Was Jesus confused about who he was?

So I see this Tweet...

Asking "Who did Jesus think he was?" 😒

My first thought is: Where do you begin with 'Catholics' like this? As if God didn't know He was God!

I clicked the link to this retreat... 

"This is a series of 3 study days.
The first part of the course will examine how Jesus fits into the Jewish and political world of Roman Palestine and how he understood himself and his mission in that context.  (He seems to have directed his mission only to Jews and not to Gentiles: why?  How did he view his death?)  These questions have been extensively studied in recent ‘Life of Jesus Research’, sometimes in a very sceptical way.  What can we say about his self-understanding?  
The second part will consider how his self-interpretation was elaborated and amplified in the Church’s teaching that this particular man should be understood as the incarnation of God’s Word.  Is the idea of someone who is ‘divine’ and human’ credible?  When you focus on Jesus the Galilean Jew, does this undermine belief in him as the divine Son of God?  Or does it ‘flesh out’ what Incarnation really might mean?" 

At first I was just disgusted and angry reading this. Then I felt fear. I've been reading a lot of end times things, Bible, Saints, prophecies etc, lately and all I am left with is fear for the flock. Our shepherds aren't protecting us or educating most of us to give us the tools against modernists and those hell bent on destroying the Faith and leading people into confusion and doubt. And then I took a moment and thought maybe its not what I thought, cause I don't think very highly of the Jesuits these days (minus Father Mitch over at EWTN). 

So perhaps this retreat is truly about answering people who have these questions. I'm going to hope for the best here, and believe this isn't a modernist retreat meant to cause confusion and sew protestant theology into the minds of the Catholic Faithful.

That said, anyone considering this "retreat" save yourself the cash and confusion. Just open your Bible, all the answers are right there.

1) Who did Jesus think he was? 

John 10:30 Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition30 "I and the Father are one."

2) He seems to have directed his mission only to Jews and not to Gentiles: why?  

Because he was the Messiah the Jews had been waiting for. The pagans were not waiting for a Messiah, they had their idols. That said, Jesus wanted all to come to Him for salvation, but he came first to preach to the Jews and show them He was their Messiah. 

Mark 7:25-30 Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition 25 For a woman as soon as she heard of him, whose daughter had an unclean spirit, came in and fell down at his feet.
26 For the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophenician born. And she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.
27 Who said to her: Suffer first the children to be filled: for it is not good to take the bread of the children, and cast it to the dogs.
28 But she answered and said to him: Yea, Lord; for the whelps also eat under the table of the crumbs of the children.
29 And he said to her: For this saying go thy way, the devil is gone out of thy daughter.
30 And when she was come into her house, she found the girl lying upon the bed, and that the devil was gone out.

3) How did he view his death?

Jesus viewed his death as a sacrifice. God was Incarnate for the purpose of being our Sacrifice so we might have eternity in Heaven with Him. 

John 10:16-18  Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition 16 And other sheep I have, that are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.
17 Therefore doth the Father love me: because I lay down my life, that I may take it again.
18 No man taketh it away from me: but I lay it down of myself, and I have power to lay it down: and I have power to take it up again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

4) What can we say about his self-understanding?

We can say Jesus had a perfect self understanding about himself because he says so. There is no confused bewildered Jesus wandering around in the Scriptures trying to find his inner God.

John 10 24 The Jews therefore came round about him, and said to him: How long dost thou hold our souls in suspense? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
25 Jesus answered them: I speak to you, and you believe not: the works that I do in the name of my Father, they give testimony of me.
26 But you do not believe, because you are not of my sheep.
27 My sheep hear my voice: and I know them, and they follow me.
28 And I give them life everlasting; and they shall not perish for ever, and no man shall pluck them out of my hand.
29 That which my Father hath given me, is greater than all: and no one can snatch them out of the hand of my Father.
30 I and the Father are one.

5) Is the idea of someone who is ‘divine’ and human’ credible?  

Yes, if you're a Christian.

John 1:14 Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we saw his glory, the glory as it were of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

and... 

Romans 1:1-4 Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition 1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
2 Which he had promised before, by his prophets, in the holy scriptures,
3 Concerning his Son, who was made to him of the seed of David, according to the flesh,
4 Who was predestinated the Son of God in power, according to the spirit of sanctification, by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead;

6) When you focus on Jesus the Galilean Jew, does this undermine belief in him as the divine Son of God?  

No. Never. 

Philippians 2:5-11 Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition 5 "For let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and in habit found as a man.
8 He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross.
9 For which cause God also hath exalted him, and hath given him a name which is above all names:
10 That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth:
11 And that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father."

7) Or does it ‘flesh out’ what Incarnation really might mean?

1 Timothy 3:16 Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition 16 "And evidently great is the mystery of godliness, which was manifested in the flesh, was justified in the spirit, appeared unto angels, hath been preached unto the Gentiles, is believed in the world, is taken up in glory."

I love being Catholic, but right now I am heartbroken for my Church and souls being lost. I truly hope this retreat is sound and faithful to the Faith and not more modernist poison. 

Jesuit quote: "These questions have been extensively studied in recent ‘Life of Jesus Research’, sometimes in a very sceptical way." 

The answers to all these questions are right in the Bible. There is no reason to be skeptical or debate what is clearly stated in Sacred Scripture and has been taught by the Church for more than two thousand years.


God help us all in these troubled times.


In Christ, 

Julie 



Link: https://www.pathwaystogod.org/courses-events-retreats/jewish-jesus-and-divine-christ 

Good Friday

How did and do so many Jews miss it?? 

All the signs, all the prophecy, all the proof and still they reject Him. 

From the Old Testament to the New Testament its there for all with eyes to see. 


Ezekiel 37 New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition 

The Valley of Dry Bones
37 The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. 3 He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” 10 I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.

11 Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’ 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. 14 I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.”   



Matthew 27:50-53 New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition 

50 "Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. 53 After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many." 


God bless you all this Good Friday!🙏


In Christ, 

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner 

Why do you Repent and go to Confession?

Today I have an interesting (and little known to me) view of Christ's finished work and what some say is no need for repentance. I don't know if this view of never having to repent is widespread or not, but I am guessing it's a new theology among some proclaimed Christians today. I'd love to hear from my readers what they think and if they've come across this non repenting view before. Is this typical of nondenominational churches? Here's the question and my response:

Cassie writes: I belong to a Holy Spirit filled Evangelical Nondenominational Church and I totally do not understand the Catholic "Confession" doctrine. Why do you confess to a priest or anyone? There is nothing for anyone to repent of since Christ died and took all our sins to the cross. He died once and for all people taking the sins of us all Himself. We don't carry any sins now. There wasn't one sin that was left out. His work was complete...it was finished says Jesus Christ in scripture. Do you not believe that? Do you think you need to repent of things He already forgave you for...sins He already paid for? It's over and done. We (believers) are automatically forgiven all our sins just by believing in Christ. You don't have to confess or repent, Christ did it all for you.

My response: Wow... well that's a new theology to me! Thanks for sharing your views. Let me ask you something. If your spouse lies to you on Monday and you forgive him, then he repeats it on Friday is he "automatically" forgiven or do you wish him to confess the lie to you and ask to be forgiven for hurting you again? Christ sacrificed Himself on the cross to bring salvation. He is our Savior because of His sacrifice for us. Jesus never said people are now "automatically" forgiven. The "it is finished" is referring to Christ has completed all that was told of Him.
Luke 24:44 "He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."
The bible from the Old Testament to the New Testament preaches repentance. Repentance is not just saying we are sorry, but also the action of being willing to change and not commit the offense again. This is often difficult and even those who try very hard to stay away from sin still fall into it. Each time we are called to repent and ask God forgiveness for sinning against Him. When we sin, we are hurting God. I can't imagine any Christian not wanting to say they are sorry to God for hurting Him. If you hurt a dear friend because you've said or done something against them, don't you feel guilt and sorrow that you've caused this dear one pain? Shouldn't it be more so when you hurt and bring sorrow to God for your actions or words? Christians must repent of every sin against God and each other!
Acts 17:30 "In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent."
Now about Confession in the Catholic Church. Confession or Penance as it's called is completely scriptural. It comes from Jesus Christ in the Gospels. Jesus gifted His priests with the power and authority to forgive sins or retain them.
John 20:22-23 "And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
This was done ONLY to Christ's priests. This was not done with all believers, but specifically to the priests in the Catholic Church Jesus Christ had just founded on earth and placed Simon Peter the first pope of; Matt.16:18-19 "And I tell you that you are Peter [Rock], and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
Here is some of what the Catholic Catechism has to say on Penance (Confession):
#1455 "The confession (or disclosure) of sins, even from a simply human point of view, frees us and facilitates our reconciliation with others. Through such an admission man looks squarely at the sins he is guilty of, takes responsibility for them, and thereby opens himself again to God and to the communion of the Church in order to make a new future possible."
I think that says it perfectly. I hope I have helped you understand this sacrament in the Catholic Church. God bless.