Who is Jesus?

Through history, many people have wondered who Jesus is, He is a very important historical person, who has manifested the love of God to everyone in the world. In Jesus’ time, many people wondered who He was because some of His miracles and teachings did not correspond to Moses’ law.

Was Jesus a Rabbi? Maybe, and maybe not; this depends upon the focus and priorities of each person. According to the Mosaic and Talmudic rabbis, Jesus was not a rabbi because He did a lot of things that were very irregular in relation to the law and called into question His mastery and inspiration of Yahweh’s covenant given to Moses and the Chosen People. For others, Jesus was a real savior of Israel, because each one of his words and actions are evidence that He talked with the truth that comes from God. Therefore, we, as members of the Roman Catholic Church, believe in Jesus who is giving love and peace to all of us.

Some people struggle about the person of Christ, and they wonder if Jesus was real person or just a myth invented by the Church. We believe in Jesus because we had our first approach with Him through the Holy Scriptures, the Sacred Tradition, and teachings of the Church that we learn from our catechism class (Religious Education); hence, this knowledge of Jesus is important for increasing our faith. We know about Jesus’ miracles, His passion, death, and resurrection. This knowledge serves as an important milestone for our faith. Is it true? How do we know that Jesus ever existed? For this question there are some answers through some scientific discoveries such as historical records, books found in different places (Dead Sea Scrolls, for instance) that speak about Jesus, the Shroud of Turin and so on.

At this point, it is very important to remember the words of St. Augustine: ‘Credo ut intelligam, intelligo ut credam’, that means “I believe to understand, I understand to believe.” Faith and reason are indispensable elements for the life of a human being, such as Pope St. John Paul II wrote in his encyclical letter in 1998. All the historical studies about Jesus help us to believe in Him. Of course, it depends upon us to believe or not if Jesus is the Savior of the world. Let us remember for Roman Catholics Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.

We are certain that Jesus existed as a person who helped many persons through His words and miracles. Today, I am convinced that Jesus is the Lord of lords, the King of kings because all that He did has determined the course of history. I have seen some documents, data and videos through which scientists have demonstrated the historicity of Jesus. I believe in Jesus as my savior because I see in Him someone that gives hope to everyone and because I feel peace in Him. I hope you also believe in Him in the same way.

Remember, the parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build.

God bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!

Fr. Jorge Ramirez