Lecture Notes #7

Second Article OF faith

“I BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST,
HIS ONLY SON, OUR LORD.”

God Promised a Redeemer: (Proto-evangelium)

Immediately after the fall of sin, God promised a Redeemer to Adam and Eve. He forgave
man, although He had not forgiven the rebel angels. He was far more merciful to man than to the
angels. In making the promise, God spoke of the Blessed Virgin, who was to be the Saviors mother.
This Savior whom God will send into the world to free man from sins and to reopen to him the gates
of heaven, was included in the condemnation of the “serpent”, the symbol of evil power. “I will put
enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed. He shall crush your head, and
you shall lie wait for his heel.” (Gen. 3:15). The “seed” of the woman refers to Jesus Christ, the Son of
God and the Son of Mary.
God Prepared His People: (Old Testament Outlines)
Man had to be prepared gradually for the coming of such a tremendous act of salvation. This
need is obvious when we consider that even today, two thousand years after Jesus Christ's victory
through His passion, death, and resurrection, there are many who refuse to acknowledge that victory.
Even the Hebrew people, who did have the faith in the one true God, failed to recognize the
messianic character in Jesus Christ, when He finally came.
First of all, God revealed Himself in a wonderful way at the Exodus from Egypt. He showed
them that He was a saving God. In response to these saving acts of God, the people under the
leadership of Moses, dedicated themselves wholly to Him at Mt. Sinai. There, they were constituted
as His people.
All throughout their history, the Hebrew people looks back on their salvation by God from the
slavery of Egypt as an infallible sign of God's loving kindness and His fidelity to His promises. And so,
they began to look forward to the day when His divine purpose would be fulfilled perfectly.
Through the prophets, it was revealed to Israel that this saving plan of god would be
accomplished through an individual, one especially sent by God to establish peace and justice on
earth.
Likewise, the prophet Isaiah tried to convince the people of his time that God was with them
and that they should put their trust in Him. As a sign of His presence among them, he announced the
birth of the Royal Child. “The virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him
Emmanuel,” (Is. 7:14), and would sit upon the throne of David, his father.”
Jeremiah, too, disgusted with the wickedness of the Israelite kings, predicted that God would
“raise up a ‘righteous shoot’ to David; as king He shall reign and govern wisely, He shall do what is
right and just in the land.” (Jer. 23:5)
When Jerusalem fell and the people were driven into exile, they realized that “they were
suffering for their sins.” Then they began to understand that “all sins must be expiated by suffering.”
Now, the description of the One who was to come show him as a ‘suffering servant’ of God. “Spurned
and avoided by men, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity... He was pierced for our offenses,
crushed for our sins... by his stripes we were healed.” (Is. 53:3-5).
Thus did Almighty God prepare His people gradually, through history, for a clearer
understanding of His plan, purifying the Messianic idea of its earthly notions and paving the way for
the acceptance of the Savior.
The Fulfillment:
At the appointed time, God sent His angel Gabriel to announce the birth of the Promised
Messiah, (cfr. Luke Chapter 1), His only begotten Son who would free His people from their sins.
Jesus Christ Is the Savior of All Men:
The four Gospels, and especially that of St. Matthew, show that Jesus of Nazareth did fulfill all
the prophecies of the Old Testament. He is the culminating point in a long history of revelation, a
revelation that gathers meaning as it develops. He surpassed them and gave them a richness of
meaning that the human authors of old could not have intended Jesus Christ, therefore, and He
alone, has perfectly crushed the head of the “serpent”. He has gained the victory, through His
passion, death and resurrection, over sin and the power of evil.
Jesus Christ is the Son of God made man
Jesus Christ Is God Made Man: The chief teaching of the Catholic Church about Jesus
Christ is that He is God made Man. Jesus Himself said that He is God. During His trial before the
Sanhedrin the high priest said to him: “I adjure thee by the living God that thou tell us whether thou art
the Christ, the Son of God.” (Jesus did not retract from His former claim but in answering He even
confirmed it. “Thou has said it.”) (Matt. 26:63). In St. John 10:30, He declared, “I and the Father are
one.” Christ proved His claims by:
1) wondering miracles
2) prophecies
3) His knowledge of all things
4) the holiness of His life
The Apostles plainly taught that Christ is God, and they all died in testimony of their faith.
St. Paul says of Him: “In Him (Christ) dwells all the fullness of the God-head bodily.”
St. Peter made this declaration concerning Christ: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living
God.”
St. Thomas, also affirmed: “My Lord and my God.”
Jesus Christ is called the only Son of God the Father because He is God the Son, the
Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, who is the true and only Son of God the Father.
Jesus Christ Is True God and True Man
Jesus Christ is true God because He is the only Son of God, having the same divine nature as
His Father, “God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” (John 3:16). “In the
beginning was the WORD, and the WORD as with God, and the WORD was God... The WORD was
made flesh, and dwelt among us.” (John 1:1, 14)
 The Catholic Faith steadfastly professes that Jesus is literally and truly God, the eternal Son of
the Eternal Father. At the Eucharistic Liturgy, the Catholic Family professes its belief in the central
mystery of faith, the belief “in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the
Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten not made, one in being
with the Father.” (Nicene Creed)
Other Bible Readings Pertaining to the Godship of Jesus Christ:
John 20:28 Romans 9:5 John 11:25-26 Matthew 25:31
Hebrew 1:8 John 7:46 — Luke 5:20-25 Colosians 1:16-17
Titus 2:13 John 8:58 = John 10:30 Phillipians 2:10-11
2 Peter 1:1 John 14:11 Hebrew 12:23 John 1:2
Jesus Christ is True Man because He is the Son of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He had a body
and soul like ours. The solemn teaching of the Church has always confirmed the clear teaching of
Holy Scripture that Jesus is truly a man. He did not merely appear to be a man. He truly became one
of us. Because He was to be our Savior, Jesus “had to be made like His brethren in every respect.”
(Heb. 2:17). “He who is the image of the invisible God is Himself the perfect man.” (Col. 1:15). Jesus
Christ work with human hands; He loved with a human heart; and He acted by human choice. Born of
the Virgin Mary, He has truly been made one of us, like us in everything except sin.
Jesus Christ did not merely play at being an infant and a child. He really shared our life. In the
weakness of infancy He was nursed and cared for by His mother. He experienced the growth of
childhood years. “And Jesus increased in wisdom, and in stature, and in favor with God and man.”
(Luke 2:52).
He had not only a human body, but also a human soul, a mind, a human will, and human
emotions, He shared our weaknesses. In His apostolic labors, “He became wearied...with His
journey.” (John 4:6) He knew what it was to be thirsty (John 4:7); He knew what it was to be hungry
(Luke 4:2). He could be touched with great sadness, “deeply moved in spirit and troubled.” (John
11:33). He had suffered and been tempted ((Heb. 2:17-18). His heart was moved with pity for the
crowd (Matt. 15:32). He wept over Jerusalem in sorrow (Luke 19:42).
In His passion, the reality of His humanity was clearly evident. He suffered excruciating pain of
mind and body. In His agony He “began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And He said to them,
‘My soul is very sorrowful, even unto death.” (Mark 14:34). He suffered the sharp physical pains of the
scourging at the pilar and the crucifixion; and He truly died. After His resurrection He showed Himself
in His human reality to His disciples. “See My hands and My feet, that it is | Myself; touch Me and
see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that | have.” (Luke 24:39).
On no other historical person is it so important to insist that He is truly man (cfr. 1John 4:2).
The humanity of Christ is overwhelmingly important, because in Him, human nature is most ennoble,
and He is the perfect pattern for human living (cfr. Matt. 11:29), because through His humanity He
redeemed us; and because He is far more than man.
Bible Readings Pertaining to the Manship of Jesus Christ:
Hebrew 2:17 John 4:6-7 Hebrew 2:17-18 Mark 14:34
Colosians 1:15 Luke 4:2 Matthew 15:32 Luke 24:39
 Luke 2:52 John 11:33 Luke 19:42 1 John 4:2
Matthew 11:29
Jesus Christ is One Person
Jesus is Man and Jesus is God. But Jesus is One Person, a Divine Person. Jesus Christ is
both God and Man. “One and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, must be acknowledged in
two natures, unconfused, unchangeable, undivided, inseparable.” (Council of Chalcedon, Ses. 5, Oct.
22, 451, A.D.) Jesus always remains the Son of God, which He is from all eternity; He took to himself
a human nature in time, and He remains a man forever. But Christ is one Divine Person, He is both
God and Man.
The Name of the Son of God: Jesus Christ
The Name Jesus means “savior” or “redeemer.” This name is given Him, as announced by
the Archangel Gabriel to Mary, because He came to save men from sin, and to open the doors of
heaven to them.
The Name Christ means “The Anointed One.” CHRIST is a Greek word, which has the
same meaning as “Messias”. In the Old Testament, it was a custom to anoint with oil the chosen
prophets, High priest, and Kings. Our Lord is the greatest of the prophets, He is the high priest who
offers Himself, and He is the King of heaven and earth. Therefore, it is fitting that we call Him “Christ.”
He is truly the “Anointed One of Israel.”
Respect must be given to the name of Jesus. We should say the name of the Lord with great
reverence. We should bow our head slightly everytime we utter it. “In the name of Jesus, every knee
should bend of those that are in heaven, and under the earth.” (Phil. 2:10)

Third Article of Faith

“I BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST.....,
CONCEIVED BY THE POWER OF THE
HOLY SPIRIT, AND BORN OF
THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY.”
“Mary said to the angel: ‘But how can this come about, since | am a virgin?’ “The Holy Spirit
will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child
will be holy and will be called Son of God.” (Luke 1:34-35).
The Incarnation
Incarnation means “becoming flesh.” By the incarnation, therefore, we mean that the Son of
God took a human body and soul and united it to His Divine Person. Without ceasing to be God, the
Second Person of the Blessed Trinity became man at the same time. The divine nature of Christ is
from all eternity. Only his human nature began at the Incarnation, when the Son of God became man.
“The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14).
The Son of God was conceived and made man by the power of the Holy Spirit, in the
womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Incarnation is peculiarly the work of the Blessed Trinity. They
form a human soul and a human body, and these they united to the Second Person and the result
was our Lord Jesus Christ -- God-made-Man.
The Son of God was conceived and made man on the Annunciation Day, the day on which
the Archangel Gabriel appeared and announced to Mary that she was to be the Mother of God. Mary
knew that the angel was sent by God, so she accepted her mission saying, “Behold the handmaid of
the Lord, be it done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38).
The Birth of Jesus
Jesus Christ was born of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Christmas Day, in Bethlehem, a little town
near the city of Jerusalem, more than two thousand years ago. Jesus was born in a stable, a poor
place. He preferred poverty and humiliation in order to suffer more for us.
Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem in obedience to the Emperor of Rome who had
commanded all his subjects to register in the towns of their ancestors. Joseph and Mary were both
descended from King David whose city was Bethlehem.
The birth of Jesus is celebrated throughout the Christian World on December 25. This feast is
called Christmas, which word come from “Christ” and “Mass.” The feast is so called because on that
day the Mass commemorating the birth of Christ is said:
a) Christ's eternal birth from the Father
b) Christ's temporal birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary
c) Christ's spiritual birth in the hearts of men
Other circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ are:
a) The Story of the Shepherds (cfr. Luke 2:1-20)
b) The Story of the Three Magi (cfr. Matthew 2:1-12) (Gaspar, Baltazar, Melchor)
c) The Story of the Flight into Egypt, and
d) The Story of the Massacre of the Innocent Children (Matthew 2:13-23)
e) The Story of the Circumcision (Luke 2:21)
f) The Story of the Presentation at the Temple (Luke 2:22-38)
The Parents of Jesus
Jesus had a human mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, but He had no human father. The
Blessed Virgin Mary was Christ's mother according to His human nature and not according to His
Divine Nature. She is truly the mother of God, because the humanity and divinity of her Son are
inseparable.
St. Joseph was the legal spouse of Mary, but both of them preserved their virginity,
consecrating it to God. They always lived together as brother and sister. St. Joseph was only the
guardian or foster father of our Lord.
The Childhood of Jesus
Actually, the life of Jesus Christ may be divided into three parts: namely,
a) His Childhood to the time when He was twelve years of age
 b) His Hidden Life to the time He started His mission
c) His Public Life to the time of His death.
After the murder of the Holy Innocent, the Child Jesus lived in Egypt with His mother and St.
Joseph until the death of Herod, then returned with them to the Holy Land. The Holy Family settled in
Nazareth. From there, every year, Mary and Joseph went to worship at the Temple of Jerusalem.
When Jesus was twelve years old, He went with them to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem. Then
Mary and Joseph left the city to return to Nazareth, but Jesus remained behind without their
knowledge.
“But thinking that He was in the caravan, they had come to a day's journey before it occurred
to them to look for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. And not finding Him, they returned
to Jerusalem in searched of Him.” (Luke 2:44-45). After three day's search, they found Him in the
Temple, in the midst of the wise men there, listening and questioning them Mary told how great had
been her grief when she said: “Behold thy father and | have been seeking thee sorrowing.” (Luke
2:48) But Jesus replied: “How is it that you sought Me? Did you not know that | must be about my
Father's business?" (Luke 2:49)
Jesus dearly loved Mary and Joseph, but He did not hesitate to cause them pain and part from
them, in order to obey His heavenly Father's will. In imitation of Him, many young people leave home
and their parents to enter the priesthood or a religious congregation to serve and dedicate their lives
completely to God.
The Question On The Brothers of Jesus (Matt. 13:35)
Some non-catholics interpreters insist that Jesus had brothers, that He was not the only Son of
Mary. Those spoken of in the Gospels as the “brethren” of Our Lord, were His blood relatives; it was
the practice among the Jews to call near relatives “brethren.”
So Abraham called his nephew Lot in this manner. “Let there be no quarrel between you and
me...for we are brothers.” (Gen. 13:8) As St. John Chrysostom wrote, Our Lord on the cross would
not have needed to commend His mother to His Apostle John, if she had other children
The Hidden Life of Jesus
The hidden life of Jesus Christ lasted from His return to Nazareth at the age of twelve until He
began His public ministry at the age of thirty.
At this point of Christ's life, all we directly read from the Holy Bible are two statements:
a) “And He went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to the.” (Luke 2:51)
b) “And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and grace before God and man.” (Luke 2:52)
In these two statements is contained the history of the hidden life of Jesus Christ, the God-
man. The hidden life of Jesus Christ is for us a perfect model of obedience; “And He was subject to
them.” The god of all created things, almighty and infinite, was subject to two poor and unknown
mortals. He obeyed them in all things, promptly, constantly, cheerfully, and with great love. This
period of Christ's life is also a model of perfect humility. Jesus “advanced in wisdom and grace before
God and men.” Although He possessed all wisdom and grace from the first moment of His mortal life,
He manifested them only gradually and in a way that was in keeping with His age.
The Public Life of Jesus
 Jesus Christ begun His public life when He was about thirty years old. After spending long
years in obscurity and humble toil, Jesus next entered upon a period of activity, going about teaching
publicly. He left His home in Nazareth, and began His public life by an act of great humility, His
baptism at the hands of St. John the Baptizer in the river Jordan.
The Baptism of Jesus
St. John the baptist was the forerunner or precursor of Christ. He spoke to the people of the
coming Messiah, and pointed Jesus out to them as the “Lamb of God who will take away the sins of
the world.” John the Baptist was put to death by Herod, because of his wife Herodias.
Jesus came to John to be baptized; immediately afterwards, as Our Lord came out of the
water, the Holy Spirit came down upon Him in the form of a dove, and a voice from heaven was heard
saying: “This is my beloved Son, in whom | am well pleased." (Matt. 3:17)
After His baptism, Jesus went into the desert, where He fasted for forty days and forty nights.
This teaches us to look upon baptism as a call to penance, and to prepare for all kinds of activity by
prayer and mortification. The Lenten period is intended to commemorate the forty- day fast of Our
Lord. Lent lasts from Ash Wednesday till midnight of Holy Saturday.
After Our Lord's long fast, the devil was permitted to tempt Him, Christ rebuked the devil, and
angels came to minister unto Him. From this temptation of Christ, we learn that a temptation is not
sinful. As long as we resist the devil, we remain pleasing to God.
During the course of His Public Ministry, Christ went about preaching, teaching, and doing
good. “He went round the whole of Galilee teaching in their synagogue, proclaiming the Good News
of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness among the people.” (Matt. 4:23-24) “Go
back and tell John what you hear and see; the blind see again, and lame walk, lepers are cleansed,
and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised to life again and the Good News is proclaimed to the poor;
and happy is the man who does not lose faith in me.” (Matt. 11:4-5)
Jesus Taught His Disciples
Jesus announced to the kingdom of God and called them to a life of perfection. “Be ye perfect,
as my heavenly father is perfect.” He taught them the law of love taking the place of the law of fear
concerning the relationship we must have with the Father.
Jesus summarized His teachings in the Sermon on the Mount. (cfr. Matthew chapters 5 & 6)
Jesus spoke in simple language and often in Parables, comparing what He wanted them to
understand with common things of which they were familiar.
Among the Parables of Christ are:
The Sower and the Seed
The Mustard Seed
The Pearl of Great Price
The Unmerciful Servant
The Laborers in the Vineyard
The Good Shepherd
The Lost Sheep
 Dives and Lazarus
The Prodigal Son
The Pharisee and the Publican
The Good Samaritan
The Ten Bridemaids
Parable of the Talents
During the time of His public life, Jesus also took care to prepare His apostles for their future
mission to carrying the Good News of salvation to all the corners of the world till the end of time. He
choose twelve men who were with Him continually, He promised the primacy over all to one of them,
Peter. And at the Last Supper with these apostles He instituted the Holy Eucharist, giving them, also
the power to change bread and wine into His Body and Blood as He Himself had done.
Jesus Went About Doing Good
Jesus Christ supported His teachings with good works and confirmed their faith in Him by
performing miracles. He cured the sick, restored sight to the blind, speech to the mute, life to the
dead, He made the lame walked again etc...

Among the prominent miracles of Christ are:

He changed water into wine
He multiplied the loaves of bread
He calmed the storm at sea
He raised the dead to life
Instant care of the sick
Miraculous catch of fishes
He walk upon the waters
Evil spirits obeyed Him
As we read the four gospels, we notice the effect that the words and deeds of Jesus had on
those who witnesses them. Many came to know Him and loved Him more and more. However, some,
especially the Pharisees and scribes, came to envy His popularity and to hate Him. Finally, this
hatred grew so strong that it led to the condemnation of Jesus to death. But the love of the many was
stronger than hatred of the few. And the mission of Jesus was continued after His death and
resurrection.
Christ's aim in His public life was to teach what God requires all to believe and practice, so that
all may enter the kingdom of heaven. For this purpose Christ instituted seven sacraments for the
sanctification of mankind. By His twelve chosen apostles He established His Church, which was to
carry on His work after His death, to continue teaching what He had openly and publicly taught.