Jesus loves you and me so much that He allowed Himself to be nailed to the Cross for our sins. Jesus Christ died for our sins on Good Friday. He willingly offered up His life in order to open Heaven for us. Some of Jesus’ friends took Him down from the Cross and tenderly buried Him in a tomb.
Jesus’ ministry lasted three years. He lived a holy life for 30 years before setting out to Establish a new covenant (solemn agreements between God and his people.) See Mark 14: 10-25. Jesus offered himself as our lamb. By his blood we are saved. The Paschal Mystery is the mystery of Jesus’ suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension. We recommend reading our October 28, 2020 Family Faith Formation lesson on the Paschal Mystery for more background. The Stations of the Cross and the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary call to mind the sufferings of Christ. Particiapting in the Stations of the Cross during Lent and praying the Sorrowful Mysteries of the rosary are good ways to integrate the reminder of His suffering into your daily life.
Jesus was a threat to Jewish leaders, they feared change and loss of their power and position in the community. Jesus made many enemies. He needed to make enemies. His mission was to bring changed and forcibly so in some instances. We can think of one example of His force being needed to institute change: Cleansing of the Temple
Read: Why Jesus Opposed the Moneychangers in the Temple
During Jesus’ life the temple was the center of Jewish life. Over time reverence had been forgotten and the temple no longer was a place for prayer and worship of God. Jesus was enraged that the temple had become a raucous place. Remember in Luke 2:41-52 The Boy Jesus in the Temple: when Jesus was a 12 year old boy He went to the temple calling it “my Father’s dwelling”. Witnessing this disrespect of the temple knowing it was a violation of Jewish tradition enraged Jesus. Jesus cast out money changers because it had become a marketplace; his righteous anger was witnessed by all especially the Jewish Leaders- he called them hypocrites – reminding them of their weak leadership.
He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you make it a den of robbers.”
Matthew 21:13
This embarrassed the Jewish leaders who were now being seen for their lack of reverence. This was a step closer to losing authority and credibility within the community; Jesus was challenging their authority and control within the community. They were blinded by their own righteousness to see the Son of God before them.
In His ministry Jesus wanted to emphasize that everyone sins even religious leaders. The Scribes, Sadducees and Pharisees did not like that concept and unwilling to let that be truth. These Jewish Leaders had built themselves into a disordered lifestyle insulating themselves from the prospect that they are fallible and putting God below their selfish desires. In their leadership the custom of being rich equals being holy and good, that poverty equals being outcasts and sinners began to change the fabric of the community for the worst. In Matthew 23 Jesus Denounces Scribes and Pharisees you can read in more detail the complaints Jesus had with their leadership.
Read: The Cleansing of the Temple as written by Matthew 21:12-17, Mark 11:15-19, and Luke 19:45-48. Do you think that this event may have functioned as the ‘trigger’ for Jesus’ death?
Assignment: Learn about Blessed Franz Jägerstätter. The Vatican’s profile of Blessed Franz Jägerstätter
And St. Thomas More The Vatican’s profile of St. Thomas More
Write a short paragraph explaining the similarities between Blessed Franz Jägerstätter and St. Thomas More. Who were they? Dates of their lives and country they belonged. What is their feast day? (Writing prompt questions: What oath did they refuse to obey? How did they endure their imprisonment? How did these two men die? Why do you think we know about St. Thomas More and not about Blessed Franz Jägerstätter?)
Ponder this quote from George Eliot’s Middlemarch:
“For the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.”
Make a Resurrection set. There are many options from the simple print out (another option) to paper plate Calvary Hill or even using Legos.
Make a Resurrection garden. This can be very simple in a small container to something large in your yard. For more ideas look to our Lent Resources page for more options on building resurrection gardens.
Adult Assignment: Watch the movie A Hidden Life directed by Terrence Malick about Franz Jägerstätter, the Austrian farmer who refused to fight in Hitler’s army. (PS: I have not seen this movie to have any sort of vetting to provide you, which is why I have this listed in the Adult assignment.)
Read: Blessed Franz Jägerstätter: A saint for families in irregular situations by: Michael R. Heinlein
Resources:
The Story of Austrian Catholic Resister Franz Jägerstätter
Wicker, Brian. “The Significance of Franz Jägerstätter.” New Blackfriars, vol. 89, no. 1022, 2008, pp. 385–88. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43251244.
* Repeat from last lesson in case you may not have watched this 2 part series: Read the short articles A Portrait of Jesus’ World – Temple Culture From Jesus to Christ – The First Christians from PBS Frontline. Watch: From this link above you can find the tab for the Frontline videos that goes into greater detail on these articles. Run time for the 2 part video series is about 4 hours.
**** FFF November 7, 2023 children learn solo while parents attend Moral Theology discussion (medical directives) ****
The Small Pencil Catechist 