CHAPTER TWO
I BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST, THE ONLY SON OF
GOD
The Good
News: God has sent his Son
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'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
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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
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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
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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
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"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
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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
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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
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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).
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