The Mysteries of Christ's Life: The Incarnation

How Jesus' Death Saves Us, His Burial, and "Descent into Hell"

How does the death of one person more than 2,000 years ago atone for sins the whole human race and reconcile us with God? Dr. Schreck explains four ways Catholic theology has sought to understand this mystery of Christ's saving work, as well as the burial of Jesus and what he accomplished when he "descended into hell."

The Paschal Mystery of Jesus: From Palm Sunday to the Garden of Gethsemane

The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, "The Paschal Mystery of Jesus... stands at the center of the Christian faith because God's saving plan was accomplished once for all by the redemptive death of his Son Jesus Christ" (112). Dr. Schreck describes the first stages of this event, from the beginning of Holy Week to Jesus' Agony in the Garden on Holy Thursday.

Jesus' Revelation of God and Call to Discipleship

What does God "look like"? Jesus says simply: "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father... I am in the Father and the Father is in me" (Jn. 14: 9–10).  Jesus is one with the Father (Jn. 10:30), and he is also the way to the Father.  That way is discipleship.  Dr. Schreck discusses what it means to be a disciple of Jesus: its necessity, its joy, and the sacrifice and suffering—the cross—it requires.

Jesus' Public Ministry Begins: The Kingdom of God Proclaimed

Jesus' "hidden life" ends and his public ministry begins with his baptism in the Jordan River by John.  Jesus' proclamation that "the kingdom (or reign) of God is at hand" is the key to his mission and ministry.  But what is this kingdom, and how does Jesus bring it about?

What the Gospels Say About Jesus' Identity and His Infancy

As author C.S. Lewis noted, Jesus as he's revealed in the Gospels is either God, a lunatic, or a liar. Jesus differs from all other religious founders in that he is God Incarnate, revealing God as love and reconciling the human race with God by his passion and death. Dr. Schreck talks about the Gospels' narrative of Jesus' life, starting with his infancy and "hidden life" in Nazareth.