1st Reading: 2 Maccabees7”1-2, 9-14
2nd Reading: 2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5
Gospel: Luke 20: 27-38
There is so much going on in these readings it was really hard in determining what to talk about. It looks on the face that what is being said is; “How to live our lives here and now even in the midst of suffering and what that suffering will bring us.” In a way, this could be the point.
We have all gone through suffering of sorts; physical as well as emotional whether it was a serious illness or disease or even the loss of a loved one. Last Tuesday we celebrated All Saints Day. We remembered the Saints, especially the way they lived their lives here on earth. What is so special about them is that the life lived on earth was a live lived in hope of what is promised to all of us, eternal life in heaven. What was so special in these saints was the total let going and the giving over of their lives to Christ despite the hardships endured during their journeys. The saints lived their lives on earth as if it were heaven. Nobody is saying that this is easy, but they show us the way. They leaned on Jesus for the grace to endure and in their suffering joining with Jesus in his. They lived their lives always in anticipation of what was to come after this earthly life.
In a sense we have been looking ahead. But, in Jesus’ mind, the whole point of looking ahead was to look more seriously at the task now, how we live now! We really do not know much about the eternal future and what awaits us and unfortunately, the way that some people talk about it only serves to trivialize it, because words cannot fully explain it, whether heaven or hell. But we do know the difference, don’t we!!
When Jesus spoke about eternal life, sometimes he used the future tense-other times he used the present. Jesus is saying we can live the eternal life of heaven now! In fact, how we live eternal life now determines how and where we will live eternal life then. What matters is that we are clear about what constitutes eternal life in our present way of living.
Jesus is teaching us about Resurrection. The theme of these readings today. The soul of course, is immortal, so it will live forever. However, there is no guarantee that that it will live forever in heaven. We have to choose eternal life in heaven, not in some fantasy way of thinking, but in action, how we are living our lives in hope through Jesus Christ despite the challenges, the sufferings in that journey.
If you want to go on a cross country trip you cannot just say you want to go, you have to make preparations, undertake the journey, and overcome whatever obstacles might arise, expected and non-expected. If things get difficult, you might be tempted to give up your plans. The other possibility is that the obstacles make it all greater when you reach your destination. It is definitely the same for our spiritual journey.
What happened with those Sadducees who questioned Jesus in our gospel today? Jesus makes clear that the life-style of the men and women of the resurrection is radically apposed to that of the men and women of the flesh. We can only understand this further when we consider the contrast between the seven brothers presented in the gospel and the seven brothers in our 1st reading from Maccabees.
The ones from Maccabees based their lives on the law of Moses, with the worries of marriage, while those of our gospel were liberated by the law of the Spirit which goes beyond the flesh.
Jesus is asking all of us to live like him-to love one another as He has loved us-living an eternal life by simply living lovingly-and that is essentially relationally. Living lovingly is a community affair. JUST LOOK AROUND YOU!!!!!!!
It begins with being loved. It moves beyond that to believing we’re loved, to be accepting being loved, to be transformed, then being created and freed by love in the process. And the circle is then completed as we become loving and give love.
Originating and starting it all is God who is love. When we love, truly love, it’s ultimately God’s love that empowers us, whether we realize it or not. Believing in Jesus, entrusting ourselves to Him, means stepping into, being plunged into, being swept up into the infinite ocean of loving energy that is God.
Loving now in this life, makes us who we are as Christians. It is this “US” that lives into eternity and eternity will simply be more of it-but at an intensity we can never imagine. Heaven is relationship, people living in love. An eternal life in hell has no relationship, no love.
If we want to think of Purgatory in this context, Purgatory is the in-between stage when our hearts, that struggle to open totally in love in this phase of life, painfully let go of all that hindered the surrender we didn’t make-all the hurts, the fears, the self-interest, the pride-until finally we can step, Liberated and complete, Into the fullness of love that is heaven, that is God.
You know, we will make somewhat of a transition like this today at this and all masses. Mass gives us some idea of the difference between earth and heaven. In a few moments we will offer bread and wine to the heavenly Father. A few moments later, through Fr. Rick, his priest, the heavenly Father will offer to you and me those earthly things, changed into the true Body and Blood of His Son in Holy Communion. What a difference! What a greater gift Communion is than mere bread and wine.
My sisters and brothers, this is our destiny. This is our challenge today, to live eternal life now in the hope of heaven. It has already begun. And its texture is being shaped precisely by how we are choosing to live today!!!!!!!!!!