Christ as God is the homeland towards which we are travelling, Christ as one of us is the road by which we travel. (St Augustine).

How does a child, born to a young woman in the backblocks of the Roman Empire 2000 years ago, come to be experienced as the Son of God? With this question, let us begin a rich and beautiful journey to understand who Jesus is, and uncover our identity in light of faith.

JESUS CHRIST: THE WAY THE, TRUTH AND THE LIFE

“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

At the heart of the Christian faith is the conviction that Jesus Christ – fully human and fully divine – is God. The theology of incarnation will shape our lives, our relationships and our understanding of the world. Jesus is the one who walks with us, constantly inviting us into deeper relationship with Him.

The name Jesus originates in the name Yeshua, which means ‘Yahweh saves’. The word Christ comes from the word Messiah, which means ‘anointed one’. The controversial claim of Christ that sets Him apart from the remainder of humanity is this claim that He is the Christ: the Messiah, the Saviour and the Son of God.

To encounter the person of Jesus Christ is to go on a journey of discovering God. In Him we experience the perfect articulation of two previously separate realities: the human and the divine. To look to Him is to gaze into the eyes of God; to follow Him is to live our life to it’s fullest.

 To confess that Jesus is Lord is distinctive of Christian faith. (Catechism, 202)

JESUS CHRIST: THE MIND AND HEART OF GOD

Who is God? Our belief in God is different from the belief of God held by others. That is to say, whilst the notion of ‘God’ has meaning, Christians believe in a Blessed Trinity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Trinity is one of the deepest mysteries of Christianity that you will no doubt ponder on throughout your journey.

Above all, God is love. (1 John 4:8) Humanity, created in the image and likeness of God, has been created out of love and for love. The most tangible expression of this love of God is in person of Jesus Christ. Jesus and the Father are One, and He is therefore the perfect articulation of all that is God. (John10:30)

The Gospels tell us this truth, that God created the world out of love for us, and sought to be in a relationship with humanity. We have all broken that relationship of love with God, and the world is filled with the consequences of that broken relationship: the devastating effects of sin in our personal lives and collectively. God sent his only Son to become one of us: in the person of Jesus we encounter God, and through his death and resurrection we are forgiven and drawn into communion with God. This new communion requires our participation in God’s mission as we share with God in bringing about the communion or redemption of others through our love of one another and by sharing the Good News that we have received.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

JESUS CHRIST: THE LIFE WE ARE TO LIVE

Jesus has come so that you may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10) The Christian journey centres around a relationship with the person of Jesus, which must be nurtured consistently and deeply. It is through this relationship that we can participate in the life and mission of His Church. The Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn invites all young people to encounter Christ and share in the life and mission of the Catholic Church.

Welcome.