October 31, 2010 – Catechism 571-576

Christ death and Resurrection is at the center of everything we believe.  Why was it done this way, why at this time, why, why, why?  The entire Paschal Sacrifice of Christ is a Mystery we will never fully understand in our earthly life.  But that does not mean it is something we should not dig deeper into, quite the contrary.  There is nothing more revealing than searching through the Mystery that is Christ Sacrifice.  Nothing makes us more humble and ready to repent than studying what Christ did and why.  Nothing makes us thankful to God than reflecting on Christ taking the place of us on the Cross.  That is why I where my crucifix every day.  To constantly remind me of what I am to be thankful for, what I need to reflect on and humbled by. 

From the very beginning of Jesus ministry He was seen as an enemy of those in power in the Jewish religion.  I just finished reading about St. Francis Xavier.  He was often ridiculed for spending so much time with the poor and uneducated.  Jesus was the same.  The poor, the sinners, the lepers, the unclean, spending time with them was seen as beneath those that consider themselves holy.  You would think that those “holier than though” types would have just left Jesus alone if they didn’t want to be dealing with them.  But similar to St. Francis, they are not satisfied by being “holier than though”, they must also be praised, honored, and adored by those poor and sinful.  When Jesus goes to them, telling them they are to inherit the Kingdom, makes them equal to all men because they are in the Image and Likeness of God, Jesus goes beyond helping the poor and moves into totally changing the world that these men controlled.  That was something they could not allow and, little did they know, had no way to stop, because the Truth is what the Truth is and no matter what they thought, did, or tried, nothing can change the Truth. 

Polemical means to be argumentative.  Not all of Jesus’ dealings with the Pharisees and Scribes were arguments and disagreements.