Who is this man, Jesus, whom we profess our faith in?

His life was profound.

Jesus was a man, who was from the royal line of King David, who was born in a village from which it was predicted the messiah would come, whose name was given to his mother in a dream, and who as a baby was presented in a temple and great things were envisioned of him. Imagine, being Mary, at your child’s presentation at the Temple, and people come up to him and say, “he is the one”.

The brief glimpses of his youth we get in scripture show a teenager spending his time with the wise Temple teachers and a teenager raised to reverence his faith. We see a man who had a profound experience of God in the desert, and who came back from that experience charged with sharing a message of God’s love. We see a man who taught us about God’s love through his stories and his actions. Who had the power to bring about healing and forgiveness. Jesus was a radical, a man that stood for love and compassion. Who stood against what was the natural order of his time.

Jesus was a man who had the courage to go to Jerusalem and face those that most threatened him. A man who as he hung on the cross cried out to God for help, and at the same time he offered comfort to his mother and best friend and he offered forgiveness to the man next to him on the cross even in the midst of his own agony. A man who promised us the great gift of the Holy Spirit so he could continue to be God in them and with them.

Who is Jesus to you?

How are you remembering him during Holy Week?

Becky Eldredge

Becky is an Ignatian-trained spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and writer. She is the author of the Busy Lives and Restless Souls (March 2017, Loyola Press) and The Inner Chapel (April 2020, Loyola Press). She helps others create space to connect faith and everyday life through facilitating retreats and days of reflection, through writing, and through spiritual direction. With nearly twenty years of ministry experience within the Catholic Church, Becky seeks to help others discover God at work in the every day moments of people’s lives by utilizing St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises and the many gifts that our Catholic faith and Ignatian Spirituality provide.