For daily readings, see http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/030708.shtml
Jesus is a real pain in the neck. His very presence is a constant reminder to us of our wickedness, pride and self-absorption. His presence is a reminder to us of how fallen we have become. His presence reminds us that we are more the children of Adam and Eve than we are the children of our heavenly Father. In order to feel good about our mediocrity, we must get rid of him.
The beautiful reading we have from Wisdom today shows the mistake of the wicked. The wicked believe that because of their freedom, they can put away definitively anything that accuses them of not living a good life. The children of Adam and Eve get to play the role of God. They get to determine good and evil for themselves. The presence of a just one like Jesus challenges this fallen version of humanity, and calls the wicked to return to obedience to the one who alone determines what is good and what is evil. Convinced that they have the freedom to become like God, however, the wicked are willing to test this just one. If they are able to destroy Him, then they will retain their status as gods. If not, then only reluctantly will they submit to his authority.
God, however, does not want to overwhelm those He has created in His image and likeness. He wants to love and to serve them and to invite them to respond in kind, without ever forcing their freedom. These wicked ones cannot fathom the hidden counsels of God. They cannot imagine that God would place himself into their hands and yes, let himself be destroyed by them, and yet retain his authority over them. They could not imagine that this just one could rise from the dead. They did indeed put the just one to the test, but because of his love for his enemies, the just one passed the test. He let himself be reviled and tortured so that even the most wicked could be saved, and become children no longer of Adam and Even, but through his forgiveness of their sins, children able to call God their Father.
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