Download Jesus of Nazareth

ST. ANN CATHOLIC CHURCH ✥ JESUS OF NAZARETH
Jesus of Nazareth
Pope Benedict XVI
SEPTEMBER 2008
OLD TESTAMENT
The collection of writings
referred to as the “Old
Testament” was written
between about 1500 B.C. and
400 B.C. The Jewish people do
not refer to the Scriptures in
this way since the Hebrew
Bible contains only the books
of The Law, The Prophets, and
The Writings. These they refer
to as the TANAK, deriving
from the first letters of the
three types of writing.
Torah (Mosaic Law)
N’vi-im (Prophets)
K’tuvim (Writings)
The Four Evangelists (from Keith Nickel’s Synoptic Gospels)
The first four books in the New Testament section of the Bible are known
as “Gospels.” Each of these books, in its own way, relates incidents out of the
life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth.
There is an interrelatedness between the first three Gospels that are due
partly to similar theological views and beliefs, but there is also a literary
dependency of the three. Scholars have grouped Matthew, Mark, and Luke
together as the “Synoptic” Gospels. They may be set side by side and “viewed
together” in a comparative way.
The Gospel of John stands in a class by itself. Its author was a highly
creative theologian. It was produced among a group of early Christians which
was quite different from the Christian communities for which the other
Gospels were written. It would not be inexact for us to think of John’s
community as a sort of sect of early Christians who were on the fringes of
Christianity.
Symbol (Rev 4:7)
Symbolizes
Around the second-century
B.C. a group of 70 Jewish
scholars translated the TANAK
into Greek, the language of the
day. This effort, it is said took
70 days and is consequently
called the Septuagint. Seven
books not part of the TANAK
are included and are referred to
as the Apocrypha.
“The unity of the two
Testaments proceeds from the
unity of God’s plan and his
Revelation. The Old
Testament prepares for the
New and the New Testament
fulfills the Old; the two shed
light on each other; both are
true Word of God” (CCC 140).
Theme
Gospel Begins
MATTHEW
winged human
humanity, reason
manhood of Christ
Christ’s genealogy from Abraham
MARK
winged lion
royalty, resurrection
Christ as king
John the Baptist in wilderness
LUKE
winged ox
sacrifice, strength
Christ as priest and sacrifice
temple duties of Zacharias
JOHN
eagle
sky, spirit
Christ’s divine nature
Christ as Logos
FR. VALENZUELA - PAGE 1
ST. ANN CATHOLIC CHURCH ✥ JESUS OF NAZARETH
CATHOLIC IDENTITY AFTER VATICAN II
nor disputes its ability to promote a
magnificent witness of both homely
and heroic holiness.”
“For the years subsequent to the
council have witnessed an inordinately large measure of polarization
within Catholicism, to the point
where sometimes even civility, much
less charity, has seemed a casualty. The
For Roman Catholics and the
antagonists have contended under the
Christian world as a whole the definnot always helpful banners of "tradiing ecclesial event of our century is
tionalists" and "progressives" or (more
the Second Vatican Council. It can be polemically) "restorationists" and "indescribed as both an end and a new
novators." Like the erstwhile political
beginning. It brought an end to one
designations "conservative" and "libperiod of Roman Catholic selferal," the labels seem to camouflage as
understanding and ushered in a new
much as they clarify. But they do
age. Indeed, the council was convened point to tendencies and concerns that
by John XXIII to undertake an agcrystallize around themes like tradigionamento: a bringing up to date of
tion and experience, universal church
the Catholic vision and mission, of
and local church, sacramental strucboth the changeless and changing
ture and justice advocacy, identity and
Catholic enterprise.
openness, and even, ultimately, the
Robert Imbelli writes, “The case
transcendence and immanence of
can be argued that the pre-Vatican II God.
Catholic self-understanding was unIn the heat of debate the unimduly restrictive and reactionary; that
peachable legitimacy of many of the
it often viewed the surrounding culconcerns that animate both parties
ture in suspicious if not hostile fashcan receive scant attention. But, even
ion; that it lacked a discriminating
when acknowledged, what is often
historical sense; and that its zeal for
lacking is a sufficiently comprehensive
unity too often satisfied itself with a
framework to integrate the both/and
rather rote uniformity. None of the
of the Catholic vision and prevent its
above assessment gainsays the very
collapse into a polarized and less proreal pastoral and missionary achieveductive either/or.”
ments of pre-Vatican II Catholicism
In the Balance
BOTH...AND
(not EITHER...OR)
faith...reason
human...divine
religion...science
Scripture...Tradition
prayer...action
contemplation...social justice
body...soul
matter...spirit
individual...communal
grace...nature
Petrine...Marian
OT...NT
One...Three
Son of Mary...Son of God
Word...Sacrament
love of God...love of neighbor
THE LUMINOUS MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY
now...not yet
1.
The Baptism of the Lord
2.
Wedding at Cana
faith...works
3.
The Proclamation of the Kingdom
4.
The Transfiguration
5.
Institution of the Eucharist
For the Rosary to become more fully a “compendium of the Gospel”, it is fitting to add,
following reflection on the Incarnation and the hidden life of Christ (the joyful mysteries)
and before focusing on the sufferings of his Passion (the sorrowful mysteries) and the
triumph of his Resurrection (the glorious mysteries), a meditation on certain particularly
significant moments in his public ministry (the mysteries of light). This addition of these
new mysteries, without prejudice to any essential aspect of the prayer's traditional format,
is meant to give it fresh life and to enkindle renewed interest in the Rosary's place within
Christian spirituality as a true doorway to the depths of the Heart of Christ, ocean of joy
and of light, of suffering and of glory.
from John Paul II - Rosarium Virginis Mariae
SEPTEMBER 2008
Fr. James Valenzuela
Parochial Vicar
St. Ann Catholic Church
Our Lady of the Assumption Mission
P.O. Box 1057
Gulf Breeze, FL 32562
[email protected]
frjames.com
FR. VALENZUELA - PAGE 2