photo.jpg

# The Impact of Jesus * **We were made in God's image with the powers of intellect and free will.** Because of these powers, we are responsible for what we do. Jesus' life on earth gives us an example of how to use these powers to serve God the Father. * **You cannot change your heredity or choose...

# The Impact of Jesus * **We were made in God's image with the powers of intellect and free will.** Because of these powers, we are responsible for what we do. Jesus' life on earth gives us an example of how to use these powers to serve God the Father. * **You cannot change your heredity or choose the physical environment you grow up in.** But you can control your personal environment, which includes the friends you choose, the books you read, and the TV shows you watch. These things also affect whom you become. * **Jesus, the Son of God, appeared on earth 2,000 years ago as a Jewish craftsman who became a traveling preacher and was executed for causing trouble.** His life was filled with remarkable miracles and teaching. His Death, Resurrection, and Ascension led to what we know today as Christianity. By his life, Jesus showed us what God is like. * **The Messiah, or the Christ, was foretold by many of the prophets in the Old Testament.** He was the one the Jewish people awaited. People who practice the Jewish religion today are still waiting for the Messiah. * **Jesus often referred to God as "my Father."** He even called God Abba, a Hebrew word that best translates as "Dad." * **Christians believe in the mystery of the Trinity, which is three Persons in one God- God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.** Our belief in the Trinity is what makes us different from Muslim and Jewish people, who also believe in one God. * **Emmanuel is expressing the mystery of God becoming one of us.** This title is used for Jesus most often at Christmas. Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us, because he shared our human life. * **The Incarnation is the mystery of God becoming human, becoming one of us.** It began with Jesus' birth. The word Incarnation means "in the flesh." * **Jesus' very name tells us he came to save us.** The name Jesus means "the Lord saves". He is our Savior, but more importantly, he is your personal Savior. * **Jesus took our sins upon him and by dying and rising, opened the gates of heaven for us.** By his Resurrection and Ascension, Jesus Christ gave us the gift of eternal life. We celebrate and proclaim the Paschal Mystery at every Mass.