) - will
be presented. The Creed next confesses the chief mysteries of his life -
those of his Incarnation (article 3), Paschal mystery (articles 4 and 5)
and glorification (articles 6 and 7).
430 Jesus means in Hebrew: "God saves." At the annunciation, the angel
Gabriel gave him the name Jesus as his proper name, which expresses both
his identity and his mission.[18] Since God alone can forgive sins, it is
God who, in Jesus his eternal Son made man, "will save his people from
their sins".[19] in Jesus, God recapitulates all of his history of salvation
on behalf of men.
431 In the history of salvation God was not content to deliver Israel "out
of the house of bondage"[20] by bringing them out of Egypt. He also saves
them from their sin. Because sin is always an offence against God, only he
can forgive it.[21] For this reason Israel, becoming more and more aware of
the universality of sin, will no longer be able to seek salvation except
by invoking the name of the Redeemer God.[22]
432 The name "Jesus" signifies that the very name of God is present in the
person of his Son, made man for the universal and definitive redemption
from sins. It is the divine name that alone brings salvation, and
henceforth all can invoke his name, for Jesus united himself to all men
through his Incarnation,[23] so that "there is no other name under heaven
given among men by which we must be saved."[24]
433 The name of the Saviour God was invoked only once in the year by the
high priest in atonement for the sins of Israel, after he had sprinkled
the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies with the sacrificial blood. The mercy
seat was the place of God's presence.[25] When St. Paul speaks of Jesus whom
"God put forward as an expiation by his blood", he means that in Christ's
humanity "God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself."[26]
434 Jesus' Resurrection glorifies the name of the Saviour God, for from
that time on it is the name of Jesus that fully manifests the supreme
power of the "name which is above every name".[27] The evil spirits fear his
name; in his name his disciples perform miracles, for the Father grants
all they ask in this name.[28]
435 The name of Jesus is at the heart of Christian prayer. All liturgical
prayers conclude with the words "through our Lord Jesus Christ". The Hail
Mary reaches its high point in the words "blessed is the fruit of thy
womb, Jesus." The Eastern prayer of the heart, the Jesus Prayer, says:
"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." Many
Christians, such as St. Joan of Arc, have died with the one word "Jesus" on
their lips.
436 The word "Christ" comes from the Greek translation of the Hebrew
Messiah, which means "anointed". It became the name proper to Jesus only
because he accomplished perfectly the divine mission that "Christ"
signifies. In effect, in Israel those consecrated to God for a mission
that he gave were anointed in his name. This was the case for kings, for
priests and, in rare instances, for prophets.[29] This had to be the case
all the more so for the Messiah whom God would send to inaugurate his
kingdom definitively.[30] It was necessary that the Messiah be anointed by
the Spirit of the Lord at once as king and priest, and also as prophet.[31]
Jesus fulfilled the messianic hope of Israel in his threefold office of
priest, prophet and king.
437 To the shepherds, the angel announced the birth of Jesus as the
Messiah promised to Israel: "To you is born this day in the city of David
a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord."[32] From the beginning he was "the one
whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world", conceived as "holy"
in Mary's virginal womb.[33] God called Joseph to "take Mary as your wife,
for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit", so that Jesus,
"who is called Christ", should be born of Joseph's spouse into the
messianic lineage of David.[34]
438 Jesus' messianic consecration reveals his divine mission, "for the
name 'Christ' implies 'he who anointed', 'he who was anointed' and 'the
very anointing with which he was anointed'. The one who anointed is the
Father, the one who was anointed is the Son, and he was anointed with the
Spirit who is the anointing.'"[35] His eternal messianic consecration was
revealed during the time of his earthly life at the moment of his baptism
by John, when "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and
with power", "that he might be revealed to Israel"[36] as its Messiah. His
works and words will manifest him as "the Holy One of God".[37]
439 Many Jews and even certain Gentiles who shared their hope recognized
in Jesus the fundamental attributes of the messianic "Son of David",
promised by God to Israel.[38] Jesus accepted his rightful title of Messiah,
though with some reserve because it was understood by some of his
contemporaries in too human a sense, as essentially political.[39]
440 Jesus accepted Peter's profession of faith, which acknowledged him to
be the Messiah, by announcing the imminent Passion of the Son of Man.[40] He
unveiled the authentic content of his messianic kingship both in the
transcendent identity of the Son of Man "who came down from heaven", and
in his redemptive mission as the suffering Servant: "The Son of Man came
not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for
many."[41] Hence the true meaning of his kingship is revealed only when he
is raised high on the cross.[42] Only after his Resurrection will Peter be
able to proclaim Jesus' messianic kingship to the People of God: "Let all
the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both
Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."[43]
441 In the Old Testament, "son of God" is a title given to the angels, the
Chosen People, the children of Israel, and their kings.[44] It signifies an
adoptive sonship that establishes a relationship of particular intimacy
between God and his creature. When the promised Messiah-King is called
"son of God", it does not necessarily imply that he was more than human,
according to the literal meaning of these texts. Those who called Jesus
"son of God", as the Messiah of Israel, perhaps meant nothing more than
this.[45]
442 Such is not the case for Simon Peter when he confesses Jesus as "the
Christ, the Son of the living God", for Jesus responds solemnly: "Flesh
and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven."[46]
Similarly Paul will write, regarding his conversion on the road to
Damascus, "When he who had set me apart before I was born, and had called
me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I
might preach him among the Gentiles..."[47] "And in the synagogues
immediately [Paul] proclaimed Jesus, saying, 'He is the Son of God.'"[48]
From the beginning this acknowledgment of Christ's divine sonship will be
the centre of the apostolic faith, first professed by Peter as the
Church's foundation.[49]
443 Peter could recognize the transcendent character of the Messiah's
divine sonship because Jesus had clearly allowed it to be so understood.
To his accusers' question before the Sanhedrin, "Are you the Son of God,
then?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am."[50] Well before this, Jesus
referred to himself as "the Son" who knows the Father, as distinct from
the "servants" God had earlier sent to his people; he is superior even to
the angels.[51] He distinguished his sonship from that of his disciples by
never saying "our Father", except to command them: "You, then, pray like
this: 'Our Father'", and he emphasized this distinction, saying "my Father
and your Father".[52]
444 The Gospels report that at two solemn moments, the Baptism and the
Transfiguration of Christ, the voice of the Father designates Jesus his
"beloved Son".[53] Jesus calls himself the "only Son of God", and by this
title affirms his eternal pre-existence.[54] He asks for faith in "the name
of the only Son of God".[55] In the centurion's exclamation before the
crucified Christ, "Truly this man was the Son of God",[56] that Christian
confession is already heard. Only in the Paschal mystery can the believer
give the title "Son of God" its full meaning.
445 After his Resurrection, Jesus' divine sonship becomes manifest in the
power of his glorified humanity. He was "designated Son of God in power
according to the Spirit of holiness by his Resurrection from the dead".[57]
The apostles can confess: "We have beheld his glory, glory as of the only
Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."[58]
446 In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the ineffable Hebrew
name YHWH, by which God revealed himself to Moses,[59] is rendered as
Kyrios, "Lord". From then on, "Lord" becomes the more usual name by which
to indicate the divinity of Israel's God. The New Testament uses this full
sense of the title "Lord" both for the Father and - what is new - for
Jesus, who is thereby recognized as God Himself.[60]
447 Jesus ascribes this title to himself in a veiled way when he disputes
with the Pharisees about the meaning of Psalm 110, but also in an explicit
way when he addresses his apostles.[61] Throughout his public life, he
demonstrated his divine sovereignty by works of power over nature,
illnesses, demons, death and sin.
448 Very often in the Gospels people address Jesus as "Lord". This title
testifies to the respect and trust of those who approach him for help and
healing.[62] At the prompting of the Holy Spirit, "Lord" expresses the
recognition of the divine mystery of Jesus.[63] In the encounter with the
risen Jesus, this title becomes adoration: "My Lord and my God!" It thus
takes on a connotation of love and affection that remains proper to the
Christian tradition: "It is the Lord!"[64]
449 By attributing to Jesus the divine title "Lord", the first confessions
of the Church's faith affirm from the beginning that the power, honour and
glory due to God the Father are due also to Jesus, because "he was in the
form of God",[65] and the Father manifested the sovereignty of Jesus by
raising him from the dead and exalting him into his glory.[66]
450 From the beginning of Christian history, the assertion of Christ's
lordship over the world and over history has implicitly recognized that
man should not submit his personal freedom in an absolute manner to any
earthly power, but only to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Caesar is not "the Lord".[67] "The Church. . . believes that the key, the
centre and the purpose of the whole of man's history is to be found in its
Lord and Master."[68]
451 Christian prayer is characterized by the title "Lord", whether in the
invitation to prayer ("The Lord be with you"), its conclusion ("through
Christ our Lord") or the exclamation full of trust and hope: Maranatha
("Our Lord, come!") or Maranatha ("Come, Lord!") - "Amen Come Lord Jesus!"[69]
452 The name Jesus means "God saves". The child born of the Virgin Mary is
called Jesus, "for he will save his people from their sins" (Mt 1:21):
"there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be
saved" (Acts 4:12).
453 The title "Christ" means "Anointed One" (Messiah).Jesus is the Christ,
for "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power"
(Acts 10:38). He was the one "who is to come" (Lk 7:19), the object of
"the hope of Israel" (Acts 28:20).
454 The title "Son of God" signifies the unique and eternal relationship
of Jesus Christ to God his Father: he is the only Son of the Father (cf.
Jn 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18); he is God himself (cf. Jn 1:1). To be a Christian,
one must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (cf. Acts 8:37; 1 Jn
2:23).
455 The title "Lord" indicates divine sovereignty. To confess or invoke
Jesus as Lord is to believe in his divinity. "No one can say 'Jesus is
Lord' except by the Holy Spirit'" (I Cor 12:3).
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