Know Christ, Know Yourself

The Prologue of the Gospel according to John introduces us to Jesus Christ: He is the Eternal Word, who is eternally with God, for He is God. Through Him, all things came to be, and without him nothing came to be. Through Him came life, and this life was the light of the human race; that light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:1-5)

Fulton Sheen had some interesting things to say about Jesus Christ:

First, one of the unique things about Jesus is that while every other person who came into this world came into it to live, Jesus Christ came into the world to die. He is the suffering Servant and the Paschal Lamb prophesied by the Book of Isaiah chapter 53, who will lay down His life as a guilt-offering for people’s sins. That was the Good News for all peoples proclaimed by the angels at the birth of Jesus: “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:10-11).”

Second, Jesus Christ is eternally God; He is the Thought and Wisdom of the Father. He is the Word of God, and through Him, God the Father personally and directly speaks to man. The words of men pass away, but the Word of God is spoken eternally and will never pass away. The wisdom of all ages is contained in the Word of God.

Third, because of Jesus Christ, mankind will no longer be the same. People would be compelled either to accept Him or to reject Him. With Christ, there would be no such thing as compromise; only acceptance or rejection. Such was the words prophesied by Simeon when Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus into the Temple: “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted.” (Luke 2:34) However, the mission of Christ on earth would not be to put souls on trial, but to redeem them. And yet, there will be those who will detest His coming. There will also be those who will inquire about Him, but they will never take the next step to really know Him. But for those who welcome Jesus into their hearts, darkness will turn to light. Because of Christ, tax collectors have become honest; prostitutes have become pure and prodigals have returned home. The sinners, with whom Jesus sat down and ate, have become saints.

The world tells us that happiness comes with the acquisition of goods and the numbing of pain. However, our ordinary human experience tells us that joy comes when we have good relations with others and when we have something to look forward to. But if we are looking for the fullness of joy, which is the best kind of joy that lasts, we must come to know the face of God in Jesus Christ. Only then can we really know who we are: you and I are not simply emergent life-forms composed of cells, nerves and tissues; we are so much more than that. Because the Son of God died on the Cross for our sins, we know that we are beloved creatures of the Creator of the universe. Let us believe in Jesus Christ, so that we can look forward to having the fullness of life with God.

The Holy Name of Jesus Chinese Catholic Mission is offering an additional Mass to give you more opportunities to celebrate the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our revised Christmas Mass schedule is as follows:

  • Christmas Eve Mass, Dec. 24 at 7:00pm (English)
  • Christmas Midnight Mass, Dec. 24 at 11:30pm (Chinese)
  • Christmas Day Mass, Dec. 25 at 10:30am (Chinese)

Prayer List：Tina Yang，Agnes Lam，Shuang-san Wang，Bo Hao Pan，Ann Hsu，Cao é Shen，Braden Leung，Lucky Lee。