Saturday, November 6, 2010

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

Mac 7:1-2, 9-14; Thes 2:16-3:5; Lk 20:27-38

A new business was opening and one of the owner’s friends wanted to send flowers for the occasion.

They arrived at the new business site and the owner read the card which said “Rest in Peace”.

The owner was angry and called the florist to complain. After he had told the florist of the obvious mistake and how angry he was, the florist said. “Sir, I’m really sorry for the mistake, but rather than getting angry you should imagine this: somewhere there is a funeral taking place today, and they have flowers with a note saying, “Congratulations on your new location”.

(The story is from an unknown author)

The Sadducees did not believe in a resurrection because as they claimed this was not mentioned in the Torah (the first five books of the bible believed to be written by Moses). When they raised the question to Jesus concerning the afterlife status of the woman who was married in this life to seven brothers, they were not actually looking for an answer, but were just trying to show the absurdity of the thought of a resurrection. As far as the Sadducees were concerned, the whole idea of life after death was a mere product of people’s imagination.

The Lord’s response was meant to prove the Sadducees wrong. First of all, Jesus insisted that the righteous will find their way to heaven. “Those who are judged worthy of a place in the other world . . . can no longer die for they are the same as the angels.” Moreover, the Lord pointed out that Moses himself implied that there is a resurrection when he called the Lord “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” The Lord can only be God of the living, not of the dead. It is, therefore, logical to hold that God sustains the Patriarchs in eternal life.

What is the relevance of our belief in a resurrection from the dead?

First, our faith in a life after death consoles us with the hope that human life will not end in vain. In the gospel of John, Jesus states clearly that if we believe in him we will have life eternal. He is “the way, the truth and the life” (Jn 14:6). He also says that in the Kingdom of his Father there are many rooms and he will go ahead of us in order to prepare a place for us (Jn 14:2-4). By rising from the dead, Jesus has shown that he has complete power over death and that death has no power over him. If we remain faithful to Jesus, we, too, will share eternal life with him.

Second, our faith in a resurrection inspires us to look forward to something most beautiful to come. Saint Paul declares that “no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor 2:9). These words are so consoling especially when we are being confronted with life-threatening conditions such as serious illness, poverty, hunger, natural disasters and violent conflicts.

Finally, our belief in an afterlife provides us with the strong motivation to witness even the most radical demands of our faith. The first reading narrates the moving story of seven brothers who bravely chose torture and death rather than abandon their religion and faith in God. One of the brothers who was skinned alive said to his tormentors, “You are depriving us of this life, but the true King will raise us up to live again forever.” Another brother said, “It is my choice to die at the hands of men with the God-given hope of being restored to life by Him.” Their strong faith in another life has given these brothers the courage to disobey the orders of a wicked king even when it meant sure death.

We may not face the same kind of extreme choice that the seven brothers were asked to make. Nonetheless, we live in a world beset with evil. Every now and then, there are people who will ask us to surrender our faith or moral principles in exchange for temporary life or fleeting happiness. May we, like the seven brothers, be able to make even the most painful choice that will lead us to everlasting life!

A story is told about twins talking to each other in the womb. The sister said to the brother, “I believe there is life after birth.” Her brother protested vehemently, “No, no, this is all there is. This is a dark and cozy place, and we have nothing else to do but to cling to the cord that feeds us.” The little girl insisted, “There must be something more than this dark place. There must be something else, a place with light where there is freedom to move.” Still she could not convince her twin brother.

After some silence, the sister said hesitantly, “I have something else to say, and I’m afraid you won’t believe that, either, but I think there is a mother.” Her brother became furious.” “A mother!” he shouted. “What are you talking about? I have never seen a mother, and neither have you. Who put that idea in your head? As I told you, this place is all we have. Why do you always want more? This is not such a bad place, after all. We have all we need, so let’s be content.”

The sister was quite overwhelmed by her brother’s response and for a while didn’t dare say anything more. But she couldn’t let go of her thoughts, and since she had only her twin brother to speak to, she finally said, “Don’t you feel these squeezes every once in a while? They’re quite unpleasant and sometimes even painful.” “Yes,” he answered. “What’s special about that?” “Well,” the sister said, “I think that these squeezes are there to get us ready for another place, much more beautiful than this, where we will see our mother face-to-face. Don’t you think that’s exciting?”

The brother didn’t answer. He was fed up with the foolish talk of his sister and felt that the best thing would be simply to ignore her and hope that she would leave him alone.

(The story is told by Henri Nouwen)

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