LANFRANCO, Giovanni
Miracle of the Bread and Fish
13 Public life of Jesus 1620-23
Oil on canvas, 229 x 426 cm
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin
Compendium of the Catechism
108. Why did Jesus manifest
the Kingdom by means of
signs and miracles?
547-550
567
Jesus accompanied his words
with signs and miracles to bear
witness to the fact that the
Kingdom is present in him, the
Messiah. Although he healed
some people, he did not come
to abolish all evils here below
but rather to free us especially
from the slavery of sin. The
driving out of demons
proclaimed that his cross would
be victorious over “the ruler of
this world” (John 12:31).
Introduction
We christians "have to meditate
on the life of Jesus, from His
birth in a stable right up to His
death and resurrection (...). For
we do need to know it well, to
have it in our heart and mind,
so that at any time, without any
book, we can close our eyes
and contemplate His life,
watching it like a movie (...).
If we do this without holding
back, Christ's words will enter
GIORDANO, Luca deep into our soul and will
Raising of Lazarus
c. 1675 really change us." (Saint
Oil on canvas, 256 x 362 cm Josemaría Escrivá de
Private collection
Balaguer, Christ is passing by,
n. 107).
Main ideas
1. The mysteries of the public life of Jesus
From the many events of the
three years of the public life of
Jesus, we can highlight:
the baptism of Jesus in the
Jordan,
the temptations in the desert,
the preaching of the Kingdom
of God,
the transfiguration on Mount
Tabor,
the journey from Galilee to
Jerusalem,
CRANACH, Lucas the Elder His messianic entry into
Christ and the Adulteress Jerusalem,
1532
Oil on panel, 82,5 x 121 cm and the mysteries of His
Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest Passion, Death and
Resurrection so as to redeem
mankind.
2. Jesus' Baptism in the River Jordan
The public life of Jesus
begins with His Baptism.
The Baptism of Jesus was
the public manifestation of
Jesus as the Messiah and
the Son of God, equal to
the Father, before the
people of Israel.
Jesus' Baptism recalls our
own baptism.
CARRACCI, Annibale
The Baptism of Christ
1584
S. Gregorio, Bolonia
3. The temptation of Christ in the wilderness
After being baptized, Jesus
went to the desert to pray and
fast, allowing himself to be
tempted by the devil.
Jesus' replies to the tempter
showed His filial identification
with the salvific plan of God,
His Father.
Every year the Church
celebrates these forty days of
Jesus in the wilderness, where,
to set us example, with His
fasting, He overcame the
DUCCIO di Buoninsegna devil's temptations.
Temptation on the Mount
1308-11
Tempera on wood, 43 x 46 cm
Frick Collection, New York
4. The preaching about the Kingdom of God
Jesus came to the world to
preach the Kingdom of God
and to found His Church.
The Sermon on the Mount
and the parables are a
specially significant part of His
preaching. He confirmed His
mission with His holiness and
His miracles.
From the beginning of His
public life, Jesus chose twelve
apostles to be with Him and to
share closely in His mission. DOMENICO DI MICHELINO
Dante and the Three Kingdoms
1465
Oil on canvas
Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Florence
5. The transfiguration of Christ on the Mount Tabor
Jesus was transfigured before
three of His disciples -Peter,
James and John- in order to
strengthen their faith because
His Passion was close at hand.
Following tradition, this
transfiguration occurred on
Mount Tabor.
ANGELICO, Fra
Transfiguration
1440-41
Fresco, 193 x 164 cm
Convento di San Marco, Florence
6. Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem
Jesus went up to Jerusalem
willingly, ready to die.
The messianic entry into
Jerusalem, which we celebrate
on Palm Sunday, shows the
coming of the Kingdom that the
Messiah-King -greeted in His
town by the children and the
humble of heart- would carry
out with His death and
resurrection.
GIOTTO di Bondone
No. 26 Scenes from the Life of Christ: 10. Entry into Jerusalem
1304-06
Fresco, 200 x 185 cm
Cappella Scrovegni (Arena Chapel), Padua
7. From the Cenacle to Calvary
"When Jesus knew that His hour had
come to depart out of this world to
the Father, having loved His own
who were in the world, He loved
them to the end." (John 13:1).
Then Jesus opened His Heart in a
long speech framed around:
the washing of feet, in which he gives
His disciples example in humility and
service;
the new commandment of love, that
BASSANO, Jacopo
The Last Supper He entrusts to them;
1542 the institution of the Eucharist and the
Oil on canvas Priesthood: "Do this in remembrance
of me" (Luke, 22:19);
the promise of the Holy Spirit;
the priestly prayer of Jesus, that
opens the prospect of the glory of the
Cross.
8. Knowing the life of Jesus
Every Christian should know
the life of Jesus, and reproduce
Christ's life in his or her own
life.
Reading and meditating on
Sacred Scripture will help us,
because from Scripture we will
learn how to follow Jesus; He,
then, will show us the way to
holiness in our ordinary life, in
our family and in our work.
BOSCH, Hieronymus
Christ Carrying the Cross
Oil on panel, 150 x 94 cm
Palacio Real, Madrid
Resolutions for Christian life
Resolutions to move forward
Read and meditate every day
some passage from the Gospel
about the life of Jesus
Jesus is our model in
everything; let us imitate the life
of Christ in our dealings with
other people.