What is Your Stumbling Block?

I am often amused at how silly, people think. Young people and old will dismiss Christ as superstition, mindless drivel, and an antiquated notion that does not fit squarely with our "modern" world. Nothing really has changed, in the sense that the "world" has always had its "great thinkers" who despite their wisdom and and "brilliant ideology," cannot keep human beings from screwing things up. In the 20th century those "great thinkers" lead to two world wars and over 270 million dead. Those great thinkers have put to death 50 million or so human beings in the form of abortion. Those great thinkers have led nations to negative birthrates which will lead to Europe becoming a Muslim nation within the next generation. Those great thinkers have lead us to more children born to unmarried couples than married couples. Those great thinkers have lead us to euthanasia and assisted suicide. Those great thinkers have lead to the destruction of the institution of marriage. Those great thinkers have given us our wonderful public education system which is nothing short of pathetic. Those great thinkers have given rise to a materialistic, consumer obsessed society. Those great thinkers have leads us to the greed and corruption in big business and our government, which by the way has brought on the current economic crisis.

St. Paul, like those of us today realized that the world would have a hard time picking up it's cross:

"For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the learning of the learned I will set aside."

Where is the wise one? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish?

For since in the wisdom of God the world did not come to know God through wisdom, it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation to save those who have faith.

For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,

but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,

but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

Consider your own calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.

Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong,

and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something,

so that no human being might boast before God.

It is due to him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,

so that, as it is written, "Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord."