Jesus reveals Humanity

The Mystery of Christ surpasses all human understanding. Still, year by year and day by day, we are invited to contemplate the life and teaching of Jesus. We have just spent the weeks of Advent and Christmas pondering the unfathomable mystery of the Son of God becoming a human being. Now we begin a New Year with new hope. There is a striking sentence in ‘ Gaudium et Spes’ /'Joy and Hope’: " Jesus reveals humanity to itself”.(2:22).

We believe that by His Incarnation, Jesus revealed the Face of God in a Human Face. In doing so, He also revealed us to ourselves. God became a Human Being, changing nothing of our human nature except to restore it to its original beauty and dignity. He revealed what it means to be  truly human, what a human being is and what our destiny is. He revealed how beautiful and compassionate  a human being can be,   how wonderfully each of us is created and loved. In Jesus, we see a unique individual living His  own Life to the full, in a particular culture, learning from experience, even learning obedience to God through human suffering. He rejected nothing that is truly human. He shows us how we can live fully,  no matter where we are, in whatever historical era, in whatever situation, at whatever age. He teaches us how to be happy, how to love, to  be good, to forget ourselves, giving meaning and value to every human emotion and experience. He empowers each of us through our humanity to be transformed and restored to our true individuality, a unique image of God. So, as we cross the threshold into a New Year, we have the assurance, that if, as Nicolas Barre said, we " follow Jesus in all His Ways” we will  grow, and help others to grow, into the likeness of God by becoming fully human.   

“Set free by Jesus’ Love, we become truly ourselves” (B.I 37)

“To help each person grow in accordance with his or her own innate ability, so that together, we all become what God wants us to be” (B:I: 37)