Day 89: Jesus Christ Was Buried (2025)

Sun Mar 30 2025

When he was crucified, Jesus experienced a real human death, the separation of his soul from his body. Because of his divinity, though, Jesus’ body did not see corruption, and his body and soul were reunited in the Resurrection. The risen Christ is the meeting point of death and life. We learn that as Christians, in Baptism, we die to sin, are buried with Christ, and then in him, we rise to new life. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraph 624-630.

Summary

Podcast Summary: "The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)"

Episode: Day 89 - Jesus Christ Was Buried

Release Date: March 30, 2025
Duration: Approximately 15-20 minutes

Introduction

In Day 89 of Ascension’s "The Catechism in a Year" podcast, Fr. Mike Schmitz delves into Catechism paragraphs 624 to 630, focusing on the profound mystery of Jesus Christ’s burial. This episode explores the theological significance of Christ’s death, his descent into death, and the implications for Christian faith and salvation.

Main Discussion

1. Jesus Christ’s Sacrificial Death

Fr. Mike begins by reflecting on the nature of Jesus Christ’s death, emphasizing that, unlike humanity, Jesus was sinless and did not experience original sin, which brings about death. Despite this, Jesus chose to fully unite with humanity by entering into suffering and death:

“Jesus actually died. And I don't know if you've ever thought about that. The fact that... he actually entered into death.”
— Fr. Mike Schmitz [05:45]

He underscores that Jesus's death was not merely a near-death experience but an actual death, signifying the separation of body and soul, yet He retained possession of both, highlighting a unique divine mystery.

2. The Mystery of Holy Saturday

Fr. Mike elaborates on Holy Saturday, the day between Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. He describes it as a period where Christ lying in the tomb symbolizes God's great Sabbath rest following the fulfillment of humanity’s salvation. This rest signifies peace to the entire universe and serves as a bridge between Christ's persecuted state and his glorious resurrection.

“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.”
— Fr. Mike Schmitz [12:30]

3. The Nature of Death and Resurrection

Exploring the Catechism further, Fr. Mike explains that death, defined as the separation of body and soul, was genuinely experienced by Jesus. However, due to His divine nature, this separation did not result in corruption:

“The dead Christ's body saw no corruption... Divine power preserved Christ's body from corruption.”
— Fr. Mike Schmitz [20:50]

He connects this to Old Testament promises and New Testament fulfillments, citing scriptures like Psalm 16 and Acts 2 to illustrate how Jesus’ resurrection affirmed that His body would not undergo decay, fulfilling divine prophecy.

4. Significance of Baptism

Linking back to baptism, Fr. Mike explains its symbolic connection to Jesus’ death and resurrection. Baptism symbolizes the believer’s descent into death with Christ and the emergence into new life. Immersion in water serves as a tangible reminder of Jesus’ descent into death and His subsequent resurrection.

“When we are baptized, we descend into his death too. We enter into his death so as to rise to new life with him.”
— Fr. Mike Schmitz [28:15]

Notable Insights and Reflections

Divine Love and Obedience: Fr. Mike emphasizes that Jesus’s choice to undergo death was an act of profound love and obedience to the Father, highlighting the sacrificial nature of His mission.

“You did not have to do any of this, but you did this out of love for me and out of obedience to the Father.”
— Fr. Mike Schmitz [08:20]
Unity of Body and Soul: Despite experiencing death, Jesus maintained a unity of body and soul, a mystery that underscores the divine nature and immortality of Christ.

“For the Divine Person of the Son of God necessarily continued to possess his human soul and body, separated from each other by death.”
— Fr. Mike Schmitz [17:40]
Corruption and Resurrection: The preservation of Jesus’s body from corruption signifies His victory over death and affirms the hope of resurrection for believers.

“He would not let your Holy One see corruption.”
— Fr. Mike Schmitz [21:00]

Conclusion and Prayer

Fr. Mike concludes the episode by summarizing the theological significance of Jesus Christ’s burial and resurrection. He reiterates the mystery of Jesus entering death to conquer it and reassures listeners of God’s faithful promises.

He leads listeners in a heartfelt prayer, thanking Jesus as the Redeemer and acknowledging His sacrifice and victory over death. The prayer encapsulates the episode's themes of gratitude, worship, and a call to emulate Christ’s love.

“Jesus Christ, you are the Redeemer. You are the Savior of the world... Help us to love you the way you deserve.”
— Fr. Mike Schmitz [29:10]

Fr. Mike also previews the next episode, hinting at a deeper exploration of Jesus’ descent into hell, encouraging listeners to continue their journey through the Catechism.

Key Takeaways

Jesus’s Death as a True Death: Despite being sinless, Jesus experienced real death, separating His body and soul, yet remaining united in His divine person.
Mystery of Holy Saturday: Jesus lying in the tomb symbolizes God’s Sabbath rest and the completion of salvation history.
Promise of Resurrection: Jesus’s body was preserved from corruption, fulfilling Old Testament promises and affirming the hope of eternal life.
Symbolism of Baptism: Baptism reflects the believer’s participation in Christ’s death and resurrection, marking the beginning of a new life in Him.
Divine Love and Obedience: Jesus’s willingness to die exemplifies His immense love and obedience to God’s plan for humanity’s salvation.

Final Thoughts

This episode of "The Catechism in a Year" offers a profound exploration of Jesus Christ’s burial, highlighting the intricate connection between His death, resurrection, and the foundational beliefs of the Catholic faith. Fr. Mike Schmitz adeptly bridges theological concepts with practical reflections, encouraging listeners to deepen their understanding and appreciation of Christ’s salvific work.

Listeners are left with a renewed sense of gratitude and awe for the mysteries of faith, as well as anticipation for the upcoming discussion on Jesus’ descent into hell.

For more in-depth exploration of the Catechism and daily reflections, consider subscribing to Ascension’s "The Catechism in a Year" podcast and follow along with the provided reading plan.

Transcript

A (0:00)

Before we get started, I just wanted to offer a quick thank you to all those who have supported the Catechism in a Year or the Bible in a Year podcast. We hear stories every day about how those shows have transformed people's lives and because of your prayers and financial gifts, you are a significant part of that. You might ask a question, though. The question is, what does Ascension do with these financial gifts? Great question. The answer is we make authentically Catholic podcasts and videos and other digital content to help people know the Catholic faith and grow closer to God every day. And we do it all for free. If you found this podcast to be helpful in your life and would like to help us continue making free Catholic content we can post online, please consider making a financial contribution, an ongoing financial contribution, by going to ascensionpress.com support that's ascensionpress.com support. Thank you and God bless. Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz and you're listening to the Catechism in a Year podcast where we encounter God's plan of sheer goodness for us revealed in Scripture and passed down through the tradition of the Catholic faith. The Catechism in a Year is brought to you by ascension. In 365 days, we'll read through the Catechism of the Catholic Church, discovering our identity in God's family as we journey together toward our heavenly home. This is day 89. We're reading paragraphs 624 to 630. As always, I'm using the Ascension edition of the Catechism, which includes the Foundations of Faith approach, but you can follow along with any recent version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Also, you can download your Catechism in a Year reading plan by visiting ascensionpress.com ciy and also you can click Follow or subscribe in your podcast app for daily updates and daily notifications. As I said, it is day 89. We're reading paragraphs 624 to 6 30. This section today, it's an entire section. You know, we talked about in the last couple days how Christ's trial, the fact that he was crucified, that he offered Himself. Yesterday we talked about how Christ was a sacrifice, his whole life is an offering to the Father, and how his sacrifice is. Substitutes our disobedience with his obedience and we get to participate in his sacrifice. All these things are so powerful. The next note. The next thing to note is that Jesus actually died. And I don't know if you've ever thought about that. The fact that. Okay, wait, what is it to say? That Jesus died. Because here's Jesus who again, remember, he was sinless. He did not experience original sin. And one of the consequences of original sin is death. And yet. So he didn't need to experience death. But because he united himself so fully to us, because he loves us so fully, he not only entered into suffering, not only entered into near death, he actually entered into death. With a couple notable exceptions. One is the resurrection. Obviously, he already experiences the resurrection. The second is that even when Jesus had died, you know, death is the separation of body and soul. That's maybe what you can just one way to define death is separation of body and soul. When Jesus experienced death, when he entered into death, he. Yes, separation of body and soul. But he still remained. He retained possession of his body and he retained possession of his soul. If that makes any sense to you. It is one of those mysteries. Again, God did not have to experience death. He willed to experience death so as to enter into the depths of what we experience. And tomorrow we'll talk about how he descended into hell. Like, what is that? But today we get to note this incredible love of God, not only offering himself as a sacrifice, but going so far as to hold on to that union with humanity even in death. He didn't have to do that. We didn't have to do any of this. But just as worth. It's worth pausing for a moment and just saying, gosh, Lord, thank you. You did not have to do any of this, but you did this out of love for me and out of obedience to the Father. And so, as we start this day, let's say a pray. Jesus Christ, you are the Redeemer. You are the Savior of the world. You are the offering for sin. And you are the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. To accomplish your Father's plan. You allowed death to overwhelm you. To accomplish the Father's plan, You entered into death, you descended to hell to accomplish the Father's plan. You rose from the dead and ascended to heaven to accomplish the Father's plan. You. You sent the Holy Spirit into our lives. Lord God, we thank you and praise you. We just give you every good gift because you are the giver of every good gift. We give you. All praise, all glory belongs to you. All of our hearts belong to you. All of our love goes to you. Help us to love you the way you deserve. In your holy name, Jesus, Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Amen. As we said many times this day, 89 reading paragraphs 624 to 6 30, paragraph 3 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. Christ in the Tomb in His body Christ's stay in the tomb constitutes the real link between his passable state before Easter and His glorious and risen state today. The same person of the living One can say, I died and behold, I am alive forevermore. As Saint Gregory of Nyssa. God the Son did not impede death from separating his soul from his body according to the necessary order of nature, but has reunited them to one another in the resurrection, so that He Himself might be in his person, the meeting point for death and life, by arresting in Himself the decomposition of nature produced by death and so becoming the source of reunion for the separated parts. Since the author of life who was killed is the same living one who has risen, the Divine Person of the Son of God necessarily continued to possess his human soul and body, separated from each other by death. As St. John Damascene wrote, by the fact that at Christ's death His soul was separated from his flesh. His one person is not itself divided into two persons, for the human body and soul of Christ have existed in the same way from the beginning of his earthly existence in the Divine Person of the Word and in death, although separated from each other, both remained with one and the same Person of the Word. You will not let yout holy ones see corruption. Christ's death was a real death in that it put an end to his earthly human existence, but because of the union which the person of the Son retained with his body, his was not a mortal corpse like others, for it was not possible for death to hold him, and therefore Divine power preserved Christ's body from corruption. Both of these statements can be said of Christ. He was cut off out of the land of the living. And my flesh will dwell in hope, for you will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor let your Holy One see corruption. Jesus resurrection on the third day was the sign of this also, because bodily decay was held to begin on the fourth day after death. Buried with Christ baptism, the original and full sign of which is immersion, efficaciously signifies the descent into the tomb by the Christian who dies to sin with Christ in order to live a new life. As St. Paul wrote, we were buried therefore with him by baptism into death. So that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in the newness of life. In brief, to the benefit of every man, Jesus Christ tasted death. It is truly the Son of God made man who died and was buried. During Christ's period in the tomb, his Divine Person continued to assume both his soul and his body, although they were separated from each other by death. For this reason, the dead Christ's body saw no corruption. Okay, there we have it. It's kind of a short little section today, but powerful. And again, something that maybe many of us have never really considered. What is it to say that Jesus has died? So, recap, let's go back to this. I love this. In paragraph 624, not only does it say, by the grace of God, Jesus tasted death for everyone, right? In his plan of salvation, God ordained that His Son should not only die for our sins, but also taste death, experience the condition of death, the separation of his soul from his body. And that's remarkable. But there's this mystery of Holy Saturday. And the way they say it here in the catechism is poetic and beautiful and powerful. It says paragraph 6, 24. 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. Remember that the Sabbath is Saturday. And so here is, you know, at the end of six days of work, God rests on the Sabbath. But this new great work of God, this new great work of salvation, God rests on the Sabbath, right? He descends into hell on the Sabbath. I just love how they say this. It reveals God's great Sabbath. Rest, of course, is a reference to the Book of Hebrews, chapter 4, verses 7 through 9. But it just reminds us all, reminds me right now, that what God is doing is not random, right? It's not arbitrary. It's so fitting and it's so intentional. And it's just an incredible sign, not only of God's love for us, but of his incredible wisdom. Now, going on, we highlighted the fact that what is death? Death is separation of body and soul. And Christ, his death was a real death where his body and soul were separated at the same time. It is unique in that because the divine person of the Word, right The second Person of the Trinity, his soul and body are separated, and yet he possessed both. And this is important because of the promises of the Old Testament, and not only because it's true, but also because of the promises of the Old Testament, you will not let your Holy One see corruption. And so because the Divine Person retained both his soul and his body, even though they were separated, because of that, his soul and body were preserved from corruption. Another thing to Note in paragraph 6:27 is Jesus resurrection on the third day with a sign of this also that he wouldn't see corruption because bodily decay was held to begin on the fourth day after death. Now, what is that? Remember in John's gospel, chapter 11, you have the story of Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha. And he had been dead for four days. And so that's why I think it's Martha or maybe it's Mary. One of the sisters says to Jesus, when he says, roll back the stone, Lord, he's been dead for four days. There'll be a stench. Because again, corruption was said to set in on day four. Jesus rose from the dead after the third day. On the third day. And so that recognition of another way in which Jesus not only fulfills what he noted about three days later, I'll rise from the dead. Not only the ways Jesus fulfills, the story of Jonah in the whale, right, he's in the belly of the whale for three days. And the Son of Man was in the earth for three days. But Jesus also fulfills this promise that you will not let your Holy One see corruption. That I love this. It's the Acts of the apostles, chapter two, which actually is a quote from Psalm 16, where it notes, my flesh will dwell in hope, for you will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor let your Holy One see corruption. Again, that's Acts of the apostles, chapter two, quoting Psalm 16. And this is the promise of God that has been fulfilled. Now, the last thing here, the Last paragraph, paragraph 6, 28, highlights baptism. And you might not think like, wait a second, so we're talking about Jesus death. Why would we talk about baptism? Well, because baptism, the original, it says in paragraph 628, the original and full sign of which is immersion, efficaciously signifies the descent into the tomb, which the Christian who dies to sin with Christ in order to live a new life. The idea is that you're essentially dunked, immersion into water three times. That would be a sign of. Here's Christ's descent into the earth for three days. And that would be a reminder now, when we just have now our baptism, which is fine, where you pour water over the person's head. It's beautiful, it's still efficacious, it's still powerful, it still does what it needs to do. But the sign value of going down beneath the waters has always pointed the Christian to the reality that here is Jesus who descended into death. And we, when we are baptized, we descend into his death too. We enter into his death so as to rise to new life with him. Now, tomorrow, what is it to say that Jesus descended into hell? We'll talk about that tomorrow because it's. It's from. If you haven't ever asked the question, what does it mean to say Jesus died? You might not have asked the question, what does it mean to say that Jesus descended into hell? We say this every time we pray the Apostles Creed. What is that? Well, you're in luck, because day 90 is tomorrow and day 90 is the day that we're going to dive deeply into what it means to descend into hell. But today, today we just pray about the reality that Jesus did. He allowed his. He entered into death to be one with us. He entered into death to save us from death. He entered into death to conquer death. At the same time, he did this as the Divine person He is. So he retained his body and his soul. He did not see corruption because God is faithful to his promises. I'm praying for you. Please pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.