If somebody asked you, “Do you know Jesus?” you would likely answer: “Yes!”
Most of us already “know” Christ. That is, we know the most famous events of His life, we know that He died for us, and many of us know Him through personal prayer. But could you really tell His life story? Do you know as much about His life as you do about your friends and family?
If we want to transform our spiritual lives, we must learn even more about the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth.
Get to Know Jesus as God and Man
Truth is not some thing. Truth is a Person: Jesus Christ. As we strive for a personal relationship with Him, we must come to know Him through Sacred Scripture. We need to know Him and the way He lived. We need to learn about Truth—the Person—through the actions and dispositions of His earthly life.
In many ways, this is a mystery. And while it can be hard to understand, it is also comforting. We don’t need a philosophy degree or a theology degree to know the truth. We just need to get to know Jesus.
We can get to know Him in the Mass and through prayer, but we can also dig deeper into His earthly life and mission through a close look at Scripture. The entirety of the Bible points toward one thing: Jesus.
The Old Testament prophets proclaim the coming of a Savior; God’s covenants with the Jews prepare them for the New Covenant in Christ; countless men are prefigurements of Jesus.
And then Jesus comes. He lives, He works, He teaches, He performs miracles. We know the big events. His birth at Bethlehem. The miracles and healings. His crucifixion and resurrection. But if we want to know Him better—if we want to develop a relationship with Him—we need to really get to know Him.
We do that through the Mass and quiet moments of prayer. And we do it through a close, prayerful reading of His life in the Scriptures.
By looking at His earthly life and ministry, from beginning to end, we can walk with Jesus as we never have before.
How To Begin
Are you ready to deepen your relationship with Jesus? Here are two great ways to start:
1.) Read a small portion of the Gospels daily. Jesus’ life in Scripture is the most direct way to learn about Him. It’s His life in His own words! We recommend a pocket New Testament. This particular one even has daily passages pre-marked, making it easy to read a small portion every day. Don’t jump around. Start with one particular gospel, and read the whole thing.
2.) Sign up for the Good Catholic series The Life of Christ. You’ll receive 40 daily articles and video reflections that illuminate the events of Jesus’ earthly life and connect them to other aspects of His story, so that you can gain a fuller knowledge of Christ.
Sign up for The Life of Christ today!
