Jesus Christ

Jesus of Nazareth was born in Bethlehem, Judea, during the reign of Herod the Great, to a virgin mother, Mary, and an adoptive father, Joseph, of the line of David. His birth itself is an irruption of the divine into the ordinary fabric of human history: the manger, the shepherds, the flight into Egypt compose a tableau where glory is concealed beneath poverty. His childhood in Nazareth is a thirty-year silence, which Luke summarizes in a single verse: «He grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.»

After his baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist—where the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove—Jesus began his public ministry in Galilee. He proclaimed that the Kingdom of God was near, called disciples, healed the sick, cast out demons, and ate with sinners and outcasts. His teachings overturned the established order of power: the last will be first, the meek will inherit the earth, and one must love one's enemies. These words were as unsettling as they were captivating.

The journey to Jerusalem is the dramatic heart of the Gospels. Jesus knows what awaits him. He enters the city as a humble king, riding on a donkey, acclaimed by the crowd. He drives the merchants from the Temple, debates with the authorities, and delivers his eschatological discourses. Then, on Thursday night, he shares a meal with his followers, offering his body and blood under the appearances of bread and wine—the foundational act of the Eucharist. Arrested in Gethsemane, tried before Pilate, scourged, and crucified, he dies on the Cross, forgiving his executioners.

But on the third day, the tomb was empty. Resurrected, he appeared to Mary Magdalene, to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, and to the Eleven. His resurrection is the foundation of the Christian faith: not a symbol, but an event in world history. Forty days later, he ascended into heaven. The Church was born from the outpouring of his Spirit at Pentecost. Two thousand years of civilization, art, theology, and holiness bear the imprint of this man who claimed to be God—and who proved it by rising from the dead.