Life of Christ

The Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, speaking on behalf of God and proposing that she become the Mother of the Savior. She gave her consent, and the Son of God became man, conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in Nazareth.

- Due to an imperial decree of Caesar Augustus, Mary and her husband Joseph went to Bethlehem to be enrolled in the census, and there, in profound humility, Jesus was born. He received the adoration of shepherds summoned by angels, and of Magi from the East guided by a star. Afterward, an angel warned Joseph, and the Holy Family fled into Egypt because King Herod sought to destroy the Child. They remained in Egypt about two years and, upon Herod's death, returned to Nazareth.

- In Nazareth, Jesus lived with His parents, leading an ordinary daily life of which little is recorded, except the episode when He was lost and found in the Temple at about twelve years of age. Through His thirty years of hidden life, Jesus gives us an example to seek holiness in the ordinary tasks of daily existence.

Jesus' first public manifestation was His baptism in the Jordan by Saint John the Baptist. There, God the Father bore witness to Him, declaring Him His beloved Son. Afterward, the Lord withdrew into the desert for forty days to prepare for His public ministry through prayer and fasting. He then returned to the Baptist, who directed the first disciples to Him: John and Andrew. Andrew then introduced his brother, Simon Peter.

- Initially, disciples came and went, listening to His teaching and returning to their occupations. From among them, He chose twelve who left everything to accompany Him constantly: the twelve Apostles. As their head, He appointed Peter.

- Never neglecting His times of prayer, Jesus journeyed across Israel for three years, teaching from town to town. A central discourse was the Sermon on the Mount with the Beatitudes. In His preaching, He made abundant use of parables: the sower, the talents, the prodigal son, the wheat and the weeds. He spoke with divine authority and confirmed His words with miracles.

- His miracles were very numerous. Through them He manifested His divine power while showing deep compassion for human suffering. His first miracle occurred at a wedding feast, transforming water into wine at the intercession of His Mother. There were countless miracles: calming storms, multiplying loaves, curing lepers, the blind, paralytics, casting out demons, and raising the dead. On one occasion He was transfigured, His divinity shining forth with heavenly radiance.

- Great crowds followed Him to hear His words and be cured of their diseases. This aroused the envy of the Jewish religious leaders, who plotted against Him despite acknowledging His manifest miracles. When He raised Lazarus from the dead, they resolved to put both Jesus and Lazarus to death.

Our Lord foretold His passion and death on several occasions. One evening, after instituting the Holy Eucharist, He went with His disciples to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane. There He accepted to make reparation to God for human sins, offering Himself in our place and bearing our guilt. An angel came to strengthen Him amid agony so intense that His sweat became like drops of blood. Shortly thereafter, He permitted the temple guards to arrest Him.

There was a mock trial before the Sanhedrin where His condemnation had already been decided. No conclusive evidence was found despite false witnesses. When Jesus declared under oath that He was the Messiah and the Son of God, the Jewish authorities condemned Him to death for blasphemy.

Jesus was brought before Pontius Pilate, who found no guilt in Him. The leaders pressured the Roman governor. Pilate ordered Jesus to be scourged to appease the mob. After horrific mistreatment and being crowned with thorns, Pilate presented Him to the crowd, who shouted: "Crucify Him!"

- Pilate yielded to the mob and pronounced the death sentence. Carrying His cross, Jesus went out toward Calvary. Upon arrival, they nailed His hands and feet to the wood and crucified Him between two thieves, while the rulers mocked Him.

- From the cross Jesus spoke seven brief phrases: He forgave His executioners, promised Paradise to the repentant thief, gave Mary to us as our Mother, and declaring that all was fulfilled, yielded up His spirit to the Father. A soldier confirmed His death by piercing His heart with a lance. He was buried in a rock-hewn tomb. It was Friday.

While Jesus hung on the cross, darkness covered the whole land. When He died, the earth shook, the veil of the temple was torn in two, and tombs were opened, with the bodies of many holy people appearing in Jerusalem.

- At dawn on Sunday, Jesus rose from the dead. There was an earthquake, and angels appeared alongside the glorified Lord Himself. Some Apostles doubted until they saw and touched His wounds.

- Following His Resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples numerous times, conversing with them and imparting final instructions. Forty days later, He ascended into heaven while blessing them.

- Throughout His earthly life, our Lord Jesus Christ laid the foundations for the future mission of the Church:

• He instituted the seven sacraments.
• He established a hierarchy by choosing the twelve Apostles, appointing Peter as the rock and shepherd—the Pope.
• He imparted core doctrine and moral teaching, commanding His disciples to preach the Gospel to all nations.

(Continued in: early Christians; previous history in: Old Testament).