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| There has lived in this world one man alone in whom, if He is taken wholly, no fault whatsoever has been found, one man who has shown Himself in all things perfect, one man whose accurate picture, moreover, has been handed down for us all to study. |
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The impossible has been done before our eyes.
Hearing the words of Jesus, believers and skeptics agree that "never did man speak as this man spoke." Weighing His deeds, they declare that "He hath done all things well."
Comparing Him with others, they conclude, "Never have we seen the like." Considering the charges against Him, they confess with Pilate, "We find no fault in this just man."
Now look on His face again:
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In this weathered granite image, do you see perfections that cause even unbelievers to marvel?
I don't.
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And what about the image of Jesus that, over the years, has settled in your mind? Is it as weathered and worn as this faded granite? Is Jesus so familiar that after a glance, you turn back to your business?
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Were you ever actually to meet Jesus on the street . . . were you to meet there this perfect man in whom no fault was found, this man who was greater than storytellers can imagine, more sublime than any human before or since,
His gaze alone
would stop you:
. . . as it stopped those who encountered Him in Nazareth, Galilee, and Jerusalem.
If ever you met Him in the flesh, you'd never be satisfied with an image as imprecise as the granite above
. . . nor should you!
| Jesus came to us in the flesh as a man. It is essential for yoursalvation that you come to know Him for the man He was. |
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That's why two archbishops have each written brief books to acquaint you with Jesus as men and women of Palestine experienced Him when He walked and talked with them daily.
Together, these compact volumes comprise hardly more than 200 small pages, but their power to change your life is incredible:
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In the first, The Man Christ Jesus, Giacomo Cardinal Biffi (b. 1928), archbishop emeritus of Bologna, and a close friend of Pope Benedict, combs through every word of the Gospels to give you a complete physical and psychological portrait of Jesus, so that you come to know Jesus as did those who encountered Him face-to-face. With Cardinal Biffi's help and as never before, you'll come to see Jesus as . . .
* A man of great physical strength, vigor, handsomeness, and charisma
* A true friend, humble and selfless in all his dealings
* A man with a brilliant, complex mind yet able to teach the simplest people
* A "politically incorrect" preacher whose message leaves no one unchallenged
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From Cardinal Biffi's book you'll step away feeling as if, after years of believing, you've met Jesus in person. Finally, you'll know what it's like to be in His presence, to hear His voice, to have Him look tenderly into your eyes, . . . to meet the man Christ Jesus, and, meeting Him, to love Him..
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Alban Goodier (1869-1939), the late Jesuit Archbishop of Mumbai, also turns our attention to Jesus walking and talking in Palestine, answering questions, healing and consoling the men and women who are drawn to him.
In The Good Galilean, Archbishop Goodier considers those things Jesus's disciples learned from Him about the inner life of God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), but more particularly he illuminates what they learned from Jesus about the inner life of man - not as you and I live it now, but as we should live it.
You see, because our Lord was God, He was also Perfect Man. So in His own person He was able to show us human nature as He had initially created it, before Adam's Fall.
From Jesus's example (and with Archbishop Goodier's help), you'll learn how to acquire and to balance in yourself virtues that we often find hard to reconcile: mercy with justice; gentleness with strength; frankness with tenderness; self-respect with humility; and authority with vulnerability; and, permeating every thought, word, act and virtue, love.
With Jesus as His exemplar, Archbishop Goodier shows you how to become more like God, and, by doing so, to grow more fully and truly human.
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Recall the two images I showed you earlier, one worn by time and blurry, the other quite sharp and intense. In its details and sharpness, which is like your mental image of Jesus?
In his book, Cardinal Biffi notes thatwhen, like the rich young man below, we are brought face-to-face with the unique mystery of the man Christ Jesus,
we either reject Him or we fall on our knees before Him.
There is no middle way.
May the the pages of these two holy books reveal to you the face of Christ, and bring you more readily and lovingly to your knees before Him! |
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 | Or buy both books together for only $20*
At checkout enter code: HLAMG20
*Shipping not included. Not eligible for any other discount. Offer ends 4/9/12. |
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Order online now or call
1-800-888-9344
www.SophiaInstitute.com |
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