What did Jesus do?

After working miracles and preaching for about three years, Jesus was arrested in Jerusalem, sentenced by the Romans to die on the cross, was buried in a tomb, and after three days he rose again from the dead.

This happened at the time when Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor, and Herod was king of the Jews. The death and resurrection of Jesus is why we call him our Savior, a word from Greek, meaning one who rescues from harm.


THE NEED FOR A SAVIOR          
Why do we need a savior? 

We believe that the first Person of the Trinity, God the Father almighty, created everything out of nothing, gave order to what is created, and sustains it all in being.

The highpoint of creation is humanity, made in the image and likeness of God, with an intellect and free will, and created to live a blessed life of bliss in union with God.

To live in this relationship, however, women and men have to acknowledge that God is God, that God decides what is good and evil, and that humanity does good and avoids evil accordingly. 

Our first parents, called Adam and Eve, rebelled against the sovereignty of God, insisting on a relationship with God on their terms; this is called the original sin.

The consequence for their pride and disobedience is the loss of the blessed life of bliss, as well as eternal and perfect union with God.

We believe that, since then, every human being is born with original sin, transmitted through human generation. It’s as if this sin dealt all human beings a mortal wound.

That mortal wound is what we need to be saved from, but there’s no way we could do it. Why? Because, as sin is an offense against the infinite all-holy God, we would have to be infinite like God, and able to do something of infinite value to heal the wound of original sin. We aren’t, and we can’t. Jesus is, and did, by his death and resurrection.


JESUS DIED              
Jesus’ death is called the work of redemption. This word is from Latin, meaning to pay off a debt, like criminals paying their debt to society by spending time in prison.

By his death, Jesus did for us what we could not do for ourselves: satisfy the debt of sin, and so save us from Hell for Heaven. 

Jesus said, in reference to himself: “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

St. Paul often referred to what Jesus did, and most especially why he did it: “I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD            
Jesus didn’t just die, and lie in a grave, while his body corrupted. On the third day after his death, the first Easter Sunday, Jesus rose again.

An angel said to the women at the empty tomb on Easter morning: “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold, the place where they laid him.” (Mark 16:6)

This mystery of faith is called the resurrection. This word is from Latin, meaning to rise again. The Apostles saw the risen Jesus, spoke with him, touched him, and ate with him. He was the same, yet also somehow different. (1 Corinthians 15:5-8) 

Jesus rose from the dead to assure his followers of the promise of eternal life in Heaven: “For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins… If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable people of all.” (1 Corinthians 15:16-19)

For this reason, the resurrection is also part of Jesus’ work to redeem us, to save us from Hell for Heaven.

JESUS ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN        
Following his resurrection, Jesus spent 40 days with his followers, trying to help them understand that he was risen from the dead, and about the kingdom of God. After that, Jesus ascended into Heaven. This word is from Latin, meaning to lift or go up. 

“As they were looking on, [Jesus] was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.” (Acts of the Apostles 1:9)

Jesus consoled his followers by explaining the reason for his ascension: “It is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” (John 16:7)


JESUS SENT THE HOLY SPIRIT       
After returning to Heaven, Jesus sent his followers the Holy Spirit, who is the Third Divine Person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is sometimes referred to as the Paraclete (from Greek) or Advocate (from Latin), both of which mean helper.

The first outpouring of the Holy Spirit was on Pentecost, from the Greek, meaning fiftieth. In the Jewish religion, fifty days after Passover is the Feast of Weeks (a harvest festival). The first Christians were celebrating this feast when the Holy Spirit came upon them.

“And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind… Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire.” (Acts of the Apostles 2:2-3)

Scripture often refers to the revelation of Divine Glory in terms of bright light and loud sound, such as fire and lightning, or rushing wind and thunder, for example: “When [Moses] looked, although the bush was on fire, it was not being consumed.” (Exodus 3:2) And “[Jesus] was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.” (Mark 9:2-3)

The event of Pentecost is regarded as the birth of the Church, not the building, but the assembly of people who believe in Jesus and are baptized. All Christians are responsible for continuing the mission of Jesus in the ministries of the Church. But to do this, we need to have the gift of the Spirit, and cooperate with the Spirit’s power.

The Holy Spirit is active in us to the extent that we know our need, crying out for God’s help. Here is an effective way to invite the Holy Spirit to be active in us:

1. Write down, or give voice to your need for God’s help, and then…
2. Act on this conviction, first of all by confessing your sins to a priest, and by…
3. Making peace with others, asking pardon from them, or pardoning them, and by…
4. Getting rid of anything that is a source of temptation, or an occasion of sin, and by…
5. Practicing daily prayer, Sunday Mass, living the Commandments, Bible reading, serving the poor, and being involved in your parish, and then…
6. Invite the Spirit to be active in your life, enabling you to love like Jesus:

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and kindle in me the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and I shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth. Amen.

What is the evidence that these steps worked for us? If we are able to say, in the Spirit of Jesus’ love: I live to give life and gladness to others!


JESUS WILL COME AGAIN              
We believe Jesus will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. This is called Judgement Day, or the Day of the Lord. But no one except God the Father knows the day or the hour of Jesus’ Second Coming. (Matthew 24:36)

St. Peter wrote: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar and the elements will be dissolved by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be found out.” (2 Peter 3:10)

We shouldn’t however fear the Day of the Lord, any more than we would a visit from our beloved Grandma. Christians look forward to Jesus’ Second Coming; in fact, an ancient prayer of Christians is “Marana tha,” which are two Aramaic words (the language Jesus spoke), meaning “Come, Lord.” (1 Corinthians 16:22)
 

This is part of a series titled, "A Follower of Jesus In His Holy Catholic Church"
which was published in April of 2021.

                        

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