Day 91: Christ Rose from the Dead

Along with the essential sign of the empty tomb, the Resurrection of Jesus is witnessed to by the women who first encountered Christ and proclaimed him to the apostles. Jesus then “appeared to Cephas (Peter) and then to the Twelve. Following that he appeared to more than five hundred of the brethren at one time” (1 Corinthians 15:5-6) and to others as well. The apostles could not have invented the story of the resurrection since it seemed impossible to them. As a matter of fact, Jesus himself upbraided them for their unbelief. (Catechism Compendium #127)

In today's reading, the Catechism speaks of the most central part of our faith: Christ's resurrection from the dead. This was a real, historical event and as St. Paul writes, "[I]f Christ has not been raised, your faith is in vain; you are still in your sins" (1 Cor 15:17). There is no other dogma or teaching of the Church that is so crucial to our faith. Christ's real, bodily resurrection from the dead either happened or else Christianity as a whole is a total sham. The Catechism goes into this in some detail, and again I had trouble picking just one paragraph to quote above so I chose the summary from the Catechism Compendium instead.  

Besides the appearances of the resurrected Christ to others, including the Apostles, there is the testimony of the Apostles themselves and his earliest followers, many of whom suffered and died for their faith. As the Catechism Companion, Vol I states:

In Jesus, God fulfills all his promises ... but not in any of the ways the people expected. This breaking of human expectations is one of the reasons that the disciples, as eyewitnesses to the resurrection, encountered a reality they did not expect and could not understand. But belief in the resurrected Jesus transformed them and invigorated their faith, prompting them to spread the Gospel throughout the world and suffer any pains, even death, in service of Christ. (p. 187)

For more details about this, besides the Catechism and teaching of the Church, I'd recommend Dr. Brant Pitre's excellent book The Case for Jesus. And so, along with the faith of millions of believers for nearly 2,000 years, I happily shout out:  Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again!

Resurrection, by Luca Giordano, after 1665

Day 90: Christ Descended Into Hell

Christ went down into the depths of death so that "the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live." Jesus, "the Author of life", by dying destroyed "him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and [delivered] all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage." Henceforth the risen Christ holds "the keys of Death and Hades", so that "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth." CCC 635

In today's reading, the Catechism tells that Christ "descended into hell" after His death on the cross, as we confess in the Apostles' Creed. This was the "bosom of Abraham" that Jesus spoke of in His Parable of the Rich Man & Lazarus (Lk 16:19-31). He did not descend to free the damned but the righteous waiting for Him. As the Catechism Companion, Vol I explains:

This was different from eternal hell, which is permanent separation from God. "Jesus did not descend into hell to deliver the damned" (CCC 633). Those who have chosen against God cannot change their choice. For the righteous waiting for the Lord, the abode of the dead would be a place of peace and rest in the bosom of Abraham. For the damned, it would be the place of torment that hell actually is. (p. 184)

It really speaks volumes about Jesus and His love for us that not only would he suffer and die for us, but He went to hell to bring the souls of the righteous to heaven, for "Jesus' mission was for all men at all times and all places". I also like how the Catechism Companion expands on this:

In the Incarnation, the sacraments, his grace, and his Holy Spirit, God comes to us to deliver us. God did not create us to be prisoners in hell. We choose Jesus. (p. 184)

Finally, some random - perhaps silly - thoughts I've had when thinking of all this: 

• Did Satan know the full truth about Jesus and His mission when he subjected Him to temptation (Lk 4:1-13)?
• I'm sure Satan delighted in the suffering of Jesus and His death on the cross, but did he foolishly think that he had triumphed over God during His three days in the tomb?
• In the episode described today of Jesus descending into hell and freeing the righteous, I almost would love a video to see Satan's reaction. No doubt he was quite... distressed.

The Harrowing of Hell by Petites Heures, a 14th-century illuminated manuscript 

Day 89: Jesus Christ Was Buried

"By the grace of God," Jesus tasted death "for everyone". In his plan of salvation, God ordained that his Son should not only "die for our sins" but should also "taste death", experience the condition of death, the separation of his soul from his body, between the time he expired on the cross and the time he was raised from the dead. the state of the dead Christ is the mystery of the tomb and the descent into hell. It is the mystery of Holy Saturday, when Christ, lying in the tomb, reveals God's great sabbath rest after the fulfillment of man's salvation, which brings peace to the whole universe. CCC 624

In today's reading, the Catechism speaks about the burial of Jesus after His death on the cross. Death is something that awaits all of us, but I cannot imagine what Jesus underwent through the experience. I had not even considered that while His human body was separated from His soul, which occurs at death, "both remained with one and the same person of the Word" (CCC 626). This must have been some kind of agony for Him that we'll never fully understand. For three days He lay in the tomb, as He foretold with the sign of Jonah. Yet while He suffered death, God preserved His human body from decay during that time (Acts 2:26-27). 

That real death and burial of Jesus is a sign for us in baptism. As the Catholic Companion, Vol I states:

In Baptism, being immersed in water three times is a sign of Christ's descent into the earth for three days. In the sacrament, the Christian dies to sin with Christ to live a new life. As Jesus descended into death, we who are baptized descend into his death too. We enter in his death and rise to new life with him (p. 182)

Wall mosaic of the entombment of Jesus in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Day 88: Christ's Definitive Sacrifice

Jesus freely offered his life as an expiatory sacrifice, that is, he made reparation for our sins with the full obedience of his love unto death. This love “to the end” (John 13:1) of the Son of God reconciled all of humanity with the Father. The paschal sacrifice of Christ, therefore, redeems humanity in a way that is unique, perfect, and definitive; and it opens up for them communion with God. (Catechism Compendium #122)

In today's reading, the Catechism explains the sacrifice Jesus made for us out of love, and in obedience to the will of the Father, for our salvation. It is a good read, but again I wasn't sure which paragraph to use for a quote above so I chose the summary from the Catechism Compendium instead. I do like how the Catechism emphasizes that Jesus was the only one capable of making this sacrifice for us. For "no man, not even the holiest, was ever able to take on himself the sins of all men and offer himself as a sacrifice for all" (CCC 616). Only the God-man Jesus, eternal and without sin, could accomplish this (1 Jn 4:10). 

As Christians, we are called to "deny [ourselves], take up [our] cross, and follow [Him]" (Matt 16:24). We also see that same sacrifice Christ made for us on the cross and mystically participate in at the Mass/Divine Liturgy. I like how the Catechism Companion, Vol I puts it:

The Mass is the unbloody sacrifice of Jesus Christ, offered to the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit. Every time we celebrate and participate in the Mass, it gives glory to the Father and it redeems the world. (p. 180)

Crucifixion, from the Buhl Altarpiece, a large Gothic oil on panel painting from the 1490s

Day 87: Christ's Life as Offering

The entire life of Christ was a free offering to the Father to carry out his plan of salvation. He gave “his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45) and, in this way, he reconciled all of humanity with God. His suffering and death showed how his humanity was the free and perfect instrument of that divine love which desires the salvation of all people. (Catechism Compendium, #119)

In today's reading, the Catechism speaks of how Jesus freely offered His life in submission to the will of the Father, and out of love for us. As this section is a bit weighty but good, I didn't think I could pick just one paragraph to quote above, so I used the summary from the Catechism Compendium instead. I do like how the Catechism expands on this with the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper:

Jesus gave the supreme expression of his free offering of himself at the meal shared with the twelve Apostles "on the night he was betrayed".429 On the eve of his Passion, while still free, Jesus transformed this Last Supper with the apostles into the memorial of his voluntary offering to the Father for the salvation of men: "This is my body which is given for you." "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." CCC 610

The Eucharist is the queen of the Sacraments, one could say, with the Mass/Divine Liturgy at the heart of Christian worship and mystically making us "participants in what Jesus himself has done." So said the Fathers, and so says the Church to this day. Of course, there will be more on the Eucharist later in the Catechism.

I also really liked this from the Catechism Companion, Vol I as it captures perfectly what we believe about Jesus:

Even the Incarnation is a "yes" of Jesus' obedient love to his Father. Every breath he took was an offering to the Father in love. (p. 178)

Agony in the Garden by El Greco, c. 1590

Shown here is Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, contending with the horror of his impending suffering and death. He chooses to drink the chalice of suffering in obedience to the Father and for our sake. (p. 179)

Day 86: God's Plan of Salvation

By giving up his own Son for our sins, God manifests that his plan for us is one of benevolent love, prior to any merit on our part: "In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins." God "shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." CCC 604

In today's reading, the Catechism speaks about God's plan for our salvation through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. As stated in the paragraph above, this was an act of "benevolent love" which He freely did for us without "any merit on our part". He could have chosen another way or even stuck firmly to the Law, condemning all of us since we constantly fail to keep every part of it. Yet He did not. Jesus the Son freely chose to do the will of the Father and take on human flesh, suffer and die, and finally be resurrected. By these things, he conquered death and freed us from our slavery to sin (Jn 8:34-36). The Church teaches, as shown in the Catechism Compendium, that the death of Jesus was part of God's plan:

To reconcile to himself all who were destined to die because of sin God took the loving initiative of sending his Son so that he might give himself up for sinners. Proclaimed in the Old Testament, especially as the sacrifice of the Suffering Servant, the death of Jesus came about “in accordance with the Scriptures”. (#118)

Finally, in consideration of certain teachings, like that of the Calvinists, the Church very clearly answers the question of whether what Christ did on the cross is for all persons or not, as shown in the Catechism Companion, Vol I:

Jesus died for all people, without exception. The Council of Quiercy in the year 853 stated: "There is not, never has been, and never will be a single human being for whom Christ did not suffer. Those words should be embedded deeply into our hearts. When we are talking with anybody or looking in the mirror, we should recognize this is true. This is why we pray for those who do not yet know Christ. God has so much life and love and joy that he wants for the entire world. (p. 176)

In other words, while He already knows our eternal destiny, God's love is still for YOU and everyone else - including that guy you cannot stand. Christ suffered and died for us all no matter who we are or what sins we have committed. It's up to us to respond to His grace and accept Him in faith and love.

Day 85: The Trial of Jesus

The religious authorities in Jerusalem were not unanimous about what stance to take towards Jesus. The Pharisees threatened to excommunicate his followers... The Sanhedrin, having declared Jesus deserving of death as a blasphemer but having lost the right to put anyone to death, hands him over to the Romans, accusing him of political revolt, a charge that puts him in the same category as Barabbas who had been accused of sedition. The chief priests also threatened Pilate politically so that he would condemn Jesus to death. CCC 596

In today's reading, the Catechism relates the sordid details of the trial of Jesus as recounted in the Gospels. For all intent and purposes, it was a show trial, or perhaps a few shows trials as He was paraded around to important provincial leaders of the day (Matt 26:57-68; Lk 23:6-9; Jn 18:12-14) before finally landing on Pilate's doorstep (Matt 27:1-2). Ignoring the portent of his wife's dream (Matt 27:19), Pilate caved under pressure (Matt 27-24), and Jesus was condemned to death (Jn 19:15-16). I remember reading Crucify Him by Dale Foreman years ago about how the trials of Jesus had problems with Jewish law and possibly Roman. 

The "bad guys" in this story are well-known among Christians. Judas, Caiaphas, the Sanhedrin, Pilate, etc. Yet as the Catechism acknowledges, "the personal sin of the participants is known to God alone" (CCC 597). Sadly, Jews have faced persecution for centuries by some misguided souls, believing that they alone hold the responsibility for Christ's Passion. The Catechism Compendium tells us that it is actually all of us who are to blame:

The passion and death of Jesus cannot be imputed indiscriminately either to all the Jews that were living at that time or to their descendants. Every single sinner, that is, every human being is really the cause and the instrument of the sufferings of the Redeemer; and the greater blame in this respect falls on those above all who are Christians and who the more often fall into sin or delight in their vices. (#117)

Jesus freely chose death for our sakes, to conquer it, redeem us, and give us eternal life. Whenever I look at the crucifix, sometimes I think in shame how He was treated by ignorant humanity. Yet even in His suffering on the cross, He understood and was compassionate (Lk 23:34-43). I like how the Catechism Companion, Vol I sums up the biggest thing to take away from this:

God can take even the worst brokenness and bring about great good. As Christians, we believe this is what happened with Jesus' death and resurrection. Our sins crucified Jesus, but God used his death to bring about the greatest thing that has ever happened - our salvation and our redemption. (p. 174)

Jesus at Herod's Court, by Duccio, c. 1310