Who is Jesus Christ?

That is a question which the Catholic Church has been asking for about 2000 years! Across the centuries, countless books have been written about this one Person, but the world would not even be able to contain everything that could be said of him (see John 21:25).

Let’s at least begin with a simple catechetical answer: Jesus Christ is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. He has the same divine nature as the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, yet distinct from both in his Person (that is, the what is the same as the Father and the Holy Spirit, but the who is different for each of the three).

At the same time, Jesus Christ is also a man who was born of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit. While remaining 100% God, he took on a human nature and became 100% human as well. The human and divine natures are not mixed or changed; Jesus is not a demigod or a “superhuman.” While having the same human nature as each of us, he remains fully God.

Jesus Christ “came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). In other words, since we are all sinners, Jesus Christ came into the world for us, in order to save us from our sins and the consequences of our sins. He did this during his three years of public ministry by teaching his disciples and by working miracles. At the end of that time, the Jewish religious leaders condemned him (falsely) and handed him over to be executed by the Roman authorities by crucifixion. Jesus undertook this sentence willingly, using it to complete his mission of salvation by offering himself as a perfect sacrifice to the Father for us. By dying on the Cross, he took on all the punishment our sins deserved, even undergoing death so that we might live with him in heaven. The Father raised him from the dead, revealing both Christ’s victory over sin and death and his glory as the divine Son of the Father.

Before ascending into heaven and taking his seat at the right hand of the Father, Jesus commissioned his disciples to hand on the teachings they had received, preach the Good News of salvation through him to all creation, and to baptize all believers “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:16-20). He also promised to send them the Holy Spirit to guide them and inspire them always. In doing so, Jesus established this community of disciples that he had taught, redeemed, and sanctified into the Catholic Church, which even today continues the work of Jesus Christ in the world today.

This is only a very basic overview of who Jesus Christ is. He is the Son of the Father, the Son of Mary, the Christ (meaning the “Anointed One,” the one chosen by God), our Redeemer, and the Head of the Catholic Church. The Church continues to ponder this mystery of who Jesus is through the centuries, and it will always continue to do so, because the Person of Jesus Christ is an inexhaustible treasure trove, who always has more to give us. If you are interested in learning more about who Jesus is, please consider reading the four Gospels, and then the letters of the New Testament!