Everything Will Pass Away...

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
11 November 2007

First reading 2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14
There were also seven brothers who were arrested with their mother. The king tried to force them to taste pig’s flesh, which the Law forbids, by torturing them with whips and scourges. One of them, acting as spokesman for the others, said, ‘What are you trying to find out from us? We are prepared to die rather than break the laws of our ancestors.’

With his last breath he exclaimed, ‘Inhuman fiend, you may discharge us from this present life, but the King of the world will raise us up, since it is for his laws that we die, to live again for ever’.

After him, they amused themselves with the third, who on being asked for his tongue promptly thrust it out and boldly held out his hands, with these honourable words, ‘It was heaven that gave me these limbs; for the sake of his laws I disdain them; from him I hope to receive them again’. The king and his attendants were astounded at the young man’s courage and his utter indifference to suffering.
When this one was dead they subjected the fourth to the same savage torture. When he neared his end he cried, ‘Ours is the better choice, to meet death at men’s hands, yet relying on God’s promise that we shall be raised up by him; whereas for you there can be no resurrection, no new life’.


Second reading 2 Thessalonians 2:16 - 3:5
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father who has given us his love and, through his grace, such inexhaustible comfort and such sure hope, comfort you and strengthen you in everything good that you do or say.

Finally, brothers, pray for us; pray that the Lord’s message may spread quickly, and be received with honour as it was among you; and pray that we may be preserved from the interference of bigoted and evil people, for faith is not given to everyone. But the Lord is faithful, and he will give you strength and guard you from the evil one, and we, in the Lord, have every confidence that you are doing and will go on doing all that we tell you. May the Lord turn your hearts towards the love of God and the fortitude of Christ.

Gospel Luke 20:27 - 38
Some Sadducees – those who say that there is no resurrection – approached him and they put this question to him, ‘Master, we have it from Moses in writing, that if a man’s married brother dies childless, the man must marry the widow to raise up children for his brother. Well then, there were seven brothers. The first, having married a wife, died childless. The second and then the third married the widow. And the same with all seven, they died leaving no children. Finally the woman herself died Now, at the resurrection, to which of them will she be wife since she had been married to all seven?’

Jesus replied, ‘The children of this world take wives and husbands, but those who are judged worthy of a place in the other world and if’ the resurrection from the dead do not marry because they can no longer die, for they are the same as the angels, and being children of the resurrection they are sons of God. And Moses himself implies that the dead rise again, in the passage about the bush where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is God, not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all men are in fact alive.’

Reflection
By Nicola S Albano

This gospel according to Saint Luke tells a story when the Sadducees questioned Jesus. They are non-believers of the resurrection. But what does it really take to believe? Faith doesn't require explanations. We are mortals nonetheless and cannot possibly comprehend everything with our flaws and limitations. But as believers and God's children, we are expected to value eternal life. We need to always be prepared, and this we accomplish by not allowing worldly attachments rule our lives. We need to obey the commandments (e.g. love one another, and have no
other gods besides Him).

I see our life each day on earth involving a multitude of auditions or job interviews and call backs; and resurrection from the dead is when we become part of a huge production. I know this is a cheap shot comparing eternal life to an award-winning Broadway Musicale or Hollywood movie, but I do believe that it is so much more profound than what my human brain can imagine. Have you noticed that we as human beings do not become completely satisfied in any way whatsoever? That's probably because change is inevitable. And better yet, we're created that way. We experience this thirst-like sensation that cannot be satisfied with material things or earthly possessions (yes, family and loved ones count, too). Well, maybe we are in denial that material possessions do quench this thirst, but in reality, this satisfaction is only experienced for a limited amount of time. And guess what? That thirst can only be completely satiated by God, the Creator Himself.

We may be in denial, and think that we are happy and satisfied. But earthly happiness and satisfaction is temporary. Everything is temporary. Even our current living situations are temporary. Only God is the true source of anything that is perfect and constant. I know that it is quite challenging but God wants us to put more value on our end and not so much about the temporary things, the material things.

Everything else will pass away, but God's words will not pass away.

You have created us for Yourself, O Lord and our heart is restless until it rests on You. Keep us focused on the things of heaven, dear God as we trod the path towards it. Lead too, loving Father our departed brothers and sisters into their real home, our real home. Amen.