Fundamentals of Faith II
Final Exam Reviewer – ABM SOCIETY
2nd Quarter
LESSON 4 - CHRIST: THE GOD MADE HUMAN
“Being Christian is not the result of an ethical
choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an
event, a person, which gives life a new horizon
and a decisive direction.” – Benedict XVI (Deus
Caritas Est)
THE HEART OF CATECHESIS
 At the heart of Catechesis is Jesus Christ
who suffered, died, rose again, and now
lives forever.
 He alone can make us share in the life of
the
Trinity.
Who is this WORD?
 The Lord Jesus Christ is the Eternal Word
of the Father.
THE WORD BECAME FLESH - FOR US MEN AND
FOR OUR SALVATION
1. In order to save us by reconciling us with
God.
 We are incapable of saving
ourselves. Only God has the power
to deliver us from sin and its
implications. The Son of God
became human, so that by assuming
our nature, He may say
“sorry” to the Father on our behalf.
2. So that we might know God’s love.
 Surely, it was not absolutely
necessary for God to become
human just to save us but He
wanted to make us know the
immensity of His love through ways
known to us, so that He chose to
enter our human experience.
3. To be our Model of holiness.
 Jesus Christ is the Triumph of
our human nature over human
weakness, for He was tempted yet
He never sinned. In the humanity of
Jesus, we see that human nature is
not an obstacle to holiness.
4. To make us partakers of the divine
nature.
 That we may be fully become God’s
children, we have to be partakers of
His nature. Humanity and divinity
used to be opposed to each other
but Jesus became the meeting point
of these two natures. By partaking
of our humanity, we became
partakers of His divinity.
INCARNATION
 (in + caro/carnis, “flesh”)
 The fact that the Son of God assumed
a human nature in order to accomplish
salvation in it.
TRUE GOD & TRUE MAN
 Christ became truly man while remaining
truly God. He is NOT part God and part
man.
MARY’S DIVINE MOTHERHOOD
 Everything we know and revere about Mary
depends upon her unique, God- given
vocation to be the “Mother of God and of
the Redeemer.” This doctrine is expressed
every time we pray the Hail Mary:
Holy Mary,
Mother of God!
 Called in the Gospels “the mother of
Jesus,” Mary is acclaimed by Elizabeth, at
the prompting of the Spirit, as “the mother
of my Lord.”
 The Church confesses that Mary is truly
Theotokos (God-bearer).
THE TWO NATURES OF JESUS CHRIST
DEFINED BY ECUMENICAL COUNCILS
Excursus: What is an Ecumenical Council?
 It is a gathering of Church leaders (in
particular Bishops) who have the authority
to make joint decisions regarding Church
doctrines and disciplines that are binding.
THE COUNCILS
I. Nicea III.Ephesus
II. Constantinople IV.Chalcedon
I. Council of Nicea (325)
Teaching:
 The Son of God is “begotten, not
made, of the same substance
(homoousios) as the Father.”
Heresy:
 Arianism - that taught that the Son
came to be from things that were
not and that he was from another
substance than that of the Father
(homoiousios).
 Arius is a fourth century priest and
theologian from Alexandria.
While the Father and the Son are distinct, the Son
“belongs to the Father’s substance and is of
thesame nature as He.” –St. Athanasius
“God the Father and God the Son are clearly one,
not by a union of Person but by a UNITY OF
NATURE.” –St. Hilary of Poitiers
II. Council of Constantinople (381)
Teachings:
 Christ’s human nature—complete
with operations of intellect and will,
and human body—belongs to the
divine person of the Son of God
who assumed it.
Heresy:
 Apollinarianism - that taught that
the Logos/Word
replaced the human soul of Christ.
Jesus was not truly a human being
since He lacks a rational soul,
without a principle of human
individuality, freedom, and action.
 “Christ is not fully human. He did
not have a human mind or soul.”
- Apollinarius of Laodicea, Bishop
of Syria, 361
HYPOSTATIC UNION
 The union of the human and divine being of
Jesus Christ.
III. Council of Ephesus (431)
Teaching:
 The Divine Person of the Son of God
assumed humanity and made it His
own, from His conception.
 Mary truly became the Mother of
God by the human conception of the
Son of God in her womb.
Heresy:
 Nestorianism - that regarded Christ
as a human person joined to the
divine person of God’s Son. They
also held that Mary is only
Christotokos, not Theotokos, since a
creature cannot give birth to God.
 In Christ, there are 2 persons:
human and divine person. God the
Son simply used the human person as
an instrument to reveal Himself.
Jesus is “God-bearing-human” rather
than “God-Human”.
- Nestorius, Patriarch of
Constantinople.
Jesus is the “one incarnate nature of the divine
Logos,”understanding that while remaining God,
the Logos or Son took on human life. There is
“union in hypostasis” – St. Cyril
Jesus is “perfect God and perfect human.” The
two natures are without confusion. –St. John of
Antioch
IV. Council of Chalcedon (451)
Teaching:
 The one and the same Christ, Lord, and
only-begotten Son, is to be acknowledged
in two natures without confusion, change,
division, or separation.
 The distinction between the natures was
never abolished by their union, but rather
the character proper to each of the two
natures was preserved as they came
together in one person.
Heresy:
 Monophysitism - that taught that the
human nature had ceased to exist as
such in Christ when the divine person of
God's Son assumed it.
 “Jesus had only ONE NATURE, the Divine
nature. His human nature is absorbed.”
- EUTYCHES, an ABBOT in
Constantinople
He recapitulates the whole of salvation
history.
Old Testament - God saves His people from
Egyptian slavery.
New Testament - God saves His people from the
bondage of sin.
Old Testament - The name of the Savior God was
only invoked once a year by the high priest in
atonement for Israel’s sins.
New Testament - All may invoke the divine name
of Jesus and obtain forgiveness of sins.
Jesus
 The Resurrection glorifies his name.
Whatever is asked in Jesus’ name will
be granted by the Father.
 Jesus’ name manifests supreme power.
Miracles are performed in his name. Evil
spirits fear his name.
 The name of Jesus is at the heart of
Christian prayers.
 Some saints have uttered His name before
they died.

“So the proper character of both natures was

maintained and came together in a single person.
Lowliness was taken up by majesty, weakness by
strength, mortality by eternity.”
– Flavian’s profession of faith, echoed by Pope
Leo

THE NAMES ATTRIBUTED TO THE SECOND DIVINE

PERSON IN THE TRINITY

1. Jesus
 “Yeshua” or “Joshua” means “Savior” or
God saves”
 This name was given at the command of
God’s angel.
 It indicates His identity and mission to
forgive sins. Through His Paschal Mystery,
2. Christ
 “Christos” in Greek “Ha-mashia” in Hebrew
means “the anointed one.”
 He is the one promised by God through the
prophets of His chosen people.
Old Testament - Kings, priests, and some
prophets of Israel were anointed.
New Testament - Jesus was anointed by the
Spirit was Priest, Prophet, and King.
*These were the dominant groups during the time
of Jesus. Each group has their own expectations of
the Messiah. The Christ of some Israelites was too
human and too political.
Who do you say that I am?
 He offered himself for our transgressions.
(priestly).
 He announced the coming of the Kingdom
of God (prophetic).
 He came not to be served but to serve.
(kingly).
3. The Only Son Of God
 The title “Son of God” was given to angels,
the Chosen People, and their Kings in the
Old Testament.
 Those who called Jesus “Son of God,” as
the Messiah of Israel, perhaps meant
nothing more than this.
 This signifies the unique and eternal
relationship of Jesus to God his Father.
 To be a Christian, one must believe that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
*Three solemn events in the Gospel designated
Jesus as THE Son of God.
a) HIS BAPTISM - “This is my beloved Son,
with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew
3:17)
b) HIS TRANSFIGURATION - “This is my
beloved Son, listen to Him.” (Mark 9:7)
c) HIS CRUCIFIXION - “Truly, this man was the
Son of God.” (Mark 15:39)
4. Lord
 The ineffable name YHWH in Hebrew is
rendered “Kyrios” in Greek and “Adonai” in
Hebrew.
 This divine title is applied to the Father in
the Old Testament and to the Son in the
New Testament.
 This title testifies to the respect and trust
of those who approach him for help and
healing.
 This title becomes adoration, and a
connotation of love and affection.
 In Christian prayers, this title is invoked as
either invitation or conclusion.
LESSON 5
HIDDEN LIFE OF JESUS
 The Evangelists don’t tell us much about
the childhood of Jesus. The Gospels do
convey, however, that:
 Jesus grew in wisdom (Luke 2:52)
 Jesus lived out respectful obedience and
love to His parents and the Jewish
religion.
 Jesus learned to exercise craft and trade
(carpentry).
 On one pilgrimage to the Temple in
Jerusalem, Jesus was left behind, and
amazed the priests with His
understanding of His heavenly Father.
(Luke 2:41-52)
*“In the course of His hidden life in Nazareth,
Jesus stayed in the silence of an ordinary
existence. This allows us to enter into fellowship
with Him in the holiness to be found in a daily life
marked by prayer, simplicity, work and family
love. His obedience to Mary and to Joseph, His
foster father, is an image of His filial obedience
to the Father. Mary and Joseph accepted with
faith the mystery of Jesus even though they did
not always understand it.” CCC 533-534
THE BAPTISM OF JESUS
 The baptism of Jesus is on His part was the
public acceptance and inauguration of His
mission as God’s suffering servant. He
allows Himself to be numbered among
 sinners; He is already the Lamb of God,
who takes away the sin of the world.
 … out of love He (Jesus) consents to this
baptism of death for the remission of sins.
“Jesus accepted His mission through
baptism.”
 The Father’s voice respond to the Son’s
acceptance, proclaiming His entire delight
in His Son. “Father’s confirmation of
Jesus’ mission.”
 Mt. 3:17 “His beloved Son” and the Spirit
descended upon Him.
..and the heavens were opened
(Mt. 3:16) prelude of a new creation
JESUS’ BAPTISM AND MY BAPTISM
 We become sacramentally assimilated to
Jesus.
 “let us be buried with Christ by Baptism to
rise with Him; let us go down with Him to
be raised with Him; let us rise with Him to
be glorified with Him.” –St. Gregory of
Nazianzus, oratio.
 We were indeed buried with him through
baptism into death so that just as Christ
was raised from the dead by the glory of
the Father, we too might live in newness of
life (Romans 6:4)
THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS
 The Temptations of Jesus in the desert
from the last of the preparatory activities
before His public ministry.
 The word “temptation” is the English
translation of the Hebrew word massa or
the Greek word peirasmos which means
“testing”.
TEMPTATION OF JESUS
 It recapitulates the temptation of Adam in
Paradise and temptations of Israelites in
the desert
 Jesus, the New Adam who remained
faithful- unlike the first Adam who had
given in to temptation.
 Jesus’ victory over the tempter anticipates
His victory at the Passion, as the supreme
act of obedience and love for the Father.
 Temptation reveals that the Son of God is
the Messiah
Heb. 4:15 “For we have not a high priest
who is unable to sympathize with our
weakness, but one who in every respect has
been tested as we are, yet without
sinning.”
The narratives on temptations of Jesus presents
to us two very important points regarding
temptation:
• First, to be tempted is not a sin. Temptation is
part of our human condition.
• Sin enters when a person willfully consents to
the temptation thus, the need for the power of
discernment which can only come from the Holy
Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who will help a person
discern truth from falsity; apparent good from real
good. (CFC 2192)
40 days of Lent – the Church unites herself each
year to the mystery of Jesus in the desert.
LESSON 6 - THE PUBLIC MINISTRY OF JESUS
THE “KINGDOM OF GOD”
“The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God has
come near; repent, and believe in the Good news”
Mark 1:15
WHAT IS ‘THE KINGDOM?’
1. For the Jews…
 The Kingdom of God = Political
Freedom
a) Unthreatened possession of
the Promise land
b) Victory in battles
 c) Bountiful harvest
d) Economic prosperity
e) Peace, justice, greatness and
prestige as a nation
2. But for Jesus…
 Kingdom of God = Salvation
 Jesus gives an original and definite
interpretation of the kingdom. It is
premised on the Jewish idea that
arose from their communal hope for
salvation.
WHAT IS ‘THE KINGDOM?’
 It is the reign or rule of God, as originally
planned by God, as what the natural
order of things was before the Fall
1. It is not a place, but an event
 God’s saving power breaking into history in
a new way
 Restoration of original harmony between
God and humans, humans with each other
and humans with the rest of creation.
 We get glimpses of its exact meaning from
the Parables
2. It is both ‘present’ and ‘future’
 “Already here but not yet”
 “Present” and yet “Future”
 Future – no more poverty, disease, sadness
oppression, death
 Present – When hungry are fed, homeless
are sheltered, naked are clothed, God’s
will is fulfilled. The Kingdom is made
present.
3. Immediate Response
 There is urgency in the proclamation. We
are to repent and believe in the Gospel.
Change our ways and accept the Kingdom
as it is offered by Jesus.
 METANOIA - Conversion of heart and
mind.
WHO IS ‘THE KINGDOM’ FOR?
 Everyone is called to enter the kingdom.
First announced to the children of Israel,
this messianic kingdom is intended to
 accept men and women of all nations. -
CCC 543
1. The poor and lowly (CCC 544)
 Jesus said in the Beatitudes, “Blessed are
the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.” (Mt 5:3)
 “Poor in spirit”- those who have accepted
Jesus with humble hearts.
 The Father has revealed to these “little
ones” the gift of the Kingdom of Heaven.
(Mt 11:25)
 Jesus Himself shared the life of the poor
(he was a carpenter himself), he also
experienced the hardships of thirst,
privation, hunger and extreme pain while
on the cross.
2. The Sinners
 "I came not to call the righteous, but
sinners." (Mark 2:17)
 Even the worst of sinners is
called to be converted and to
accept the boundless mercy
of the Father.
 Ultimate invitation is for conversion, back
to the Father who is merciful and has great
things in store for them in heaven (Lk 15:7,
Mt 26:28)
THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE WORDS OF
JESUS
A. The Beatitudes (Mt 5:3-12 ; Lk 6:20-22)
 Latin Beatitudo - “Blessedness”
 Greek Makarios - “sense of inner
contentment unaffected by outward
circumstances”
 The beatitudes articulate for us the
addressees of the Kingdom of God.
 B. The Parables of the Kingdom
 Gk. Parabole “a fictive illustration in
narrative form”
 Hb. Marshal “riddle”
 The challenge of the parables is to discover
the truth behind the story and to act
according to message.
Classifications of Parables
i. The Parables on the Good News of the
Kingdom
 Tells how valuable the Kingdom is,
and the good it will bring to those
who will enter it.
ii. Parables on the Children of the Kingdom
 Shows how the disciples should
behave in order enter the Kingdom
iii. Parables on the Kingdom as Judgment
 These illustrate the sad fate of those
who rejects the gift of the Kingdom
or those who did not realize its
urgency.
C. The Lord’s Prayer
 Jesus taught His disciples to call God
“Abba”.
 He calls His disciples to enter into this
intimacy as well.
 Jesus calls members of the Kingdom of God
as His brothers and sister
(Mark 3:35)
The Lord’s prayer teaches us:
“If God’s will is obeyed, there would be bread for
everybody, relationship would be intact, and evil
would be rendered powerless and all the world
shall see the glory of the Lord” (Number 14:21)
“Start by doing what is necessary then do what is
possible and suddenly you’re doing the
impossible”. – St. Francis of Assisi
THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE WORKS OF
JESUS
A. Miracles
 Gk “dynamis” power ; Gk “semeion” sign
 It shows the following:
1. The power of God over all creation
2. A sign of what would it be like when
God’s Kingdom is fully established.
Kinds of Miracles
a) Healing
b) Exorcism
c) Nature Miracles
d) Resuscitation
B. Table Fellowship
 Jesus often likened the Kingdom of God to
a banquet. (Luke 14:15-21)
 The “Last Supper” was a table fellowship.
 He did not just illustrate His passion and
death. He also gave a portrait of life,
through His ministry He had been bread for
others, selflessly serving the needy.
 It was an anticipation of a new world free
from poverty, oppression, disease and
death. Where all are shall partake of the
grand banquet.
C. Transfiguration
 Jesus manifested His glory to Peter, James
and John, affirming Peter’s confession that
Jesus is the “Christ, the Son of the Living
God.” (Mt 16:13-
20)
 Manifestation of the Trinity: Father
(voice), Son (Jesus), Holy Spirit (cloud)
 Moses and Elijah were “talking with Jesus”
(Lk 9:30) → affirms authority of Jesus-like
the two giants of Israelite
tradition.
“about the Exodus that He will fulfill in
Jerusalem.” (Lk 9:31)
 Baptism of Jesus → at the threshold of
Public Ministry; an image of our own
baptism
 Transfiguration → at the threshold of the
Passion, Death and Resurrection; an
image of our own resurrection
LESSON 7 – PASCHAL MYSTERY: THE PASSION
AND DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST
Overview of the Passion Narratives
The Evangelists agree on essential details of the
events of the Passion:
– Jesus’ arrest
– Questioning by the high priest
– Trials before Sanhedrin and Pontius Pilate
– Condemnation
– Crucifixion
– Death
– Burial
• However, each shaped the events of Christ’s
Passion in order to emphasize certain
A) Matthew and Mark
• Stress Jesus’ abandonment:
– Judas’s betrayal
– Disciples falling asleep in garden
– Peter’s denial
– Disciples flee upon arrest
– Jesus mocked by soldiers
• Vindication in the end
– Temple veil torn in two
– Roman centurion confesses, “Truly this man was
the Son of God!”
B) Luke
• Portrays apostles more favorably:
– Disciples fall asleep only once (because of grief)
• Emphasizes Jesus’ compassion during his
Passion:
– Jesus healing servant’s ear in garden
– Comforts women on way to Calvary
– Promises paradise to Good Thief
– Prays for forgiveness for his executioner
C) John
• Portrays Jesus in control of events:
– “I lay down my life in order to take it up again”
(Jn 10:17)
– When asked his identity, Jesus says “I AM” (the
divine name), causing the soldiers to fall to the
ground
– Jesus tells Peter to put sword away
– He entrusts Mary to John
– His last words: “It is finished” (Jn 19:30)
TRACING THE EVENTS OF OUR SALVATION
 The Paschal Mystery of Christ’s Passion,
Death, and Resurrection are the central
part of God’s eternal plan and are revealed
in each of the Gospels.
 Matthew 26-27 provides an especially
descriptive account of these events:
JESUS’ ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM (MT 21:1-13)
 Jesus arrives in Jerusalem during the week
of Passover, the Jewish feast celebrating
God’s delivery of the Israelites from slavery
in Egypt.
 He sends two disciples ahead to retrieve a
colt for him to ride.
 People lay down palms as he enters the
city.
 Jesus chases moneychangers out of the
Temple.
CONSPIRACY AGAINST JESUS (MT 26:1-5)
 Jewish authorities scheme how to arrest
Jesus without causing a riot.
 High priest, Joseph Caiaphas, says better
for one man to die than whole nation.
JESUS’ ANOINTING AT BETHANY (MT 26:6-13)
 Woman anoints Jesus’ with expensive oil
 Disciples criticize the waste, but Jesus
commends the woman for anointing Him for
burial.
JUDAS’S BETRAYAL (MT 26:14-16)
 betrays Jesus for 30 pieces of silver coins
 his actions were influenced by Satan
LAST SUPPER (MT 26:17-35)
 Jesus plans the meal (shows He is in
control)
 At the meal Jesus foretells His betrayal
 Jesus celebrates Passover meal and
institutes the Eucharist as the memorial of
His sacrifice.
AGONY IN THE GARDEN AND JESUS’ ARREST (MT
26:36-56)
 Jesus prays that the cup pass from Him, yet
resolves to obey God’s will
 Disciples fall asleep three times
 Judas leads armed crowd and betrays Jesus
with a kiss
 Jesus reprimands Peter for drawing his
sword
JESUS BEFORE THE SANHEDRIN AND PETER’S
DENIAL (MT 26:57-27:10)
 Hearings before former high priest Annas,
current high priest Caiaphas, and Sanhedrin
(Highest Jewish Court)
 False witnesses brought against Jesus
  Jesus convicted of blasphemy in the end
 Meanwhile Peter denies Jesus three times
JESUS BEFORE PILATE (MT 27:11-31)
 Jesus brought to Pontius Pilate on charges
of sedition
 Pilate sends Jesus to Herod Antipas, who
sends Jesus back without condemning Him
 Pilate gives the crowd the choice to have
Jesus or Barabbas released—Barabbas is
chosen
 Pilate gives in to crowd’s chants to crucify
Jesus
 Soldiers mock and abuse Jesus
WAY OF THE CROSS
CRUCIFIXION AND DEATH OF JESUS (MT 27:32-
56)
 Simon of Cyrene forced to help carry the
cross because Jesus so weak
 Jesus refuses wine mixed with gall
(painkiller)
 Soldiers cast lots for Jesus’ garments
BURIAL (MT 27:57-66)
 Joseph of Arimathea goes to Pilate to ask
for Jesus’ body
 The body is hurriedly prepared since
Sabbath began at sundown
CHRIST’S REDEMPTIVE DEATH
 Jesus’ redemptive Death and
Resurrection is the high point of human
history, promised from the time of Adam
and Eve’s sin.
Theological Meaning of the Death of Jesus
 Representing all humanity like Adam, Jesus
took on the sins of the world and died the
death we deserve.
 Christ’s humanity became the instrument
of divine love and suffering so that we
might be forgiven for our sins and be
restored to communion with God.
 Jesus’ motive for accepting Death was the
desire to free humans from sin and to buy
our freedom with His very Person and His
eternal love.
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR JESUS DEATH?
1. Roman authorities
 The Roman prefect, Pontius Pilate, gave in
to the pressure of the crowd because he
viewed Jesus as a threat to Roman
authority and peaceful relations between
Jewish and Roman authorities.
2. Jewish Authorities
 Certain Jewish officials wanted Jesus
condemned for many reasons:
 Jesus’ association with sinners
 His exorcisms
 Jesus’ teaching on dietary and ritual
laws
 His teaching with authority
 His claims to be the Messiah and
even God
 His forgiving sins
 Fear of disruption of relations with
Roman authorities
RESURRECTION OF JESUS
Resurrection
 Greek. Anastasis – to stand up, a raising
up, rising.
 Christ’s resurrection is the foundation of
Christianity, which also guarantees the
future resurrection of all believers
RESURRECTION
 In His risen body He passes from the state
of death to another life beyond time and
space. At Jesus' Resurrection His body is
filled with the power of the Holy Spirit: He
 shares the divine life in His glorious state.
(CCC 646)
RESUSCITATION
 To revive from apparent death or from
unconsciousness; also: revitalize
REINCARNATION
 Rebirth in new bodies or forms of life;
especially :a rebirth of a soul in a new
human body
*The Resurrection of Jesus is the crowning truth of
our faith in Christ a faith believed and lived as the
central truth by the first Christian community;
handed on as fundamental by Tradition;
established by the documents of the New
Testament; and preached as an essential part of
the Paschal mystery along with the cross: (CCC
638)
*“Christ is risen from the dead! Dying, He
conquered death; To the dead, He has given life”
1. The Empty Tomb
 In itself, the empty tomb is not a direct
proof of resurrection but the absence of
Christ’s body from the tomb could be
explained otherwise and it was still an
essential sign for all.
Why? It proves the deity of Jesus and
efficaciousness of the atonement to save
sinners. (CCC 640)
 Why do you seek the living among the
dead? He is not here, but has risen.” –Luke
24: 5-6
2. The appearance of the Risen ONE
 Witnesses of the Risen One - the
foundation stones of the Church.
 The faith of the first community of
believers - based on the witness of
concrete men known to the Christians and
for the most part still living among them.
WHO WERE THE FIRST TO ENCOUNTER THE
RISEN ONE?
 Mary Magdalene and the holy women who
came to finish anointing the body of Jesus,
which had been buried in haste because the
Sabbath began on the evening of Good
Friday, (CCC 641)
 Thus, women were the first messenger,
who witnessed first the Christ’s
resurrection and revealed to the apostles.
She earns the title “Apostle to the
Apostles”. –St. John Paul II
SCRIPTUAL BASIS
 Mt 28:6. “"He is not here, for He has risen,
just as He said. Come, see the place where
He was lying.”
 Mk. 16:6 “And he said to them, "Do not be
amazed; you are looking for Jesus the
Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has
risen; He is not here; behold, here is the
place where they laid Him.”
*The number of the witnesses to the resurrection
was many. The weight of their testimony is quiet
conclusive. Both friends and enemies testified to
the resurrection of Christ: the women, the
disciples, the angels, and the Roman guard.
THE CONDITION OF CHRIST'S RISEN HUMANITY
I. By means of touch and the sharing of a meal,
the risen Jesus establishes direct contact with
His disciples.
 He invites them in this way to recognize
that He is not a ghost and above all to
verify that the risen body in which He
appears to them is the same body that
had been tortured and crucified, for it
still bears the traces of His Passion.
II. In His risen body, He passes from the state of
death to another life beyond time and space. At
Jesus' Resurrection His body is filled with the
power of the Holy Spirit: He shares the divine life
in His glorious state.
THE RESURRECTION - A WORK OF THE HOLY
TRINITY
 Christ's Resurrection is an object of
faith in that it is a transcendent
intervention of God Himself in creation
and history.
 In it the three divine persons act
together as one, and manifest their own
proper characteristics.
Christ’s Ascension brings out a number of basic
truths of our Christian faith:
1. The Ascension marks Jesus’ exaltation into the
heavenly realm of His Father.
2. It does not separate Christ from us because as
He promised, He “draws everyone to Himself”.
(John 12:32)
3. Christ continues to exercise His priesthood
since He appear before God on our behalf.
4. The ascended Christ as Head of the Church
gives us, members of His Body, the HOPE of
one day entering into glory with Him. -CFC 651

THE MEANING AND SAVING SIGNIFICANCE OF THE

RESURRECTION CCC 651- 655
1. The Resurrection above all constitutes the
confirmation of all Christ's works and teachings.
All truths, even those most inaccessible to human
reason find their justification in the
Resurrection of Christ.
2. Christ's Resurrection is the fulfillment of the
promises both of the Old Testament and of Jesus
Himself during His earthly life.
3. The truth of Jesus' divinity is confirmed by
his Resurrection. The Resurrection of the
crucified one shows that he was truly "I AM", the
Son of
God and God himself.
4. The Paschal mystery has two aspects:
- by His death, Christ liberates us from sin;
- By His Resurrection, He opens for us the way to a
new life
5. Christ's Resurrection - and the risen Christ
Himself is the principle and source of our future
resurrection.

THE ASCENSION OF JESUS INTO HEAVEN

• The Ascension of Jesus affirms that at

the completion of His earthly mission, Jesus took
His rightful place of honor at “God’s right hand”.
• It is an INTEGRAL PART of Christ’s Paschal
Mystery for His return to the Father was necessary
for sending the Holy Spirit, the Advocate or
Helper, among us.
• “Jesus Christ, having entered the sanctuary of
heaven once and for all, intercedes constantly for
us as the Mediator who assures us of the
permanent outpouring of the Holy Spirit.” (CCC
667)