{"id":3027,"date":"2019-11-10T12:27:16","date_gmt":"2019-11-10T17:27:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/?p=3027"},"modified":"2019-11-10T12:27:16","modified_gmt":"2019-11-10T17:27:16","slug":"32nd-sunday-in-ordinary-time-year-c-homily-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/32nd-sunday-in-ordinary-time-year-c-homily-2\/","title":{"rendered":"32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C – Homily"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

32<\/a>nd<\/a><\/sup> Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C<\/a>
2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14
Psalm 17:1, 5-6, 8, 15 (15b)
2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5
Luke 20:27-38
November 10, 2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We live in a\ntroubled world.  We see in is war and\nterrorism, shootings in schools and marketplaces.  There is starvation and homelessness.  There are the unemployed and those who fear\nlosing their jobs.  The list could go on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the midst\nof our troubles, we hear Paul\u2019s words to the Thessalonians, that God gives us \u201ceverlasting encouragement<\/em>\u201d because He\nloves us.  Through his grace, He\nencourages our hearts and strengthens them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What we are\ntalking about here is \u201chope<\/em>\u201d.   God gives us hope<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hope<\/em><\/strong> changes the way we look at\nthings.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We see this\nin the first reading.  Seven brothers\nalong with their mother had been arrested. \nThey were Jews who refused to worship the false gods of the king.  They were tortured and the king tried \u201ctried to force them to eat pork in violation\nof God\u2019s law<\/em>.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their\nresponse?  \u201cWe are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our ancestors.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What gives\nthem the courage to say and do this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hope!  Hope that they have because they believe in\nthe resurrection.  They refer to being\n\u201craised up\u201d twice and of the \u201cResurrection\nto life.<\/em>\u201d  They know that there is\nlife after death in this world, so they choose to follow God over life in this\nworld.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nSadducees, \u201cwho deny that there is a\nResurrection<\/em>,\u201d come to Jesus with a question about the Resurrection.  What they are really trying to do is to trap\nJesus and prove the idea of resurrection is absurd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, we\nshould realize why they do not believe in resurrection and why they are\nwrong.  The Sadducees only believe what\ncan be found in the first five book of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,\nNumbers, and Deuteronomy – all attributed to Moses).  You will not find any mention of resurrection\nin those books.  Well, you won\u2019t find the\nword \u201cresurrection\u201d anyway.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I say the\nword because Jesus shows where the concept of resurrection can be found in\nExodus.  Moses is in dialogue with God\nand his people.  God is identified as \u201cthe God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and\nthe God of Jacob and he is not God of the dead, but of the living<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abraham,\nIsaac, and Jacob are all long since dead in earthly terms but they are still\npart of God\u2019s people.  They are still\nliving, just not in this earthly world. \nThere is the concept of \u201cResurrection\u201d. \nThus, resurrection theology is found in the Torah, the five books of\nMoses.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sadducees\nwant to show that the idea of resurrection is absurd.  They attempt to do so by describing this\nsituation of seven brothers dying, having all married the same woman.  They ask Jesus, \u201cNow at the Resurrection, whose wife will she be?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem\nis that they are only seeing the Resurrection as a continuation of life in this\nworld.  Jesus tells us that Heaven is\ndifferent speaking of those in the coming age, saying they \u201cneither marry nor are given in\nmarriage.\u201d  <\/em>This is not to say that\npeople won\u2019t care about their spouses in Heaven.  God is love. \nThere will be infinite love in Heaven, just not new marriages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what is\nHeaven like?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can find\nimages in the Book of Revelation about what Heaven will be like.  There are some powerful images of the\nheavenly banquet in the Book of Revelation. \nThere are also images that we struggle to understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People will\ndescribe Heaven in different ways.  Some\nspeak of blue sky, white puffy clouds, and angels flying around.  Others describe as being where they spend\ntheir time doing their favorite thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reality\nis why don\u2019t know exactly what Heaven will be like.  We often describe it in terms of physical\nthings because that\u2019s what we relate to as embodied beings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What we do\nknow is that in Heaven we will be with God. \nIs that not what we seek?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that in\nmind, when we talk about Heaven, ultimately, we are talking about being with\nGod.  There I turn to a quote I read this\nweek from St. Augustine, \u201cWe are talking about God.  What wonder is it that you do not\nunderstand?\u201d  We can\u2019t expect to fully\nunderstand Heaven right now.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What we can\ndo is trust God.  God is the one who so\nloved the world that He gave his only Son. \nJesus hanging on the Cross is a symbol of God\u2019s absolute love for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus died\nfor us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus\nrevealed himself to us after his Resurrection so that we might know what it\nmeans to rise body and soul.  Jesus did\nall this so that we would have hope<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever\ntrouble or suffering you face in this world, know that God is with you.  Remember that Jesus suffered.  We have a God who knows what it means to\nsuffer.  We have a God who will always be\nwith us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People spend\na lot of time trying to find happiness in this world with money, power, and\nprestige.  These things might mean a lot\nin this world but they mean nothing in Heaven. \nWe are created to be with God. \nThink of the responsorial psalm verse, \u201cLord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.<\/em>\u201d  That\u2019s Heaven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, we\nmay not understand our troubles and sufferings. \nSo, we rely on the hope<\/em><\/strong> Jesus gives us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14Psalm 17:1, 5-6, 8, 15 (15b)2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5Luke 20:27-38November 10, 2019 We live in a troubled world.  We see in is war and terrorism, shootings in schools and marketplaces.  There is starvation and homelessness.  There are the unemployed and those who fear losing their jobs.  The …<\/p>\n

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