Hoping for and Needing Mercy

(From John Martin, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)

I care about God's mercy because I'm a sinner, which doesn't mean what you may think.

First, a quick review of what I don't believe is true. (March 15, 2015)

I'm not "some loathsome insect," and neither are you:

"...every unconverted Man properly belongs to Hell...."

"...The God that holds you over the Pit of Hell, much as one holds a Spider, or some loathsome Insect, over the Fire, abhors you...."

"...you will be wholly lost and thrown away of God...."
("Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," pp. 6, 9, 15, 18; Jonathan Edwards (July 8, 1741) (via Digital Commons@University of Nebraska-Lincoln))

Samuel Clemens apparently had a well-defined attitude regarding "converted" folks, and I can't say that I blame him:

"I don't like to commit myself about heaven and hell - you see, I have friends in both places.

"When I think of the number of disagreeable people that I know who have gone to a better world, I am sure hell won't be so bad at all."
(Mark Twain, p.377 of Evan Esar, "20,000 quips & quotes" (1968))

"[H]eaven for climate, Hell for society."
(Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), Speech to the Acorn Society (1901); via Wikiquote.org)

"I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself: 'All right, then I'll go to Hell."
(Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), via Bartlett's Quotations, 16th ed.)

Still "in the Divine Image"

Catholics don't, or shouldn't, think that we're 'loathsome insects' that belong in Hell. We have free will, so going native is an option: and another topic.¹

God makes us, and this universe, and God doesn't make junk. (Genesis 1:31; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 31, 299, 355)

We're rational creatures who can decide what we do, like angels. Unlike angels, we are also material creatures: spiritual beings with a body made from the stuff of this world. (Catechism, 311, 325-348, 1704, 1730-1731)

Something went wrong, obviously. Glancing through headlines tells you that.

But we're still made "in the divine image," as Genesis 1:27 puts it.

The first of us — Adam and Eve aren't German² — decided that they'd do what they wanted, even though it meant disobeying God. Then Adam tried blaming his wife, and God: and things went downhill from there. (Genesis 3:1-12)

We've been living with the disastrous consequences of that bad decision ever since. (Catechism, 396-412)

Sin

Sin³ is not a handful of activities I either don't enjoy, can't participate in, or actively dislike.

It is what happens when I decide not to do something I should; or decide to do something I know is bad for myself or others, and do it anyway. It "is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience" — and God. (Catechism, 1849-1864)

I know that I should unceasingly love my neighbors, see everybody as my neighbor, and treat others as I want to be treated. (Matthew 5:43-44, 7:12, 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31 10:25-27, 29-37)

But I don't. I've got lots of company, and there's a reason for that.

God could have created an unchanging universe, but didn't: not in our case, at any rate. We're in a "state of journeying" toward perfection, but we're not there yet. (Catechism, 302, 310)

We started out in harmony with ourselves, with the world, and with God: but that harmony is broken. Human nature has been wounded: but not corrupted. (Catechism, 374, 400-406)

I can decide to do what is good: but it won't be easy. (Catechism, 407-409)

Trying to do what is right doesn't set me apart from the rest of humanity.

We're not divided into 'good' people who are like me and 'bad' people who aren't. Life isn't that simple. (March 22, 2016; September 27, 2015)

"...But there is another temptation which we must especially guard against: the simplistic reductionism which sees only good or evil; or, if you will, the righteous and sinners...."⁴
("Visit to the Congress of the United States of America," Pope Francis (September 24, 2015))

A Very High Standard

(From John Martin, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)

After the end of all things, I'll be with our Lord in Heaven: or not. (Catechism, 1023-1029, 1033-1037, 1042-1050)

Nobody's dragged, kicking and screaming, into Heaven: so at my particular judgment I could walk away from our Lord. That's a daft option: but it is an option. (Catechism, 1021-1022)

Justice⁵ is important. So is mercy. (Catechism, 1805, 1829, 1861, 1991-2011)

I hope for mercy, so I try to forgive others. (Matthew 6: 12)

"¹³ 'Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.

"Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.' "
(Luke 6:37-38)

Our Lord set a very high standard for forgiveness:

"Father, forgive them, they know not what they do."
(Luke 23:34)

Forgiving others doesn't mean ignoring trouble.

Sin isn't just about me and God. I'm not loving my neighbor if I see nothing wrong with someone hurting my neighbor. (Catechism, 2196)

Judging whether an act is good or bad is a basic requirement for being human. It's part of using my conscience. We're even expected to think about the actions of others. (Catechism, 1778, 2401-2449)

This isn't self-righteousness. It's hating the sin, loving the sinner: and leaving the judging of persons to God. (Catechism, 1861)

Before a quick overview of Divine Mercy Sunday, and the Divine Mercy devotion here in Sauk Centre; the best news we've ever had: God loves us, and wants to adopt us. All of us. (John 1:12-14, 3:17; Romans 8:14-17; Peter 1:3-4; Catechism, 27-30, 52, 1825, 1996)

Divine Mercy Sunday

Sauk Centre, Minnesota, was dedicated to the Divine Mercy⁶ on Divine Mercy Sunday, 1982. That's the year my wife and I married, it's her home town, we moved here a few years later, and that's yet another topic.

The Divine Mercy devotion started in Poland, where Saint Maria Faustyna (Faustina) Kowalska lived.

I've heard that official approval of the devotion took as long as it did in part because her diary was written in Polish — and folks at the Vatican had been reading a botched translation.

We eventually got a Polish pope, Pope Saint John Paul II, who could read the diary in its original Polish. That was good news for folks here in Sauk Centre: and elsewhere.

I put a resource link list at the end of this post.⁶

Divine Mercy Sunday is the Sunday following Easter, so it moves around the calendar a bit. This year it's April 2, today.

There's an image associated with the devotion, showing Jesus with two rays coming from our Lord's wounded heart; one red, the other white — representing blood and water. (John 19:34)

Sauk Centre's Divine Mercy devotion uses a carving my father-in-law made, based on St. Faustina's picture. A photo like the one up there takes its place at St. Paul's church, when the carving is on tour.

Pope St. John Paul II talked about the Divine Mercy, and what the red and white rays mean, when Sr. Mary Faustina Kowalska was canonized:

"...'Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; his steadfast love endures for ever' (Ps 118: 1). So the Church sings on the Octave of Easter, as if receiving from Christ's lips these words of the Psalm; from the lips of the risen Christ, who bears the great message of divine mercy and entrusts its ministry to the Apostles in the Upper Room: 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.... Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained' (Jn 20: 21-23).

"Before speaking these words, Jesus shows his hands and his side. He points, that is, to the wounds of the Passion, especially the wound in his heart, the source from which flows the great wave of mercy poured out on humanity. From that heart Sr Faustina Kowalska, the blessed whom from now on we will call a saint, will see two rays of light shining from that heart and illuminating the world: 'The two rays', Jesus himself explained to her one day, 'represent blood and water' (Diary, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, p. 132)...."
("Canonization of Sr. Mary Faustina Kowalska," Pope St. John Paul II (April 30, 2000) (Divine Mercy Sunday))

There's a Divine Mercy chaplet and a novena — and that's yet again another topic.

More of my take on mercy, love, and living as if God matters:

• "Mercy and the Prodigal Son"
  (March 9, 2016)
  Particularly
  • Sin, Sinners, and Me
  • Mercy and Grave Offenses
• "Mercy!"
  (December 13, 2015)
  Particularly
  • "Merciful Like the Father"
  • Mercy and Forgiveness
  • Relying on God's Mercy
  • "...The Forgiveness of God Cannot be Denied...."
• " Life, Death, and Love "
  (November 1, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Life, Death, and Beyond
• "Hate People? Not an Option"
  (September 6, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Love: NO EXCEPTIONS
  • Sin and Forgiveness
  • Death and Decisions
• "Fire, Brimstone, and Lollipop Faith"
  (March 15, 2015)
  Particularly
  • God Doesn't Hate You: But He's No Patsy
  • Hellfire and Lollipops
  • Living the Truth
  • Responsibility and an Ancient Mandate

---

¹ More about 'going native' — or not:

"go native (of a settler) to adopt the lifestyle of the local population, esp when it appears less civilized"
(the Free Online Dictionary)

"Go native is an expression meaning 'to adopt the lifestyle or outlook of local inhabitants'."
(Wikipedia)

"to go native (third-person singular simple present goes native, present participle going native, simple past went native, past participle gone native)

1. (idiomatic) To adopt the lifestyle or outlook of local inhabitants, especially when dwelling in a colonial region; to become less refined under the influence of a less cultured, more primitive, or simpler social environment.
2. (idiomatic) Of a contractor or consultant, to begin working directly as an employee for a company and cease to work through a contracting firm or agency."

(Wiktionary)

As a Christian and Catholic, my duty is "to contribute along with the civil authorities to the good of society in a spirit of truth, justice, solidarity, and freedom...." (Catechism, 2239)

I'm in the world, but do not 'belong to' the world. (John 17:16-18)

But being 'so heavenly-minded I'm no earthly good' isn't an option:

• "(Not) 'Going Native' "
  (August 30, 2015)
• "Fire, Brimstone, and Lollipop Faith"
  (March 15, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Hellfire and Lollipops
• "Reforming the World — We Must Try"
  (September 28, 2014)
  Particularly
  • One of 'Those Crazy Kids:' Five Decades Later
  • Social Justice
  • Faith, Works, and Perspective

² I keep saying this: I think this universe is billions, not thousands, of years old; Earth isn't flat; Adam and Eve aren't German; poetry isn't science; and thinking is not a sin:

• "Organics on a Comet, and Earth's Early Magnetism"
  (August 7, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Adam and Eve Aren't German
• "New Horizons: Past Pluto, Outward Bound"
  (July 17, 2015)
  Particularly
  • "Truth Cannot Contradict Truth" — or — Thinking is Not a Sin
• "New Maps for Earth and Moon, and India's Mars Mission"
  (October 10, 2014)
  Particularly
  • God: Infinite and Eternal, Almighty and Ineffable
• "Sagittarius B2, Water, and Asteroid Mining "
  (October 3, 2014)
  Particularly
  • Pillars Beneath Earth and NASA
• "Kapteyn b, Habitable Zones, and Using Our Brains"
  (July 18, 2014)
  Particularly
  • Copernicus and Newfangled Ideas
  • Poetry isn't Science

³ Sin, defined and discussed —

"SIN: An offense against God as well as a fault against reason, truth, and right conscience. Sin is a deliberate thought, word, deed, or omission contrary to the eternal law of God. In judging the gravity of sin, it is customary to distinguish between mortal and venial sins (1849, 1853, 1854)."
(Catechism, Glossary, S)

My take on sin:

• "Sex, Satan, and Me: Getting a Grip"
  (July 12, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Satan, Sin, and Being Human
  • Respect, Dignity, and Drunk Driving
  • Law, Love, and Nine Judges
• "Talking About Sin"
  (February 1, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Choice and Consequences

⁴ More from that speech:

"...On religious fundamentalism: 'In any confession there will be a small group of fundamentalists whose work is to destroy in the interests of an idea, not of a reality. Reality is superior to an idea. God, whether in Judaism, in Christianity, or in Islam, in the faith of those three peoples, accompanies God's people with his presence. In the Bible we see it, Muslims in the Quran. Our God is a God of nearness, which accompanies. Fundamentalists push God away from the companionship of his people; they dis-incarnate him, they transform him into an ideology. Therefore, in the name of this ideological God, they kill, attack, destroy, and calumniate. Practically, they transform this God into a Baal, into an idol.'..."
("Pope Francis: 'Jesus was popular and look how that turned out'," David Gibson, Religion News Service (September 14, 2015))

---

"...Our world is increasingly a place of violent conflict, hatred and brutal atrocities, committed even in the name of God and of religion. We know that no religion is immune from forms of individual delusion or ideological extremism. This means that we must be especially attentive to every type of fundamentalism, whether religious or of any other kind. A delicate balance is required to combat violence perpetrated in the name of a religion, an ideology or an economic system, while also safeguarding religious freedom, intellectual freedom and individual freedoms. But there is another temptation which we must especially guard against: the simplistic reductionism which sees only good or evil; or, if you will, the righteous and sinners...."
("Visit to the Congress of the United States of America," Pope Francis (September 24, 2015))

I recommend reading the entire address:

• "Visit to the Congress of the United States of America"
  Pope Francis (September 24, 2015)
  (From w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2015/september/documents/papa-francesco_20150924_usa-us-congress.html (September 24, 2015))

⁵ Justice is one of the cardinal virtues. (Catechism, 1805)

Feeling anger, a desire for revenge, is be a natural response to evil. Directing anger at a person, desiring revenge, may feel like justice, but it's wrong. (Catechism, 1472, 1762-1766, 2262, 2302)

"By recalling the commandment, "You shall not kill,"⁹⁴ our Lord asked for peace of heart and denounced murderous anger and hatred as immoral.

"Anger is a desire for revenge. 'To desire vengeance in order to do evil to someone who should be punished is illicit,' but it is praiseworthy to impose restitution 'to correct vices and maintain justice.'⁹⁵ If anger reaches the point of a deliberate desire to kill or seriously wound a neighbor, it is gravely against charity; it is a mortal sin. The Lord says, 'Everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment.'⁹⁶"
(Catechism, 2302)

Seeking vengeance is a bad idea, and we shouldn't do it:

"We know the one who said: 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay,' and again: 'The Lord will judge his people.' It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."
(Hebrews 10:30-31)

"Beloved, do not look for revenge but leave room for the wrath; for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' Rather, 'if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.' Do not be conquered by evil but conquer evil with good."
(Romans 12:19-21)

"¹ Therefore, you are without excuse, every one of you who passes judgment. ² For by the standard by which you judge another you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the very same things. ... There is no partiality with God."
(Romans 2:1-11)

"^{1 2} 'Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you."
(Matthew 7:1-2)

"¹¹ If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions."
(Matthew 6:14-15)

"¹⁷ But I say to you, whoever is angry ¹⁸ with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, 'Raqa,' will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna. " (Matthew 5:22)

"The vengeful will suffer the LORD'S vengeance, for he remembers their sins in detail. Forgive your neighbor's injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Should a man nourish anger against his fellows and expect healing from the LORD? Should a man refuse mercy to his fellows, yet seek pardon for his own sins? If he who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his sins?"
(Sirach 28:1-5)

I've talked about justice, vengeance, and getting a grip, before:

• " 'Those Who are Just Must be Kind' "
  (July 20, 2014)
  Particularly
  • The Beginning of Wisdom
  • Fear of the Lord and Karaoke
• "Vengeance, Anger, and Looking Ahead"
  (July 13, 2014)
  Particularly
  • Anger, Sin, and Getting a Grip
  • "Avenger of Blood," "Forgive ... Injustice" — the Bible and Getting a Grip

⁶ More about mercy, the Divine Mercy devotion, and St. Mary Faustina Kowalska:

• "Misericordiae Vultus - Bull of indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy"
  Pope Francis (April 11, 2015) (the day before Divine Mercy Sunday)
• "Holy Mass and the Canonization of Blesseds John XXIII and John Paul II"
  Pope Francis (April 27, 2014) (Divine Mercy Sunday)
• "Mass and Dedication of the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Kraków-Łagiewniki: Homily"
  Pope St. John Paul II, Apostolic Voyage to Poland (August 17, 2002)
• "Canonization of Sr. Mary Faustina Kowalska"
  Pope St. John Paul II (April 30, 2000) (Divine Mercy Sunday)
• "Mary Faustina Kowalska"
  1905-1938
  News Services, Vatican.va
• Wikipedia
  • Divine Mercy
    • Devotion
  • Faustina Kowalska
• Marians of the Immaculate Conception
  • Association of Marian Helpers
    Stockbridge, MA 01263-0004
  • 1 800 462 7426
  • www.marian.org

Another Easter

There have been only three to six major events so far, depending on how you count them: the creation of this universe; humanity's creation and fall; and our Lord's arrival, execution, and resurrection.

There's another big one coming, eventually, and I'll get back to that.

Cosmic Scale

I'm a Catholic, so I take Sacred Scripture very seriously,¹ including this:

"God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good. Evening came, and morning followed - the sixth day."
(Genesis 1:31)

We've known that God's creation was big and old, and been impressed, for a long time:

"¹ Think! The heavens, even the highest heavens, belong to the LORD, your God, as well as the earth and everything on it."
(Deuteronomy 10:14)

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky proclaims its builder's craft."
(Psalms 19:2)

"³ Raise your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth below; Though the heavens grow thin like smoke, the earth wears out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies, My salvation shall remain forever and my justice shall never be dismayed."
(Isaiah 51:6)

"⁴ Indeed, before you the whole universe is as a grain from a balance, or a drop of morning dew come down upon the earth."
(Wisdom 11:22-25)

I also believe that God is infinite and eternal, almighty and ineffable: beyond our power to describe or understand. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 202, 230)

I might not have created a universe as big and old as the one we're in: but God's God, I'm not, and that's a good thing.

As I see it, what we're learning about the cosmic scale of this creation is cause for greater admiration of God's work, and that's another topic. (July 26, 2015; March 29, 2015; September 21, 2014)

Wounded, but Basically Good

I've said this before: God doesn't make junk.

The universe is basically good. So are we — basically. (Genesis 1:26-27, 31; Catechism, 31, 299,)

The first of us — Adam and Eve aren't German — listened to Satan, ignoring what God had said. Then Adam tried blaming his wife, and God, which did not end well. (Genesis 3:5-13)

That was a very, very long time ago. We've been living with the disastrous consequences of their decision ever since. (Catechism, 396-412)

Humanity is still made "in the divine image." (Genesis 1:27)

But loving ourselves, others, and God is a struggle because the harmony we had with ourselves and with the universe is broken. Human nature is wounded: but not corrupted. (Catechism, 355-361, 374-379, 398, 400, 405, 1701-1707, 1949)

True God and True Man

About two thousand years ago, our Lord arrived:

"For God so loved the world that he gave ⁷ his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.

"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn ⁸ the world, but that the world might be saved through him."
(John 3:16-17)

Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Shepherds and Magi thought it was good news, Herod didn't, and that's yet another topic. (January 3, 2016)

The Word has become Flesh, true God and true man. (Catechism, 456-478)

Anguish, Betrayal, Blood, and Death

We reviewed Luke's account of our Lord's final Passover meal last week; and kept reading until Luke 23:55-56, where some women spotted the tomb his body was in.

The whole week has been like that. Friday's Gospel, John 18:1-19:42, was similarly uncheerful:

"^{1 2} When he had said this, Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to where there was a garden, into which he and his disciples entered."
...
"So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by."
(John 18:1,19:42)

There's been a lot of anguish, betrayal, torture, blood, and death, in this week's Sacred Scripture.

All four Gospels agree on what happened next, although the accounts don't quite match up: by American standards.²

"^{1 2 3} On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb."
(John 20:1)

It took time and effort, but our Lord finally convinced the surviving Apostles that they weren't seeing a ghost. Our Lord had stopped being dead. (November 22, 2015; October 18, 2015)

That's where it gets interesting.

The Eighth Day: Life, Death - - -

Two millennia later, we're still celebrating.

Pope St. John Paul II called the Resurrection of Jesus "the fundamental event upon which Christian faith rests ... the fulcrum of history."³

Death, physical death, happens: but it is not the end. (Catechism, 1007, 1010-1014, 1022, 1682)

"^{7 8} But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

"⁹ For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also through a human being.

"For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,"
(1 Corinthians 15:20-22)

What happens next is up to each of us: whether we've decided to accept or reject God's grace, and what we've done with our life. (John 14:15; 2 Timothy 1:9-10; James 2:14-19; Catechism, 1021-1022, 1987-2016)

What our Lord expects is simple, but not easy.

I should love God, love my neighbor, see everyone as my neighbor, treat others as I want to be treated. (Matthew 7:12, Matthew 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31; Matthew 5:43-44; Mark 12:28-31; Luke 10:25-30; Catechism, 1825)

I try to love God and neighbor because I follow the Man who is God: who died in my place; descended to the abode of the dead; rose from the tomb; and lives today and forever. (Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-11; 1 Peter 4:6; Catechism, 631-635, 638-655)

We are living in the eighth day of creation, a day of life and hope: and have been for two millennia. (Catechism, 349, 1166, 2174)

- - - and Beyond

There's more to being a Christian than celebrating, and waiting for our Lord's return.⁴ We're expected to live as if loving our neighbors and loving God matter.

Truly respecting the "transcendent dignity" of humanity, and each person, isn't easy: but it's something we must do. Also building a better world for future generations. The job starts within each of us, with an ongoing "inner conversion." (Catechism, 1888, 1928-1942)

We've made some progress: and have a very great deal left to do.

As I said last year, my guess is that we'll still be waiting and working when the 8.2 kiloyear event, Y2K, and Y10K are seen as roughly contemporary. (December 28, 2014; November 23, 2014; October 26, 2014)


(From Jaime Jasso, via DeviantArt.com, used w/o permission.)

But — the war is over. We won. We're already in "the last hour," and have been for two thousand years. This world's renewal is in progress, and nothing can stop it. (Matthew 16:18; Mark 16:6; Catechism, 638, 670)

More of my take on the best news ever:

• "The Messiah We Need"
  (March 20, 2016)
  Particularly
  • "But who do you say that I am?"
  • Last Supper, Messy Death
  • Still Celebrating
• "Stones, Sin, and Mercy"
  (March 13, 2016)
  Particularly
  • "Neither do I Condemn You"
• "Names and THE Name"
  (February 28, 2016)
  Particularly
  • "What am I to Tell Them?"
  • "...Tell the Israelites..."
• "Death? Been There, Done That"
  (April 5, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Jesus Died - - -
  • - - - and Stopped Being Dead
  • The Last Hour — Two Millennia and Counting
• "Joy and Standing Orders"
  (October 5, 2014)
  Particularly
  • The Beatific Vision and Mirrors
  • Rejoice!
  • Move Out!

---

¹ Reading the Bible is a very Catholic thing:

"The Church 'forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful. . . to learn the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ, by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.¹¹²"
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 133)

It's literally 'Catholicism 101:'

• Catechism, 101-133

² As I keep saying, Sacred Scripture wasn't written from a contemporary Western viewpoint:

• "Taking the Bible Seriously"
  (February 21, 2016)
  • footnote 2
• "Space Archaeologist, 55 Cancri e"
  (February 19, 2016)
  • "So You Believe the Earth is Flat?"
• "Precision-Grip Thumbs and a 'New' Archosaur "
  (January 30, 2015)
  • Informed Faith and Norse Mythology
• "Earth's Wandering Poles, A Comet, a Wobbling Moon"
  (October 24, 2014)
  • Evidence and a Cosmic Coffee Cup

³ From Pope Saint John Paul II's "Dies Domini" (Day of the Lord):

"...The Resurrection of Jesus is the fundamental event upon which Christian faith rests (cf. 1 Cor 15:14). It is an astonishing reality, fully grasped in the light of faith, yet historically attested to by those who were privileged to see the Risen Lord. It is a wondrous event which is not only absolutely unique in human history, but which lies at the very heart of the mystery of time. In fact, 'all time belongs to [Christ] and all the ages', as the evocative liturgy of the Easter Vigil recalls in preparing the Paschal Candle. Therefore, in commemorating the day of Christ's Resurrection not just once a year but every Sunday, the Church seeks to indicate to every generation the true fulcrum of history, to which the mystery of the world's origin and its final destiny leads...."
("Dies Domini," Pope Saint John Paul II (Pentecost, May 31, 1998))

More about the Resurrection:

• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 638-655
• "Fear of resurrection"
  Pope Francis, via L'Osservatore Romano (19 September 19, 2014)
• "A mystery of hope, forgiveness and resurrection"
  Luigi Giussani Jubilee 2000 magazine (2000)
• "Address to organizers and members of the Symposium on the Resurrection of Christ"
  Pope Blessed Paul VI (April 4, 1970)
• "Christ the source of resurrection and life"
  From an Easter homily by an ancient author (Sermo 35, 6-9; PL 17 [ed. 1879], 696-697)
  Prepared by the Spiritual Theology Department of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross

⁴ Our Lord's return, and the Final Judgment, will happen: and is the next major event. As for when it's coming — I have enough on my plate, without trying to outguess God.


(From Wily Miller's Non Sequitur, June 14, 2011 and May 3, 2010, used w/o permission.)

More of my take on Final Judgment and getting a grip:

• "Taking the Bible Seriously"
  (February 21, 2016)
  Particularly
  • Last Judgment and Getting a Grip
• "Doomsday Du Jour — or — Doing My Job"
  (April 19, 2015)
  Particularly
  • A Job to Do
• "Victory and Standing Orders"
  (November 23, 2014)
  Particularly
  • Ragnarok - - -
  • - - - and Mutant Squirrels
  • On Standby Alert: Two Millennia and Counting
  • Sheep, Goats, and Me

We Killed Jesus

Despite this post's title, I won't be indulging in a guilt trip, or bewailing the decline and fall of practically everybody.¹

An incident earlier this month could have been much worse: like the Judenschlacht of 1241 or Hep-Hep riots in 1819.

What happened was bad enough, though:

"The chanting started with a rude taunt: Newton North High School students cheering for their basketball team Friday night shouted, 'Where are your girls?' to the fans of Catholic Memorial School, an all-boys school.

"But the response from the Catholic Memorial fans to their opponents, many of whom are Jewish, left the Newton North crowd horrified and upset: 'You killed Jesus!' shouted about 50 to 75 Catholic Memorial students. 'You killed Jesus!'..."
(Evan Allen, Boston Globe (March 12, 2016))

The Boston Globe article doesn't say how many Catholic Memorial fans were at the game, so I don't know if "the Catholic Memorial fans" refers to all the fans, or some of them. Either way, that was unacceptable behavior.

Catholic Memorial's administration thinks so, too. School brass took "corrective action"² during and after the game, and my guess is that the lesson isn't over yet:

"Archdiocese of Boston Statement Incident involving Catholic Memorial High School"

"...The Archdiocese wishes to make clear that the behavior of a number of students from Catholic Memorial at the game is unacceptable....

"...Cardinal Sean O'Malley stood in solidarity with hundreds of members of the Jewish community and in affirming the Jewish and Catholic communities' shared heritage of faith...

"...We stand ready to assist Catholic Memorial in providing the student body with the awareness education that is needed to ensure that there is no recurrence of these actions or attitudes."

I put the statement's full text², and links to more resources³, at the end of this post.

Before talking about being a gentile Catholic, and why our Lord died on the Cross: a tip of the hat to Fr. Robert Carr, on Google Plus, for drawing my attention to this short recording of a Palm Sunday homily.

• "Who Killed Jesus?"
  Words From Holy Trinity Quincy, MA; PodOmatic, 5:25 (March 20, 2016)

Anti-Whatever Soreheads and Me

(From Watson Heston, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)
("History Repeats Itself" — "This is the U.S. in the Hands of the Jews:" editorial cartoon from the April 15, 1896 issue of Sound Money magazine.)

I've mentioned the rabid Christians who helped me learn to love rock 'n roll, and eventually become a Catholic, before. (May 3, 2015; January 11, 2015; September 11, 2014)

The lot I ran into seldom mentioned Jews, or Israel: except in the context of their latest 'End Times' prophecy, where Israel occasionally popped up in the ultimate battle between America and Satan. And that's another topic. Topics. (February 21, 2016; April 19, 2015)

America has had its share of anti-Semitic, anti-Catholic, anti-Irish, and anti-whatever soreheads — yet more topics. (September 6, 2015; June 21, 2015)

I can't reasonably hate Jews, or anybody else. Mainly because —

I Worship a Jew

Jesus is a Jew. That's obvious, from both of our Lord's genealogies. (Matthew 1:1-16; Luke 3:23-38)

They're not exactly the same, and I've explained why the Bible's non-American origin doesn't upset me. (February 21, 2016; October 24, 2014)

Our Lord isn't just ethnically Jewish. While Jesus was here, he lived as a Jew, obedient to God's law: understanding it better than the Pharisees and other control freaks. (Matthew 12:1-5; Mark 2:23-28; Luke 11:52; John 5:6-17; Catechism, 423, 531-531, 582-584, 2173)

I could, by cherry-picking verses like Luke 11:47 and Acts 5:30, claim that God blames the Jews for whatever annoys me.

I really don't need that sort of trouble. Sacred Scripture, Tradition (capital "T"), the Magisterium, and my upcoming particular judgment, are — yet again more topics. (April 12, 2015; March 15, 2015; September 28, 2014; July 13, 2014)

I certainly can't blame 'the Jews' or any other single group for our Lord's death. Not if I take what the Church says seriously.

For starters, some Jewish authorities wanted our Lord dead, others didn't. (Catechism, 595-596)

"¹ Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ²

"He came to Jesus at night and said to him, 'Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him.' "
(John 3:1-2)

"Joseph of Arimathea, ¹⁹ a distinguished member of the council, who was himself awaiting the kingdom of God, came and courageously went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus."
(Mark 15:43)

Differences of opinion didn't stop after Jesus stopped being dead.

"⁶ But a Pharisee in the Sanhedrin named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, stood up, ordered the men to be put outside for a short time,

"and said to them, 'Fellow Israelites, be careful what you are about to do to these men.

"⁷ Some time ago, Theudas appeared, claiming to be someone important, and about four hundred men joined him, but he was killed, and all those who were loyal to him were disbanded and came to nothing.

"After him came Judas the Galilean at the time of the census. He also drew people after him, but he too perished and all who were loyal to him were scattered.

"So now I tell you, have nothing to do with these men, and let them go. For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself.

"But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.' They were persuaded by him."
(Acts 5:34-39)

I think Gamaliel made sense. (September 14, 2014)

But being right, and making sense, is no guarantee of success. Not in the short run, anyway. I've talked about freedom, McCarthyism, and getting a grip, before, too. (July 19, 2015)

I know enough history to realize that truth wins — eventually. Sometimes we have to be very, very, patient, and that's still another topic. Topics. (January 10, 2016; July 5, 2015; January 18, 2015)

Getting back to our Lord's trial, Pilate was in a highly unenviable position. (November 22, 2015)

The political situation was complicated, the Sanhedrin threatened Pilate during the trial, and "...the personal sin of the participants (Judas, the Sanhedrin, Pilate) is known to God alone...." We must not blame folks who wouldn't be born for another two millennia. Particularly considering what Jesus and Peter said. (Catechism, 596-597)

"Consequently, Pilate tried to release him; but the Jews cried out, 'If you release him, you are not a Friend of Caesar. ³ Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.' "

"They cried out, 'Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!' Pilate said to them, 'Shall I crucify your king?' The chief priests answered, 'We have no king but Caesar.' "

"So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, 'Do not write "The King of the Jews," but that he said, "I am the King of the Jews." '

"Pilate answered, 'What I have written, I have written.' "
(John 19:12, 15, 21-22)

Forgiveness and Gentiles

Ill-informed Christians and imaginative editors notwithstanding, forgiveness is not a new idea. At all. (March 13, 2016; December 13, 2015; September 6, 2015)

"[Then Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.'] ⁵ They divided his garments by casting lots. "
(Luke 23:34)

"Now I know, brothers, that you acted out of ignorance, ⁷ just as your leaders did;

"but God has thus brought to fulfillment what he had announced beforehand through the mouth of all the prophets, ⁸ that his Messiah would suffer."
(Acts 3:17-18)

I get the impression that one of the early questions wasn't whether Jews were 'saved:' it was whether the Messiah came for Gentiles, too. (January 3, 2016)

"¹ Because of this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ ² (Jesus) for you Gentiles -
...
"When you read this you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,

"which was not made known to human beings in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit,

"that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel."
(Ephesians 3:1, 4-6)

Sin, Death, Redemption

Sin is what happens when I decide not to do something I should; or decide to do something I know is bad for myself or others, and do it anyway. (Catechism, 1849-1864)

It's not loving God, loving my neighbors, seeing everybody as my neighbor, and treating others as I want to be treated. (Matthew 5:43-44, 7:12, 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31 10:25-27, 29-37)

Humanity is not divided into 'the righteous' who can do no wrong and 'sinners' who can do no right. Reality is a whole lot more complicated.

We're still made "in the image of God," as Genesis 1:26-27 says. We're rational creatures who can decide what we do: spiritual beings with a body made from the stuff of this world. (Catechism, 311, 325-348, 1704, 1730-1731)

Having a body isn't the problem, by the way. Satan and the other rebellious angels are pure spirit, and look what happened to them. (Catechism, 385-395)

Our trouble started when the first of us decided to put their preferences above God's — and we've been dealing with consequences of that decision ever since. (Catechism, 396-412)

I've been over this before, often. (March 13, 2016; February 7, 2016; September 27, 2015)

Seeing anything from God's viewpoint is arguably impossible for a finite creature. We can, however, learn and come to understand the Almighty: to some extent. (Catechism, 27-43, 202, 600)

God, predestination, and Psalms 115, are even more topics. (July 26, 2015; September 21, 2014; July 27, 2014)

I can't 'work my way into Heaven.' I rely on our Lord for salvation. (February 7, 2016)

By dying on the Cross, Jesus took on our sin: and made it possible for each of us to take on our Lord's divine, risen, nature. (Catechism, 599-618, 638-655)

Whodunit

That brings me back to the 'who killed Jesus' whodunit. The solution is sort of like Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express."

Everybody who was there⁴ was involved. Some Jews railroaded our Lord through that trial. Pilate, a gentile, tried to let Jesus off; but finally went along with the local authorities. Roman soldiers — more gentiles — escorted our Lord to Golgotha and nailed Jesus to the Cross.

I am there, too, in a sense: every time I fail to love God and my neighbor, every time I "delight in [my] vices and sins." (Hebrews 6:6; Catechism, 598)

Happily:

"...life is eternal, and love is immortal, and death is only a horizon, and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight...."

I have one life, one soul, and one chance at eternity. Hope is a virtue, despair is not an option, and hope lasts as long as we live. (Catechism, 366, 988-1014, 1021-1022, 1501, 1817-1821, 2091)

And that is — yes, it's another topic. Topics.

More about taking God seriously:

• "Jesus, the Magi, and Me"
  (January 3, 2016)
  Particularly
  • "For You Gentiles"
• "Life, Death, and Love"
  (November 1, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Life, Death, and Beyond
• "Angst, Hope, and Building a Better World"
  (July 5, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Doomsday Predictions and Fashionable Melancholia
  • Love and Responsibilities
  • Looking Ahead
• "Charleston Church Shooting: Emotions and Reason"
  (June 21, 2015)
  Particularly
  • "Our Country?" Difference, Acceptance, and Murder
  • Life and Reality
  • Looking Out For Each Other
• "(Not) 'Going Native' "
  (August 30, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Love and the Status Quo
  • Faith that's "Two Coats of Paint" Deep
  • Moving Forward

---

¹ If that phrase sounds familiar, your reading habits may be like mine. "The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody" is the title of Will Cuppy's uncompleted historical satire. It didn't stay uncompleted, obviously, since Fred Feldkamp sorted through Cuppy's copious notes: finishing and publishing the book in 1950.

² Response to a "troubling incident:"

"Archdiocese of Boston Statement Incident involving Catholic Memorial High School"

"The Archdiocese of Boston has learned of a troubling incident that occurred on Friday evening at Newton South High School, during a basketball game between Newton North and Catholic Memorial High Schools. The Archdiocese wishes to make clear that the behavior of a number of students from Catholic Memorial at the game is unacceptable.

"On Thursday evening of this past week, in observance of the 50th anniversary of the Church's landmark document that overturned the Church's history of anti-Jewish attitudes and teaching, Cardinal Sean O'Malley stood in solidarity with hundreds of members of the Jewish community and in affirming the Jewish and Catholic communities' shared heritage of faith.

"We are pleased that the administration of Catholic Memorial took corrective action immediately during and after the basketball game. This incident, while not representative of the school community, presents an opportunity to promote an important learning experience for the students.

"We stand ready to assist Catholic Memorial in providing the student body with the awareness education that is needed to ensure that there is no recurrence of these actions or attitudes."

³ More:

• "Anti-semitism: A wound to be healed"
  Cardinal Walter Kasper (September 8, 2003)
• "Declaration on the Relation of the Church to non-christian religions - Nostra aetate"
  Pope Paul VI (October 28, 1965)
• "Nostra Aetate: a milestone"
  Pier Francesco Fumagalli (1997)
• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 839

⁴ Our Lord's mother is a special case. As I've said before, Mary is as human as I am. Catholics don't, or should not, worship her. I've discussed Mary, mother of Jesus, before:

• "Good Advice from the Mother of God"
  (January 1, 2015)
• "Gideon, Gabriel, Mary, and Guts"
  (December 21, 2014)
  Particularly
  • Tacky Religious Art and Idolatry
  • Mary and 'Happy Days' America
  • Submissive? Maybe