The Most Holy Name of Jesus

The Catechism teaches us that the Word became flesh through the Incarnation for our salvation. Jesus reconciles us with God, reveals God’s love, and was sent so that we might live through him and have eternal life. By taking on human nature, Jesus also becomes our model of holiness, teaching us to listen to him, walk in the way of truth and life, and love one another as he has loved us. This mystery invites us to enter into communion with the Word and become partakers of the divine nature through divine sonship. As we confess that Jesus Christ truly came in the flesh, we join the Church’s joyful faith in the mystery of the Incarnation.

The Catechism highlights the profound mystery of the Incarnation: Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man, not a mixture of the divine and human. Without ceasing to be God, the Son of God became man and our brother. The early Church defended and clarified this faith against errors that denied or confused Christ’s true divinity, true humanity, or his one divine person. The councils also proclaimed that Mary is truly the Mother of God, because the Son of God was conceived in her womb and born from her according to the flesh. For Catholic families, these truths invite us to wonder at Jesus Christ, who became man for our salvation and remains one of the Holy Trinity.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church presents the Catholic faith as an organic and unified whole, helping readers connect its themes through cross-references and an analytical index. Its references to Sacred Scripture invite readers to consult the biblical passages themselves for deeper understanding, and serve as a valuable tool for catechesis. Some small-print passages provide historical, apologetic, or supplementary doctrinal explanations, while quotations from patristic, liturgical, magisterial, and hagiographical sources enrich the presentation of doctrine. The Catechism seeks to deepen faith so that it matures, takes root in personal life, and shines forth in personal conduct. It also recognizes that adapting doctrine and catechetical methods to different cultures, ages, spiritual maturity, and circumstances is the responsibility of particular catechisms and especially those who instruct the faithful.