This week’s selection from the Catechism covers a lot of ground. Most of the material deals with the person who is Jesus Christ, and therefore I will focus on that in my commentary. But I also discovered some gems on teaching the faith (428) and the role and person of Mary, the mother of Jesus (499).
(Editor's Note: This is the fourth in a seven-part series designed to break open the beauties of the Catechism in hopes that more Catholics will begin exploring its riches for themselves. There is a veritable wealth of information in the Catechism, which is itself but a small reflection of the riches of the Deposit of Faith. So, if you’ve not been properly introduced, meet the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the most beautiful fruit to date of the Second Vatican Council. May the two of you enjoy a long and lasting relationship!)
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Next Friday: “Christ & the Church”
Mark Dittman is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in the National Catholic Register, Lay Witness, and Catholic Dossier. He can be reached at [email protected].
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
Part One: The Profession of Faith
Section Two: The Profession of the Christian Faith
Chapter Two: I Believe in Jesus Christ, the Only Son of God, Articles 2-3 (422-534)
The first thing we are told about Jesus is the Hebraic meaning of his name: “God saves” (430). Named by God himself through the message of an angel (Luke 1:31; Mt 1:21), this man’s name is only the first of many signs that he “’is destined to be the downfall and the rise of many in Israel’” (Luke 2:34). Aware of their need for redemption, the people of Israel have been longing for the Messiah (cf. 431, 388), a Hebrew title that translates into Christ, which means “anointed” (436). The Catechism notes that the “name of Jesus is at the heart of Christian prayer” (435). To that I would add that the name of Jesus is itself a prayer.
The mission of Jesus as priest, prophet, and king is introduced in paragraph 436. These roles are not adequately discussed here, but a point on one of them is worth noting. In contrast to an understanding of the Messiah by some of Jesus’ contemporaries as a politically powerful leader (439), the Catechism declares that “the true meaning of his kingship is revealed only when he is raised high on the cross” (440). In this paragraph the Catechism quotes effectively from Scripture on the redemptive mission of Jesus Christ: “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mt 20:28). This understanding of Christ’s kingship is consistent with the Catechism’s earlier treatment of the power of God as being at its height when God shows mercy (cf. 270, 277; as discussed in my second commentary, The Power of God).
The Catechism continues by discussing the title “Son of God” as it is applied to Jesus. For some Israelites, this term signified only a closeness to God, since the title had been used to refer to angels and the Chosen People themselves (441). However, it is revealed to Sts. Peter and Paul that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16, quoted in 442). God the Father himself confirms this title for Jesus on two occasions: Jesus’ Baptism (Mt 3:17) and his Transfiguration (Mt 17:5) (444). Something new came to me through the Catechism’s discussion on this point. Jesus, even when he gave us the “Our Father,” never referred to God when speaking to his disciples (and through them to us) as “our” Father. He did not include himself in that possessive pronoun, indicating a difference in the relationships between us and the Father and him and the Father (443).
Jesus’ relationship to his Father is unavoidably different than ours—after all, he is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. The Catechism restates the Church’s condemnations of several heresies regarding the Son and his attributes (464-468). Jesus, it is affirmed, is “true God and true man” (469), a divine person who assumed a human nature and thus a human soul, and possessed a human will (475), intellect (472), and body (476). This is weighty material, and is treated in summary fashion in the Catechism. Further study of these terms, their meanings, and their interplay in the divine person of Jesus would enhance study of the Catechism.
Another significant point that is only touched upon is the way in which we may partake in the divine life of Jesus. Paragraph 460 explains that we may enter into communion with the Word and thus “become a son of God” (see above and 441). St. Athanasius is then quoted, “For the son of God became man so that we might become God.” St. Thomas Aquinas adds that Christ “assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods.” I can become God, or at least a god? Wow. This is a good example of how the Catechism serves as a springboard to further study of key concepts.
The Catechism then devotes space to Mary and the mysteries of Christ’s life. Like Mary we look with wonder at the God-Man Jesus Christ (cf. Luke 1:29, 66). We also look to Mary and long to share in her purity (493)—a reflection of the saving work of her divine Son (491). This selection closes with the assertion that the life of Christ, public and private, is a mystery (515). Given the ineffable nature of the material presented here, that is a sound statement.
