predication.net

Artemis Zatti expanded the ranks of saints in the Salesian family. He dedicated his life to God in the service of the sick and the poor. In Argentina, where he worked, he was called Don Bosco of the poor.

He was born on October 12, 1880, in Italy in a poor peasant family. Already at the age of nine, he had to work. The ongoing peasant crisis, high unemployment, and poverty in Italy forced the Zattis to go to relatives in Argentina. When Artemide was 17 years old, the Zatti family left, joining the many Italian emigrants in Argentina.

Many anticlerical were living in the town where they settled, but the Zattis went to church every Sunday. Don Bosco’s Salesians were in charge of the administration of the church. Artemis helped the administrator of the parish to maintain order in the church, and when he had free time, he also accompanied him on visits to the sick.

After some time he decided to join the Salesians. Young boys were preparing for religious life near Buenos Aires. There was a young Salesian who fell ill with tuberculosis. Artemis took care of him. However, the young man died. Not long after, Artemis also fell ill. The superior sent him to the town of Viedma, where the Salesians had a hospital and a pharmacy.

Finally, he was cured and at the age of 2,8, he took lifelong vows and became a Salesian coadjutor, that is, he did not become a priest but served as a brother. He worked in a hospital and in a pharmacy, where they kept their accounting – the rich paid twice as much for the medicine, and the poor paid nothing.

In the hospital, he cared for the sick with great love, in whom he saw Jesus himself. He often turned to the nurse working in the laundry and said, “Do you have clothes for the twelve-year-old Jesus?”

Until the end of his life, he tirelessly continued his mission among the sick. They loved him, and even the doctors respected him. “When I’m with Zatti, I can’t help but believe in God,” said one self-proclaimed atheist doctor. Artemis treated everyone with the same love he would have treated Jesus himself.

Source: Vatican news.VA

Pope Francis himself gave testimony to the sanctity of Artemis Zatti. During his time as Provincial of the Jesuits in Argentina, he came across his biography. “I was attracted to this complete character of the coadjutor. At that moment I felt that I had to ask the Lord to send us vocations of coadjutors through his intercession. I prepared novenas and asked the novices to do them,” writes the Pope in a letter to Salesian Don Cayetano Bruno in Buenos Aires.

In the following years, 16 coadjutors joined the order. “I am convinced of the intercession of Blessed Artemidos Zatti in this matter, because, given the number, it is a rare case in the Society of Jesus. I know how much we prayed when we invoked him as an intercessor,” the Pope continued in the letter.

Artemis died at the age of 71. He had a pancreatic tumor. When they asked him how he was, how he was doing, he used to answer: “Up.” And he looked towards the sky.

That’s how he lived his whole life, focused on Jesus, whom he saw in everyone he met.

Apostle of migrants

The second canonized is Giovanni Battista Scalabrini. He served as a bishop in Piacenza, Italy, and is the founder of the male and female Congregation of Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo, whose special charism is service to migrants.

He was born in the northern Italian province of Como on July 8, 1839, as the third of eight children in a modest and religious family. He was an excellent student. He wrote a poem in praise of the life of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, he also admired Saint Joseph, Francis de Sales, and Charles Borromeo. He entered the seminary at the age of 18, and six years later he was ordained as a priest.

His great desire was to go on missions, but he was not granted this. He began his apostolate as a teacher and then rector of a minor seminary in Como. He taught the Greek language and history.

He was later appointed parish priest in Como, where he was very sensitive to the social issues of the people. He treated patients with cholera. Scalabrini also perceived the importance of the religious education of the youngest, he wrote the Small Catechism for kindergartens.

Source: Vatican news.VA

At the age of only 36, Pope Pius IX. appointed as bishop in Piacenza. In his pastoral program, closeness to people, attention to the clergy, teaching the Gospel, and love for those who need it most were always a priority.

He devoted himself to the formation of priests and young seminarians, founded schools of Christian doctrine, and published a magazine. He also established an Institute for the deaf and dumb and provided religious and social assistance to seasonal migrants employed in rice cultivation in Piedmont and Lombardy.

Deeply affected by the difficult situation of his believers, who were forced to leave for work in America, he founded the Missionary Congregation of St. Charles Borromeo for spiritual and material assistance to migrants. Later, he founded the lay association St. Raphael and joined the missionaries of the missionary sisters of St. Charles Borromeo.

At the beginning of the 20th century, he reached the United States and Brazil to visit the missions of his “Scalabrini” brothers. After returning, he fell ill and died on June 1, 1905.

The prefect of the Disaster for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, said of the new saints: “Their testimony brings the attention of the faithful in Christ back to the topic of migrants who, as the Pope has said several times, if they are included, can help to breathe the air of diversity that restores unity.” They can nourish the face of Catholicity, they can bear witness to the apostolate of the church, they can create stories about holiness.”

Biblical revelation presents the central idea of ​​creation in the very first line: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gn 1, 1). Holy Scripture begins with these solemn words (cf. CCC, 279). In those first words of Scripture, it is claimed that God gave origin to everything that exists outside of him. He alone is the creator. Everything that exists (expressed by the formula “heaven and earth” depend on the One who gives it being. The mentioned theme of creation often appears and again in the prophetic and sapiensal literature (Proverbs, Sir, Ecclesiastes), in Paul’s letters, and in the Gospels Finally, in the last biblical book, we find a hymn to the glory of the Creator: “You are worthy, our Lord, and God, to receive glory, honor, and power because you created things: by your will they were and are created” (Revelation 4, 11).

From the beginning, the Church confessed that everything was created by God. The faith in God who created all things, celebrated in this hymn, is already expressed in the first article of the Nicene Creed (DS, 125). With the development of the tradition of the Church, the revelation also became clear at the same time. The first lines of this confession: “I believe in one God, the almighty Father, Creator of heaven and earth, of the visible and invisible world…” are at the same time a prayer, praise, and confession of one of the central beliefs of the Church. The Nicene-Constantinople Creed is a heritage preserved by Christians of both the East and the West. Although not all Christian churches explicitly affirm this creed, belief in God as Creator is the starting point of faith for many Christians.

This truth about creation was formulated in the councils: the Fourth Lateran (1215) and the First Vatican (1869 – 1870). The revealed truth is that the whole world was created by God and that it was created “out of nothing.” According to the expression of the Magisterium of the Church, based on the statements of the Holy Scriptures and tradition, the words “heaven and earth” mean the sum and set of all things that exist outside of God, that is, all created things. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, this expression means: “All that exists, the whole of creation.” It also points to the connection that simultaneously connects and separates heaven and earth within creation…” (KKC, 326).

It is therefore an article of faith that God created all things from nothing without exception: small and large, spiritual and material, earthly and heavenly. The mentioned article is one of the most important truths, because the true relationship between the world and God depends on it, and thus also the correct concept of both the world and God. Holy Scripture and tradition constantly teach and extol this basic truth: The world was created for God’s glory (cf. CCC, 293). God did not create the world out of anything because he needed our praise to multiply his glory, but out of pure goodness to bestow upon us the splendor of his eternal happiness. This is how the Catechism of the Catholic Church defines it: “The glory of God is that God manifests and bestows his goodness. For this the world was created…” (CCC, 294).

The world is not the product of simple chance, but an expression of freely given wisdom and love. “How many are your works, Lord! You did everything wisely. The earth is full of your creation” (Psalm 104, 24). We still assume the content of the psalmist’s confession. We assume that the world is governed by laws that we can examine. Our overall naturalistic picture of the world is built on this assumption. We can examine order, but no chance. This is a manifestation of organizing intelligence. Creation speaks of the wisdom of the Creator (cf. KCC, 295).

If someone came from Sirius or any other star and saw our earth, so green, blooming, inhabited by billions of living beings, he would say: Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to see all this!” Even without coming from far away stars – let’s get used to one thing: constantly saying to God: “Thank you” (A. Luciani: I believe). On the dome of the Vatican observatory, which stands on the terrace of the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, one can read with emotion the inscription: Deum Crematorium, venit Adoremusus – Let us worship God the Creator. Johann Wolfgang Goethe, the greatest German poet, said: “That something huge, personified, comes to meet us as God, Creator, and Sustainer, whom we are to worship and glorify.” “In all things seek God”, he advised as early as 16th century St. Ignatius of Loyola. And who obeys his advice,

It is no coincidence that the saints had a completely special relationship with creation. The most famous is St. Francis of Assisi. Only he who frees himself from himself begins to truly perceive creation (cf. KCC, 299). The Creator begins to speak to him in the language of his creation, and the praise of the Creator rises in his heart. Tormented by pain, almost blind, he prayed the Song of the Brother of the Sun in San Damiano (cf. KCC, 344). Suffering and the cross refined him so much that he saw the language of God’s love in all creation. We, too, can rejoice with him and praise him throughout our lives – as long as we live (cf. Z 104, 33

The proverb tells us: “To whom honor, to his honor, to the shepherd the trumpet”. It would be worth thinking about today, what kind of respect we spread to ourselves. Alternatively, why are we tarnishing our name? We want, we wish, to be respected and honored by those around us, and yet our special attitude towards ourselves is often contemptible.

We can think about this topic even before the holidays of peace and joy when we remember the birth of John the Baptist. Evangelist Luke says: “On the eighth day they came to circumcise the boy and wanted to name him Zacharias after his father. But his mother said: “No, his name will be John” (Luke 1:59-60). And after another amazing development, when Zacharias also spoke, people say to themselves: “What will this boy be?” (Lk 1:66). The birth of a child, especially a firstborn and one that is so eagerly awaited, will cause great joy in the family and the surrounding area.

The birth of John the Baptist is especially joyful because everyone feels that he is a child blessed by God, who certainly has a great mission before God. Zechariah also says this in a beautiful hymn under the influence of the Holy Spirit. He thanks God for the begun work of redemption and predicts in his son the role that awaits him as the forerunner of the Messiah. These events spread throughout the Judea mountains, and when the people heard them, they felt both joy and fear. People watched this prodigy closely. They saw nothing sinful about him. John went to the desert as a young man, and the spirit of the greatest prophet matured in him. These events took place in a small town of the priestly class, whose task was to lead the nation to the promised Messiah. Zacharias and Elizabeth had respect for the name of God. This is how God himself wished it, and this is how the Law of Moses ordered it. God also had respect for Zacharias and Elizabeth.

John, guided by his parents, through whom the still hidden Holy Spirit spoke, accepts the beginnings of his mission and later proves his devotion to God in words and deeds in the desert. He is humble: “I am not worthy to untie the strap of his shoe” (Luke 3:16). He does not rely on pride and fame. Throughout his life, John tells us about ut great respect for God. At the same time, we feel that he is an example for us with respect for his name: “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness…” (Jn 1:23).

These facts should also find a response in our lives. We have to realize that God wants us to respect him and at the same time to feel responsible for our name. This means that we do not lower ourselves and lend our name to sin. The Lord has his plan with our names, as we read for example in the Letter to the Philippians that our names are written in the book of life (cf. Phil 4:3). It is touching when we watch sports events and our athletes make a good name for the nation and the homeland. What joy do parents feel when their children make a good name for them – the parents. How proud we are of the good name of our parents. But that’s not enough.

We must strive for a good name with God as well. Behind a good name is a reward, and behind a bad name is a punishment. A good name is a good, honestly lived life, and vice versa, a bad name hides a life lived sinfully. This requires time, and God has determined it for us. Therefore, let’s use our abilities, talents, and talents to glorify God, who will reward us when we live our lives according to his commands.

We are not afraid when the world takes away our good name. We look forward to our names being written in the Book of Life. Even the name of Christ stuns the world, and yet we know that the name of Christ has won and is winning. Let’s rejoice that if we persevere to the end, we too will win.

You certainly know the words: “Out of the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks” (Mt 12:34). After all, we often witness the truth of another statement: “While you were silent, I thought you were a philosopher, but when you spoke, I saw that you were a fool.” Another proverb says this: “You know a bird by its feathers and a man by his speech”. We all know the truth of these words from our privacy and the society we live in. And we are convinced of their truth in the Gospel as well.

Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit when she visits Mary, who rushes to greet and help her. Mary glorifies God and, filled with the Holy Spirit, sings a beautiful hymn that we call M Magnificat. Mary’s words of the Magnificat sound like an echo and reverberation of deep contemplation. He does not ask for anything, he only thanks and praises God’s mercy, power, justice, generosity, and faithfulness. The first hymn and the most glorious chord of praise to God spring from the depths of her excited heart, which overflows with gratitude and love. Penetrated by a prophetic spirit, she penetrates even into the darkness of future ages, predicts that what happened in the Nazareth room will be placed in the center of world interest, and she will be the object of attention and respect until the end of the world. “Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home” (Luke 1:56).

In her beautiful Magnificat, Mary above all thank God and praises him for the great deeds that he has done in her life.

Even if none of us wants and cannot compare ourselves to the Virgin Mary, we can still learn from her and follow her in giving thanks to God, because God also bestows many graces and blessings on us. We take many things for granted, which is why they have become commonplace. Not only do we not know how to thank ourselves, but when God takes them away from us for a time, we behave like little children: we sulk, we grumble, and we show our displeasure towards him. And doesn’t God deserve us to honor him properly? Let’s look at our life. Let’s start with your awakening. How many times are we closer to staying in bed two minutes longer than finding the time and thanking, even briefly, for the night spent, rest, for the new? day? Ask for reinforcement for yourself and your loved ones. We know from personal experience that how we start a new day matters a lot. Not to get out of bed with your left or right foot, but to realize: I am a child of God and I have this day as a gift from God, I should also use this day to glorify God and save my immortal soul. We forget that not everyone had a good night, and not everyone rested. How many people spent the night staying awake with the sick, on the road, at the workplace, and how many sick people suffered? How many brothers and sisters did not live to see this morning and died? For us, believers, isn’t a new day worth knowing how to regularly control ourselves and kneel for a short conversation with God during prayer? Let’s not rely on doing it on the way… Such a meeting requires its place, and it’s time.

Let us not underestimate the morning prayer, which should be carried in the spirit of thanksgiving and supplication. The day is full of duties, excitement, and tension. If we can find a place and time to insult God, a place to sin, to speak God’s name in vain, why can’t we find a place and time to meet God in a short gun prayer? Why don’t we find time to bless ourselves when we leave the house when we start work or time for a bullet prayer when we pass by a cemetery or a cross: Give them eternal rest, Lord, and let eternal light shine on them. Crucified Christ, have mercy on us! Instead of anger, let’s ask with the words: God, come to my help! Lord, hurry to help me! Surely there will be such an occasion that we hear insulting God with inappropriate remarks and expressions. Let’s then try to apologize to God for the insult, even in this way: God, forgive him because he doesn’t know what he’s doing! God, be merciful to me, a sinner! And end the day again with a meeting with God. Best in common prayer. If that is not possible, then in the private room. Surely you have experienced the impact of the thoughts that make you fall asleep on the quality of your rest. For us believers, it is beautiful to end the day by examining our conscience and apologizing not only for our sins but also for neglecting good. Save the resolution, and the next day pay more attention to the shortcomings and eliminate them.

These are short minutes, yet they enrich our lives so much, both mentally and physically. They are small gatherings, but with great blessing and abundant fruit.

What our insides are filled with, that’s how we express ourselves on the outside. 

So how are we prepared for the visit of baby Jesus? How have you progressed with your preparations for Christmas? …. What am I talking about? We are experiencing the last Sunday of Advent. Her relative Elizabeth, guided by the Holy Spirit, says about her: “And blessed is she who believed that what the Lord had told her would be fulfilled” (Lk 1:45).

The Latin word advent (arrival) undoubtedly also includes the word visitation, which simply means “visit”. This event was beautifully described in a letter by Saint Bishop Ambrose. He says: When the angel announced the mysterious event to the Virgin Mary, he demonstrated his credibility with the example that an old and barren woman conceived a child, and thus he wanted to assure Mary that God can do whatever He wants. As soon as Mary heard this, she hurried to the mountainous region. “As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child in her womb trembled, and the Holy Spirit filled her.” (Luke 1:41). Elizabeth first heard the voice, but John first felt the grace and trembled for joy at the great mystery; she perceives Mary’s coming, he perceives the Lord’s. Through mothers, the great secrets of love begin. The child trembled, and the mother was filled with the Holy Spirit. Although in the womb of his old mother, John is the first to recognize the Lord and trembles with joy. When John trembled, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth, filled with this spirit, cried out prophetically, “… blessed is she who believed that what the Lord told her would be fulfilled” (Lk 1:45). And the child she is expecting is “the Lord” (Kyrios) and Mary are therefore “Mother of my Lord”.

The term “visiting” has lost its joyful meaning in our understanding. Although it may be difficult for us, we should still try to understand such days in this way: The Lord interrupted my activity for a while to bring me to silence. As Jesus belonged and belongs to all people, so we should also belong to them. So we don’t live for ourselves, but also for our neighbor and for the world in which God has placed us. What is my attitude to the life situation, the expected visit, my neighbor, and God himself?

And so we can pray together: “Lord, let every person have Mary’s soul to glorify you; let everyone have Mary’s spirit to rejoice in God! We beg you, protect us from sin, and let every immaculate soul receive God’s Word. Let every such soul be able to glorify you, as Mary’s soul glorified you and her spirit rejoiced in God the Savior.

Maybe you too, looking at a memorial plaque or a statue of a great personality from any area, have thought: Who were their parents, how did they live, what did they do to make their child famous? We know very little about the parents of famous personalities, we often learn about them only marginally, and yet it often depended on them what would become of their son or daughter.

This idea also became relevant when reading today’s Gospel, which tells us about Zacharias making a sacrifice and meeting the angel Gabriel, who announces the good news to him. The forerunner of the Lord Jesus – John the Baptist, after his father and mother, came from the descendants of Aaron, from the priestly family, which enjoyed the greatest respect among the Jews. When a woman did not have a child, it was understood as a punishment from God for her and the entire family. Elizabeth and Zacharias also met this fate. However, both were righteous before God and kept all the Lord’s commandments and statutes blamelessly. Elizabeth and Zacharias were already at an advanced age. Zacharias was shown by the lot that he should enter the sanctuary and offer an incense offering on the golden altar. It was a great honor for Zacharias because he represented the whole nation at this ceremony. Zacharias was aware of this honor. He was certainly overcome with excitement. It’s also time when the nation asks for the coming of the Messiah. The hated Romans are expanding in their nation. The nation is more aware than ever before that only the Messiah can deliver it from this sad state. Zacharias is aware of his old age, the years of his wife, and the fact that the Messiah will not come from their womb. In his younger years, he hoped that God would hear his prayers. But even now he is asking for the coming of the future Messiah. He also has this in mind with the incense offering he wants to make.

Let’s remember that David divided the priests into 24 classes when establishing the Old Testament service. Each served a week in the temple. The lottery was used to decide who and what kind of service would be performed in their class. One of the priests entered the sanctuary every morning and evening and burned sacrificial incense there for the so-called golden altars. Zacharias also performed this service.

During this sacrifice, an angel announced to him the birth of a son. Instead of believing immediately, Zacharias thinks only of the obstacles that nature has put in the way of these words: infertility, and old age. And yet a thought of hope flashed through his mind! After all, how many similar births does the nation know? After all, the mothers of Isaac, Samson, and Samuel were in advanced age and gave birth to sons. But despite this, Zacharias asks the angel: “By what do I know it? After all, I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in age!” The angel answered him: I am Gabriel. I stand before God and I am sent to speak to you and to tell you this glad tidying. But you will be dumb and will not be able to speak until the day when this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time” (Lk 1,18-20).

The people were waiting for Zacharias and were surprised that he was staying so long in the temple. Zechariah did not do anything wrong by asking for a sign. However, he made a mistake in not immediately believing the heavenly messenger. It was a lack of respect for the archangel and the one who sent him. He received a sign, which became his punishment for expressing disbelief, and therefore became speechless. The act was supposed to last only a short time, so the crowd wondered why he was staying so long in the temple. but when he came out and could not speak, the multitude understood that he had seen a vision in the temple. He made signs and remained mute. As soon as the days of his priestly service were over, he returned home.

After these days, his wife Elizabeth conceived, but she hid for five months, saying: “This is what the Lord did to me at the time when he looked down on me to save me from the shame of men” (Lk 1:25).

When we already know the parents and circumstances of the birth of the greatest prophet of the Old Testament, let’s let these words affect our hearts. Our lives are not unknown to God either. He also created us in this time and these events, and he also has a plan for us. Let us not doubt him, lest something similar to Zacharias befall us, who for his weak faith befell both punishment and joy. Let the thought always burn in us: always and everywhere to live in the presence of God and fulfill his commands. It is often very difficult. But let’s know that with God everything is possible. He desires our faithfulness in fulfilling his will. And we, instructed by Zechariah, want to answer God in the affirmative. We don’t expect him to send us a messenger from heaven and teach us about our life, and what we should and shouldn’t do. For that, we have the teaching of the Church, which we want to listen to.

Parents of famous people remain in the shadow of their children’s fame and enjoy it. Let’s do something similar. Let us rejoice in the glory of our Redeemer Jesus Christ, for whose birth we are preparing. 

A few years ago, the sensation was the film by director Scorsese, The Last Temptation of Christ. There, Jesus is presented as an ordinary man who struggles with doubts about his own identity right up to the end. I confess that I haven’t seen the whole movie (I only lasted until halfway through), but even from what I have seen, I understand that the Jesus of the movie is not the same as the Jesus of the Gospels. The Jesus of the Gospels knew exactly who he was, and he was quite open about it. What did he say about himself?

First, it is necessary to realize what he never said about himself. Jesus never referred to himself directly as God. In such a strictly monotheistic country, this was unthinkable. The reason was simple: his hearers would have thought he had identified himself as Yahweh, and they would have stoned him to death with blasphemy. Moreover, Jesus did not even want to present Himself as the God of the Old Testament. He came as a servant and obedient Son…

Most often He referred to Himself as the Son – not the Son of God Son, but the Son of Man. Paradoxically, this title does not mean that Jesus considered Himself to be a man; quite the contrary. The prophet Daniel, in a vision, “saw in the clouds of heaven someone like the Son of Man coming. He was called the Ancient of Ages, and they brought Him before Him. He was given power, glory, and a kingdom for all people, nations, and nationalities to serve Him. Jehovah’s reign is everlasting, and it shall not pass away; His kingdom shall not pass away.” (Daniel7:13-14) Not surprisingly, Jesus got in trouble with the Pharisees for identifying Himself as the Son of Man…and not surprisingly, the people took this to mean that He was thereby proclaiming Himself the promised Messiah…

While in the Synoptic (i.e., Matthew, Mark, and Luke)it is mostly the title Son of Man that appears, in John’s Gospel Jesus is also presented in other ways. Nicodemus, a leading man among the Jews, speaks of himself as the only-begotten Son of God, or Son for short (John 3:16-18). To the woman of Samaria, he directly told her that he was the Christ (Jn 4:25-26). In his discourses with the Jews, he repeatedly speaks of God as his Father (which of course is also the case with the Synoptic), or he refers to Him as the One who sent Him. Moreover, in chapter 8 He says of Himself 3 times “I am” (Jn 8:24, 28, 58). In the Greek original, this is ego aim, which is also the Greek translation of the Hebrew YHWH in the NT. When the Jews heard this, they “lifted the stones to throw at Him” (Jn 8:59). The way He spoke of Himself was tantamount to blasphemy in their eyes – He was claiming to be God. Once more He tactically presented Himself – in Gethsemane, where they came to arrest Him; when the soldiers heard this, they “fell back to the ground” (Jn 18:6)…

Jesus also spoke of Himself in parables, especially in John. His words “I am the bread of life”(Jn 6:35); “I am the light of the world”(Jn 8:12); “I am the good shepherd” (Jn 10:11); “I am the resurrection and the life” (Jn 11:25) or “I am the way and the truth and the life” (Jn 14:6) are well known. All these similes say something about who he is. He cares for us as a shepherd and cares for his sheep. He lightens the way we walk, and he is the way. He is the truth, which is not relative, but always true and unchanging. He also gives us eternal life.

There are still questionable statements in John that are contradictory at first glance. In one place, Jesus says: “I and the Father are one” (Jn. 10:30); this is supported elsewhere by, “…I am in the Father, and the Father in me” (Jn. 14:10). And immediately afterward he says: “…the Father is greater than I” (Jn 14:28). Does this contradict each other? Out of context, for sure. But what was Jesus talking about? In the first case, He was talking about the one essence He shares with the Father; hence the use of the middle gender (one). This does not mean that Jesus and the Father are the same people; after all, when Jesus died on the cross, the Father raised Him on Sunday morning. The second statement describes Jesus’ intimate relationship with His Father. And the third, perhaps the most controversial, again expresses that Jesus, while He lived on earth, was limited in part by His human body; thus God the Father was indeed greater at that particular time, but only at that particular time.

These statements do not belong in the mouth of the “good teacher of mankind,” as many people take Him to be. Jesus never represented Himself that way. He spoke of Himself as God the Son. As C.S. Lewis put it, Jesus was either the greatest fool that ever lived, the vilest liar deceiver, even the devil, or truly Lord and God. There is no other option. It is up to each one of us to choose who we believe Him to be. Who did His hearers say He was, and who did His closest disciples who knew Him personally think He was?