The Gospel of Jesus Christ proclaims the good news that God loves man unconditionally and He sent his only Son to suffer and die on the Cross to restore the relationship that was damaged when man sinned.
The evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John each wrote one of the four Gospels included in the Canon of Sacred Scripture.
The synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke share the same stories and sequences of events but with different emphasis, perspective, and intended audiences.
The Gospel of John has a style of its own, relying on religious imagery and sacramental symbols.
Together, the four Gospels tell all that is known today about how Jesus lived, taught, and sacrificed Himself.
Reading from the Gospels has a prominent place in Catholic worship, particularly during the Liturgy of the Word at Mass.
Four portraits of Jesus:
Based on the accounts of people who knew Jesus personally:
Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us,a just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them down to us, I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received.
Luke 1: 1-4
The Gospels tell how Jesus fulfills the story of the Bible:
Each Gospel tells a story of its own:
The Gospels are the heart of all the Scriptures “because they are our principal source for the life and teaching of the Incarnate Word, our Savior”.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 125
Matthew, Mark, and Luke present the lives of Jesus in a similar way:
John’s Gospel is unique among the Gospels:
It is common knowledge that among all the Scriptures, even those of the New Testament, the Gospels have a special preeminence, and rightly so, for they are the principal witness for the life and teaching of the incarnate Word, our savior. The Church has always and everywhere held and continues to hold that the four Gospels are of apostolic origin. For what the Apostles preached in fulfillment of the commission of Christ, afterwards they themselves and apostolic men, under the inspiration of the divine Spirit, handed on to us in writing: the foundation of faith, namely, the fourfold Gospel, according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Pope Paul VI, Dei Verbum, November 18, 1965
Proclaiming the Gospel is the high point of the Liturgy of the Word:
Each of the four Gospels is highlighted at Mass at different times:
We want the Gospel to touch our mind, our lips, and our hearts:
The Truth, Goodness, and Beauty of the Catholic Church
The helping hand of a neighbor:
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