The Four Gospels

Everyone knows the gospels are very important to the Catholic Church, But why? We read them at mass every Sunday so they must have a deeper meaning. Well that’s just it. They teach about Jesus’ life on earth, his death and resurrection. They might differ from each other but that is because they were written by four different authors. They’re Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Some of his most trusted apostles. The gospels inform us on Jesus teaching and life. This is why we know the correct way we should live our lives and how to achieve the ultimate goal, heaven.

Matthew was the first author. The symbol for the gospel of Matthew is a winged man. His book contains over 125 Old Testament quotes. As Jesus would perform miracles and make decisions,

Mark whose full name was John Mark an associate with Simon Peter, one of the 12 apostles that followed Jesus throughout His public ministry on earth. Peter was the name given to Simon by Jesus Christ personally. He was very close to Jesus and after the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, Peter was one of the founders of the early church. Although the book was written by Mark, the facts contained in it are thought to be the accounts of Peter during his ministry with Jesus. The consensus among scholars is that the book of Mark was written between 50 and 60 A.D. The author is referenced several times in the New Testament starting in the book of Acts and finally in the book of Mark was probably written in Italy, and perhaps even Rome. This book has 16 chapters and is the shortest book of the four gospels. However, the details of the events and miracles of Jesus in this book are

While the other gospels emphasize the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven, John instead emphasizes new life found in Jesus. It’s from John that we get Christ’s famous claim “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me” -John 14:6. Jesus frequently uses metaphors to hint at his identity. John records more of these analogies than any other gospel, giving us some of the most famous word pictures for Christ. Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’” —John 6:35. “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” —John 8:12. “‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.’” —John 15:5. Each of the gospels record when Jesus calls his disciples. Only in John, some of his disciples bring their friends and family to meet him, where they too are called to be disciples. Thomas insisted that he needed to physically see the resurrected Jesus before he would believe. When he eventually touches Jesus’ wounds, Thomas finally believes what the other disciples have been telling him all along, declaring, “My Lord and my God”. “Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet