Reading today’s Catholic publications, it’s easy to see one thing. Every single one of them (well, maybe just the popular ones) revolve around controversy. To offend or not to offend…that is the question of the day. Some of them are careful not to slip into the controversial quicksand. All light and fluff. It’s like reading a marshmallow. On the other side of the fence, there’s a pack of wolves who know exactly where to step…and they step in something every time they walk.

It’s not that there’s anything wrong with either approach…perhaps we need such media. But sadly, they are more than organization policies. These are mindsets that many people have. Their entire lives revolve around either not offending or purposely offending. They know exactly which buttons to press or which ones not to press. Wishy washy or defiant. There’s nothing else for some people.

This is one attitude you won’t see Jesus portraying in The Bible. As a matter of fact, Jesus seemed to disregard controversy altogether. He simply proclaimed what was true. Christ said what needed to be said…and nothing more.

When people were offended by Jesus’ doctrine, he didn’t argue with them and try to win them with a montage of logical or emotional attacks. His entire point was, “This is truth, follow it or don’t follow it.”

When Jesus told the crowd that they would have to eat his body and drink his blood in order to obtain salvation, most of them couldn’t accept it. Yet He did not explain the doctrine of the Eucharist. He let them go because they had no faith. And when Jesus’ apostles stayed with him, it was not because they did understand. It was because they had faith.

While we don’t quite know how Jesus planned His sermons, it’s safe to say that he didn’t base them on approval ratings. And we can further assume that Jesus wasn’t conformed to ‘the times’. He didn’t attack the gentiles the way some hard hitting Catholic newspapers give special attention to Muslims. At the same time, He didn’t pass over the sins of the non-believer, the way newspapers pussyfoot around some of the evil doctrines of Islam.

Sometimes we’re more inclined to bring up (or not bring up) a subject because of the controversial nature. It’s just part of our personality quarks…and there’s no reason to avoid our natural inclinations. After all, our individual traits are for the greater glory of God. But we should always find some social time to practice going against our gut reactions. There’s a time for peace and a time for war…and we should adapt to both.