I’m a very black and white person. For me, there’s right and there’s wrong and it’s really not too complicated to know which is which once you educate yourself.
Basically, for the most part, if the world condones or encourages some issue of morality, beware.
And I get it, there are areas of gray, or at least areas of perceived gray.
So, it always bothers me when people try to paint Christ as a milquetoast, loosey-goosey, “eats with sinners” dude.
While, yes, I know that Jesus ate with sinners, these scenes from the Bible are often used by people wishing to display Christ as someone who is tolerant of all lifestyles. That’s the underlying message, anyway.
The reality that Christ was calling these people to repentance and transformation is widely ignored or hand-waved away.
See, what I need is the truth that Christ is mercy AND justice. Today, we see the justice of Christ fully spelled out to us in the cleansing of the Temple.
Jesus didn’t walk in a say, “Hey, guys, hey. Maybe, could you like just take this buying and selling stuff outside the Temple? It feels wrong, you know? Here, I can help you move the tables. Need some help?”
No, instead we see Christ using a whip to drive the evil out. Justice.
Does this mean that Christ wants us to go around using whips wherever we see wrongdoing? No. However, this does show us that we aren’t to tolerate sin no matter how fashionable the world makes it.
When people come to Christ, broken and recognizing their need for Him, He is always merciful and compassionate. He forgives them because they are not obstinate in their pride, refusing to see the error of their ways.
Christ is perfect justice and perfect mercy all the time, Catholic Pilgrims. He is never the God of false compassion, because to be so would to be to encourage our destruction and He would never do that.
Have a blessed Third Sunday of Lent.
