Initially shared by word of mouth, the Gospel that proclaims the saving work of Jesus Christ was eventually recorded by four evangelists in written form and included in the Church’s Canon of Sacred Scripture.
Gospel means “good news”, referring to God’s unconditional love for man that moved God to send Jesus, his only Son, to suffer and die on the Cross to restore the relationship that was damaged when Adam sinned.
The evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John each wrote one of the four Gospels that make up the first part of the New Testament of the Holy Bible.
Together, these four books are the written form of all that is known of Jesus while He lived on Earth, from his miraculous Virgin Birth and his public ministry, to his Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension into Heaven.
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 mystical and theological style of its own, relying on religious imagery and sacramental symbols.
Reading from these Gospels has a prominent place in Catholic worship, particularly during the Liturgy of the Word at Mass.
At Sunday Mass, over a 3-year cycle, the Church reads mostly from Matthew’s Gospel in the first year, from Mark and John in the second year, and from Luke in the third. The Gospel of John is read during the Easter season in all three years.
The Gospel readings for weekday Masses begin with Mark each year, followed by Matthew and then Luke. During the Easter season, the Gospel of John is read on weekdays.
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
There are four canonical Gospels:
God loves to work through humanity:
Four portraits of Jesus:
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
Each of the four Gospels in unique:
Each of the Gospel writers has their own perspective:
Matthew, Mark, and Luke present Jesus’ life 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, 18 November 1965
Proclaiming the Gospel is the high point of the Liturgy of the Word:
Asking that the Gospel touch our mind, our lips, and our heart:
The Truth, Goodness, and Beauty of the Catholic Church
Spiritual fruit from America:
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