Homily - Thanksgiving Day (Year C)

Thanksgiving Day (Year C)

First Reading: Sirach 50:22-24           Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9          Gospel Reading: 17:11-19

 

“ LORD, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR FAITHFULNESS AND LOVE.”

 

A Thanksgiving Day editorial in the newspaper told of a school teacher who asked her first graders to draw a picture of something they were thankful for. She thought of how little these children from poor neighborhoods actually had to be thankful for. But she knew that most of them would draw pictures of turkeys on tables with food.

The teacher was taken aback with the picture Douglas handed in... a simple childishly drawn hand.
But whose hand? The class was captivated by the abstract image. “I think it must be the hand of God that brings us food,” said one child. “A farmer's,” said another, “because he grows the turkeys.” Finally when the others were back at work the teacher bent over Douglas' desk and asked whose hand it was. “It's your hand, Teacher,” he mumbled.

She recalled that frequently at recess she had taken Douglas, a scrubby forlorn child, by the hand. She often did that with the children. But it meant so much to Douglas. “Perhaps this is everyone's Thanksgiving, not for the material things given to us, but for the chance, in whatever small way, to give to others,” she thought.

 

Today is the 4^th Thursday of the month of November, a national holiday, when we joyfully celebrate the “Thanksgiving Day” with customary 'turkey dinner.' The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven. These bounties are so constantly enjoyed by us that we are prone to forget the source from which they come and are often insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. Today is the day kept aside to remember, in a special way, all God's gifts & blessings, which he has showered upon each one of us and to come to him and offer him our hearts laden with gratitude, and to fervently pray, saying - “Lord, I thank you for your faithfulness and love.”

 

All the three Scripture Readings of today and also the Responsorial Psalm are accordingly centered around the theme of 'thankfulness' and we all are called to be a people of thanksgiving. This means that we recognize that all that we have and all that we are is not so much our own doing, as it is a free and generous gift from the ever faithful and loving God.

Now, thankfulness is at the heart of salvation. And salvation has two parts - the first part, we can say, is gold and the second part is silver: The golden part, obviously the most precious is God's action, his initiative, which we sometimes call 'grace.' The First Reading from the Book of Sirach describes God's initiative on a natural level. The author invites us to "bless the God of all, who has done wondrous things on earth." Then he mentions that precious gift, the gift which makes all other gifts possible, the gift of life. He further says, "God fosters people's growth from their mother's womb, and fashions them according to his will!" God created the universe, and formation of a human being is the most marvelous part of the universe. God's initiative in bringing us into the world and calling us to a new birth is pure gold. That is the first and most important part of our salvation. There is a second part, the silver part. Even though it is not as precious as the first part, it is still necessary. The silver part of our salvation is our personal response. And we all have to respond to God with gratitude - "Lord, I thank you for your faithfulness and love." 

The blessings of God are many and are in abundance. But the greatest gift God has given us is the gift of his only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we obtain salvation and eternal life. In the Second Reading of today, in his First Letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul focuses on the importance of giving thanks in our lives. First, we are privileged to give thanks for the way God has called us into relationship with himself and with each other. Second, we are privileged to give thanks for five specific God-given gifts mentioned in the Reading, viz. 'grace, riches, spiritual gifts, forgiveness and faithfulness.' He reminds us to give thanks above all for this - that the good God we serve is our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and everyone to come to the knowledge of the truth. “Lord, I thank you for your faithfulness and love.”

 

In the Gospel Reading of today from St. Luke, we hear about Jesus cleansing the ten lepers. No story in all the Gospels so poignantly shows human ingratitude. Ten lepers came to Jesus with desperate longing and Jesus cured them. Out of the ten lepers cleansed of the deadly and socially incapacitating disease, only one of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. In astonishment and obvious hurt, Jesus asked – “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” And then he said to the grateful leper - “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.” Today we are called to model our lives after the leper who returned to give thanks. So, we say - “Lord, I thank you for your faithfulness and love.”

 

Now, gratitude may seem obvious and easy, but it is not. It not only involves going out of our way, but it requires humility. This Gospel story of 'the forgetful lepers' - challenges us with how easy it is to fall into the ways of unbelief. We may not be physically suffering from leprosy; but our ingratitude to God and others is a sign of our spiritual leprosy. Unfortunately, the problem of ungratefulness, our spiritual leprosy , is universal. One of the first things we teach our children is to say 'Please' & 'Thank you,' yet we ourselves who are God's children, forget to say 'Thank You, my Lord' to God. It is sad that to our hurt and the disappointment of God, many of us travel through life without a thankful heart toward God and others.

The way of faith, instead, is to ever return, glorifying him for what he has given, and we will find that he always has even more to give, and that leads to more thanksgiving from us. The grateful leper when he realized that he was cured, returned to Jesus and Jesus gave him more, viz. salvation - “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.” Jesus wants thankfulness to be an endless cycle and the very joy of our life. He wants finally to give us nothing less than Himself. That's why he keeps asking - “Where are the other nine?”

What we need then is a 'Copernican Revolution' in our way of thinking. Copernicus was the Polish astronomer who posited that the sun does not make a circle around the earth, but that the earth revolves around the sun. Our lack of gratitude comes when we think that things revolve around us; we can even view God as one more object out there orbiting us. We need to recognize the truth that God is the center and everything we have comes from him. When we do that, our stance is simple gratitude.

 

Today, as we celebrate “Thanksgiving Day,” let us remember that it is not a day's affair to be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of every November. Actually, for a believer – everyday is to be a thanksgiving day. It is to be a way of life for a child of God. It should never be for us 'once in a year matter,' but a daily sending of our thanks to God, out of a heart full of gratitude - for God, who is the source of all goodness that ever comes our way, loves us so much that he keeps holding out his hand and showering us with gifts and blessing each and every day.

In order to be thankful, must we be reminded, what to say, every time God gives us those things for which we pray? No! we shouldn't have to be told to say, 'Thank you!' It should come naturally, as an echo when we're given something great. Thanks should be like the shadow, which cannot be separated from the gifts and blessings we receive from God or others. Thanks should always grow like flowers when showered from above and they should always flow like kisses which follow upon love.

Moreover, 'thankfulness' is more than a mere word. Actually, it is a positive mental attitude, focused on God and grateful for all the benefits that are ours as believers. It is a lifestyle rooted in the disposition of our hearts! Someone has said, 'Thanksgiving is good but thanks-living is better.' So we say - “Lord, I thank you for your faithfulness and love.”

Finally, we should remember that “Thanksgiving Day” is the most unique among our feasts & holidays, also in many ways the most religious, not because it is about 'Turkeys,' but because it is about 'Thanksgiving.' We call ourselves a 'Eucharistic People.' Do we know what that means? “Eucharist” is a Greek word, which means “thanksgiving.” So, we are a 'Thanksgiving People,' and the main thing for which we come around the table of the Lord is to offer thanksgiving sacrifice to God, our Father, at the Eucharist.

So, during this Eucharistic celebration let us pray that we shall always be thankful to God for all his gifts and blessings, which he, each and everyday, so lovingly and graciously showers upon each one of us. God is always faithful. Great is his love. Amazing is his grace. And we pray fervently, saying - “LORD, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR FAITHFULNESS AND LOVE.”

Wish you all a beautiful Thanksgiving Day!

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Homily - 34th Ordinary Sunday (Year C)

34^th Ordinary Sunday (Year C)
 (CHRIST THE KING)

First Reading: 2 Samuel 5:1-3          Second Reading: Colossians 1:12-20          Gospel Reading: Luke 23:35-43

“AMEN, I SAY YOU, TODAY YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE.”

The story is told that many years ago, a little boy was visiting London with his family, and he decided he wanted to see the king. Of course, when he arrived at the palace, the gates were closed and the soldiers refused his request to see the king. He took his case to a nearby policeman, who said, "I'm afraid you're not allowed in there."

A well-dressed gentleman had walked up and heard the conversation. He turned to the boy and said, "What's the matter?" The boy answered, "I want so much to see the king." The gentleman took the boy by the hand and said, "Come with me." As they moved toward the gate, the soldiers sprang to attention and a guard quickly opened the gate for them to enter. He led the boy into the palace and up the steps, and no one tried to stop them as they went right into the king's offices.

The reason is that the well-dressed gentleman was the Prince of Wales, the king's son, and he was the one who could give the boy access to his father, the king.

So it is that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, alone can give us access to God the Father - and he purchased that access with his own blood, shed on the cross. And he says to each one of us too, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Today is the 34^th Sunday in Ordinary Time and it is also the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year C. On the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year the Church always celebrates the Feast of “Christ the King.” This feast was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 and is observed on this Sunday as it helps us to meditate on Christ the King and Lord, and at the same time reflect on the Second and Final Coming of Christ, the Last Judgment, and the End of the World.

Now, the word 'king' evokes all kinds of images, and whatever image of king comes to our mind may influence subconsciously our thoughts about this feast. Also, while it is true that kings and kingship belong to the past – they are extinct and if at all they exist, they could be found in history books. King David is one such king given as an example in the First Reading of today. Again, in the Second Reading and the Gospel Reading, we are given two highly contrasting pictures of Jesus as King – a highly triumphant one and utterly disgraced one respectively. Surely, to call Jesus Christ “King” is a paradox – but in this is also hidden the central paradox of our Christian faith.

So, what really is this feast of Christ the King all about? Is it still relevant to call Christ – the King? And why is it celebrated at the end of the Liturgical Year? – The feast of Christ the King fits very appropriately into the liturgical year – a cycle which begins with Advent, then moves on to Christmas or the actual birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem, then to the dying and rising of Jesus at Easter, and finally, after the Sundays in Ordinary time, to the end of the liturgical year where Jesus Christ comes in glory at the end of time in today’s feast of Christ the King. This is as it were, a synthesis of the entire salvific mystery. After reflecting on the mysteries in the life of Jesus for the entire year, we eventually come to the definite conclusion that Jesus is Lord, the King of all kings.

DAVID BEING ANOINTED KING OF ISRAEL :

In the First Reading of today from the 2^nd Book of Samuel, we see all the tribes of Israel coming to David in Hebron to make him their king. Called by God to lead the chosen people, David had been a shepherd, musician, military hero, and respected leader of his people. Now he would rule as king and make the Israelites secure against their enemies.

Actually, this was the second time that David had been anointed as king. In 2 Samuel, verse 2:4, we read that David was first anointed as king over the house of Judah. But Saul, Israel's first king, though side lined by God already, refused to step aside. This led to a prolonged struggle between them and finally ends when Saul took his own life in a battle with the Philistines. With Saul dead now, all the tribes come to David in Hebron to make him their king. The tribes of Israel express their own conviction that David’s appointment as king comes from God. There is a clear reference to his God-given authority, “You shall shepherd my people Israel and shall be commander of Israel.” King David then makes an agreement with them before God, thus invoking Divine blessings on his reign. Those tribes once loyal to Saul accept this divine appointment of David and affirm that he is the Shepherd of Israel. Shepherd was a traditional title for a king and in Israel it was also a title for God. Thus at this point of his life, David was their shepherd on behalf of God.

Now, David was the greatest of all the kings in Israel; and in a way, he was an image of things to come. Lord Jesus was a descendant of David. Both King David and the Lord Jesus were shepherds. The Almighty God who chose David to shepherd His people Israel is the same God who chose Christ the King as the Shepherd who gave his life for the sheep.

“THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

Now, as we celebrate the concluding Sunday of the Liturgical Year C, the Gospel Reading of today from St. Luke does not seem to fit with the title of today’s feast of Christ the King. Here we are given a very different picture indeed. It is a crucifixion scene. It takes us to Calvary and to three crosses on which three 'criminals' are hung - left to die. This was a death reserved for the lowest of the low - and yet, it is recorded here as evidence of the Kingship of Christ.

Twice in the passage, Jesus is referred to as 'the King of the Jews.' Two other times he is called 'the Messiah.' All these references are directed to Jesus as he hung on the cross and they are all made in mockery of him. Here we are presented with a man being executed in shame and ignominy, bleeding and battered on a cross, one of the cruelest and degrading punishments ever devised. Over his head are the mocking words, “This is the King of the Jews.” To every human imagination he does not look like a king.

People are watching him die on the cross, as the leaders, soldiers and people too consider him a fraud a failure. The test they are using is the challenge that if he is truly the King and Messiah why he does not save himself and come down the cross. This indeed is the challenge before him of an earthly king like Caesar and a spiritual king like Jesus. Certainly we prefer those triumphant pictures where Jesus wears a crown and an expensively embroidered cloak with a scepter in his hand as he looks down benignly on his subjects. The Church has chosen quite a different picture for today’s feast. It is to help us wake up out of our complacency and to become more aware of how Jesus came to be our King and what he expects from his subjects. The kingdom of God is about service, sacrifice and love.

Even while he is dying on the cross, Jesus reaches out to sinners with the gift of Salvation. This comes as one of the two criminals, sometimes known as Dismas, who is hanging on a cross next to Jesus senses the truth about Jesus. Rebuking his fellow criminal, he turns and pleads to the one who gave him ultimate hope, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And the crucified King, acting as Savior even at the last moment of his life, responds compassionately to his faith invocation, "Amen I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” The other criminal however, shows no sign of faith and continues the mockery of others. What this criminal and others viz. the rulers and the soldiers, fail to understand is the divine necessity of Jesus’ death. They do not realize that what he is really doing by dying on the cross is bringing about salvation for those who cannot save themselves. The passage clearly tells us that in spite of the mockery and insult, Jesus is truly the King and Savior. The titles they gave him are true and accurate. But Jesus redefines the true meaning of Kingship and the notion of the Kingdom. This is not a competition of royalty but an expression of leadership that culminates in service. He shuns the status of power and might, domination and force as the moral and practical foundation for life. Jesus is truly King, but not the way his contemporaries imagined. He is King for us through the way of the cross and for us believers who now contemplate this tragic crucifixion scene, the abuses hurled at Jesus were ironic: the crucified One is All that is denied of him. We should not become immune to the scandal of the cross, perhaps the greatest sign that our Christian faith is not some human thinking.

THE KINGSHIP OF CHRIST OVER ALL CREATION:

Next, the Second Reading of today from St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians is dense and refers to a series of theological realities. It highlights probably an early Christian 'Hymn to Christ.' There in it is given the highly triumphant and magnificent picture of Christ. Two themes are predominant: the kingship of Jesus Christ over all creation and the reconciliation with God of all things, especially man, by means of Jesus’ death on the cross. The first stanza describes Christ before his birth. He is the image of the invisible God, the first born of all creation... The second stanza describes Christ after his earthly life. He is the beginning, the first born of the dead... Christ, the God-man, completely divine and completely human, moves from heaven to earth and back to heaven. He is the head of the Church and the One who holds everything 'in being.' St. Paul's meditation on the Father summing up and reconciling all things in and through Christ, is one of the most beautiful prayers of thanksgiving to the Father. It reminds us to be grateful that we are loved and saved by such a supreme King.

CONCLUSION:

However, the Gospel Reading today may sound, for many of us, somewhat incongruous to this joyous celebration of the feast of Christ the King. Nevertheless, the image of Jesus on the cross accurately and eloquently captures the true nature of his Kingship. It is radically different from the kings of the world. Christ’s Kingship is eternal, universal and perfect. It is the Kingship, not of force or fear but of the power of love. Let us then turn toward the Crucified Lord! He is our true King! In our Christian life, the cross is the best for us. Let us not turn away from it. It is the throne of our King where he offered his life for our sakes; his crown is made of thorns; his garment is the blood flowing from the many wounds all over his body; his scepter are the nails the pierced his hands and feet.

Again, at the end of the Liturgical Year, it is most fitting that the Church resounds the prayer invocation of the repentant criminal Dismas, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” and listens trustingly to the crucified King’s compassionate assurance of salvation, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise”.

Finally, the Liturgical Year ends awaiting the return of Christ, when evil will be defeated and Jesus will begin his reign as the King of kings. Christ’s kingdom begins in the community of people who live in a new and different way because of God’s presence in their lives. Celebrating Christ’s kingship gives us an opportunity to proclaim the good news that his second coming brings joy rather than fear, hope rather than despair. We are cleansed and renewed and brought closer to our God. Today’s feast is both a challenge and an opportunity for us to become aware of our call to become truly both subjects and partners of Jesus our King. Long live the King! May his Kingdom come! And this is the Good News of today.

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Homily - 33rd Ordinary Sunday (Year C)

33^rd Ordinary Sunday (Year C)

First Reading: Malachi 3:19-20a            Second Reading: 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12           Gospel Reading: 21:5-19

“THE LORD COMES TO RULE THE EARTH WITH JUSTICE.”

The story is told of a woman who left instructions for her children that when she died they should place on her grave a parking meter that read: “Time expired.”

Today is 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time and we have come very close to the end of the Liturgical Year C. In fact, the Liturgical Cycle ends with the celebration of the feast of Christ the King next Sunday. Appropriately enough, as we rapidly approach the end of the Liturgical Year, “Time expired” is also our theme and at this time, the Church invites us to think about the final end of things and the importance of endurance, for, “The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.”

The Scripture Readings of this second last Sunday are filled with apocalyptic visions and warnings. They also prepare us for the celebration of Christ as King of the universe next Sunday. The word 'apocalypse' simply means an uncovering, a stripping to essentials. It is not a prediction of the future, an excuse to judge others or to attempt to escape the needs of the world here and now. It is the consolation that God offers to us in our present needs/sufferings and we have to persevere by remaining faithful to God, for only God and His promises remain in the end.

“THERE WILL ARISE THE SUN OF JUSTICE WITH HEALING RAYS.”

In the First Reading of today from the Book of the prophet Malachi, the author addresses the perennial problem, namely, why do evil-doers prosper and the just suffer. What is the value of living just and pious life when the irreligious people look down on the observance of the law? The prophet is prophesying doom for evil-doers and is sounding them the alarm. He tells them that the end of the world and the day of judgment will be terrible for the evil-doers, but it will be a joy for the faithful. On that day the tree will be completely consumed by fire. Even the root will be reduced to ashes and will have no chance to survive. Those who do evil will not get away with it forever. Justice will surround them like a blazing oven. The evildoers will be wiped off the face of the earth. When they die, there will be no tombstone to mark their graves. Over time, their existence will fade away from the memories of the passing generations until such a time when no one will remember that they ever existed. But for those who live in 'fear of God's name,' the light of 'the Day of the Lord' will be welcome like the rising sun with its healing rays, i.e. while the evil-doers are 'burning,' the faithful will be warmed by 'the sun of justice.' What a wonderful image of protection! There is no need of fear whatsoever - the faithful are assured of that no matter what happens.

“TEACHER, WHEN WILL THIS HAPPEN?”

In today’s Gospel Reading from St. Luke we find Jesus walking through the Temple at Jerusalem built by Herod the Great, with his disciples marveling at the building and it’s awesome beauty and power. The Temple was one of the most impressive buildings in the world at that time. In fact, the huge structure was not yet quite completed when Jesus was there. To most Jews it was a place made to last forever. It was, so to speak, the 'soul' of the Jewish faith, the focal point for all Jews everywhere. It was the heart and pride of all Jewish life; the very symbol of God’s presence among them. But Jesus warns them that this great structure wouldn’t last forever. In fact the day would come when the whole splendid edifice will be destroyed, not a stone left upon a stone! This must had come as a great shock to them, if not actually blasphemous, and they ask him, “Teacher when will this happen?” But the Lord was clear about it, and that they shouldn’t be disturbed by it all. Their faith needed to be rooted in something greater than a building.

Now, the announcement of the destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem is the last discourse of Jesus in Luke. It is quite near the end of his public life. And Jesus, of course, was absolutely right. As the result of a rebellion by the Jews against the Romans, Jerusalem was besieged and the city and Temple utterly destroyed. The unthinkable had happened. And, for many Jews, including Jews converted to Christianity, it must have seemed like the end of the world. Indeed the Gospel of today tells us about the fall of Jerusalem. While Jesus was speaking of the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple, those who were with were associating this event with the arrival of the Kingdom of God on earth. Many of Jesus’ followers recognized him as the Messiah and they wanted to crown him as their King. So when Jesus spoke of destruction or anything that could be associated with war, his followers assumed that the day was near when Jesus would rule over them and the Roman domination would come to an end. They did not and could not comprehend the mission of Jesus and that the Kingdom of Jesus was not of this world. The Kingdom that he preached was a spiritual kingdom. Jesus while telling the disciples of the events to come tells them also that while waiting for these great moments to come, they must persevere in their living faith and in their fidelity to him.

Then, Jesus goes on to talk about the end of the world which would be preceded by all kinds of natural and man-made calamities like - wars, earthquakes, famines etc. The language that Jesus uses is the apocalyptic language of the time. Jesus warns his followers not to be deceived about the end of the world. But before all these would take place, Jesus cautions his disciples that false prophets would come forward identifying themselves to be the long-awaited Messiah to lead the faithful astray, "Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and, 'The time is near.' Do not follow them." But Jesus says such people are not to be trusted and must be ignored. Let us take a closer look at the false prophets against whom Jesus warned us about. How come such false prophets pop out now and then from nowhere? They claim that they can read the 'signs of the times' and thus 'infallibly' predict to the year, month, day and hour when the end will come. Even in our own times, we saw how many people got excited about the year 2000. Obviously, such leaders manipulate the fears of people, and their basis is their literal interpretation of the end of world scenarios found in the Bible, so that when such events take place, they see in them the fulfillment of Jesus' prediction.

Finally, Jesus says something more to his own followers that there are some special things in store for them and they must not be surprised at them. He speaks of the possible persecution and hatred which people will show towards them. When Jesus speaks of the persecutions awaiting his disciples, he consoles them saying that they should not be anxious about how they are to behave or what they are to say in such times. He even gives them the confidence and tells them that they are not even to prepare their defense, because amidst all these, Jesus himself will give them eloquence and a wisdom that none of their opponents will be able to resist or contradict.

Now, many of the early Christians thought that persecution was also a sign of the coming end of the world. Jesus, however, reminds us that it is an integral part of the Church’s ongoing life. Christianity and persecution will go hand in hand. And so it has been. What then is the proper Christian attitude in the midst of these realities? The message of Jesus is loud and clear. It should be that of hopeful endurance, knowing that God’s goodness will triumph over evil, and faith will overcome fear and suffering. He tells us strongly that we ought to remain close to him and be firm in our faith and the ultimate victory will be ours. This is not simply a utopian promise.

AWAITING THE FINAL RETURN OF CHRIST:

Now, St. Paul had won many converts in the city of Thessalonica by speaking of 'the end of the world.' He seriously believed that it was coming soon and pressed his listeners on this point. There was a strong reaction, but one with unexpected weaknesses. Many of the people figured that since the end was coming soon, they should spend their last days in prayer. Hence they quit their jobs and focused on meditation. Why build and plant if this world is about to be destroyed, they asked themselves. This won Christians a bad reputation.

In the Second Reading of today from his 2^nd Letter to the Thessalonians, St. Paul commands and exhorts everyone in the community to do their work quietly and to earn their own living and not be a burden on anyone. Admonishing the disorderly, he tells them that if they are unwilling to work, they should not eat. He gives them his own example to show how he toiled day and night to earn his livelihood and never depended on them. He was a tent-maker by profession and earned enough from this work to pay for his own needs and those of his co-workers. Even though he did his ministry and worked for the people of God he lived by his own hard work. St. Paul, being concerned about the community and the misunderstanding of the teaching of the Lord, wanted simply to re-establish the order and overcome the dissipation that had set in. Also, his making tents shows us that our concern for the future should be grounded in the present. What we should be concerned with is how we actively live our present calling, while awaiting the final return of Christ that will proceed the resurrection of the bodies and the Judgment Day.

CONCLUSION:

To conclude: Yes, there will be an end of time. To many people the end of the world is tragic. Christianity, however, thinks otherwise. It is not an end but rather a beginning - an event not to be afraid of. Our fear is natural because of the unknown but our fear could also mask a lack of firm belief in the resurrection. The Gospel tells us that we are to get ready for that day when God will call us to himself. Our faith tells us that there is no need to live in fear and anxiety regarding the future. Rather, we are to focus on the present time, on today, the here and now. Jesus promises his followers abundant sufferings and persecutions. If they bear the sufferings for Christ’s name they will earn the true life, the eternal life of heaven. For this reason the Church wants us to examine ourselves today regarding the response we have to such circumstances. We are invited to seek and find him in all things, in every person, in every place, in every experience. He will come surely in his glory and majesty to judge the whole human race, as we hear in today's Responsorial Psalm, “The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.” So, we are called upon to prepare ourselves for the future by loving and serving others at every possible occasion. Today’s Gospel Reading is prophetic in nature and was applied to the days of Jesus. But it is also applicable to us in today’s situation. It invites us to be prepared to receive the Lord worthily without any fear. We are called to persevere in our living faith and look forward in hope.

Not knowing when our individual time will expire is not meant to frighten a person—unless they need to be frightened to live a good life - but it should motivate us to be prepared. It should give us hope in any type of trial; that our time and trial now is temporary, but eternity is forever. Embracing this way of living gives us hope and confidence, that no matter when we have our time expires, our lives are secure. The world and its false securities are passing realities. In the end, the love of God is all that remains. That love is reciprocal; God has loved his human creatures and awaits a loving response. He comes to assist us, making our response possible and helping us to persevere in that loving response until the end. And this is the Good News of today.

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Homily - 32nd Ordinary Sunday (Year C)

32^nd Ordinary Sunday (Year C)

First Reading: 2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14     Second Reading: 2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5     Gospel Reading: Luke 20:27-38

"HE IS GOD NOT OF THE DEAD, BUT OF THE LIVING."

A very zealous soul-winning preacher recently came upon a farmer working in his field. Being concerned about the farmer's soul the preacher asked the man, “Are you laboring in the vineyard of the Lord my good man?”

Not even looking at the preacher and continuing his work the farmer replied, “Naw, these are soybeans.”

“You don't understand,” said the preacher. “Are you a Christian?”

With the same amount of interest as his previous answer the farmer said, “Nope, my name is Jones. You must be looking for Jim Christian. He lives a mile south of here.”

The young determined preacher tried again asking the farmer, “Are you lost?”

“Naw, I've lived here all my life,” answered the farmer.

“Are you prepared for the resurrection?” the frustrated preacher asked.

This caught the farmer's attention and he asked, “When's it gonna be?”

Thinking he had accomplished something the young preacher replied, “It could be today, tomorrow, or the next day.”

Taking a handkerchief from his back pocket and wiping his brow the farmer replied, “Well, don't mention it to my wife. She don't get out very much and she will wanna go all three days.”

Today is the 32^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time. For the final few Sundays of each Liturgical Year, the Church turns her reflective and prayerful attention to what we call 'eschatological' concerns, i.e. to our own personal end of life and to the 'end of the world.' The Scripture Readings of today bring our attention to the fact of resurrection of the body and the truth of life eternal. The First Reading from the 2^nd Book of Maccabees describes the torture and martyrdom of seven brothers who urged by their heroic mother remained faithful to God with the hope that they will enjoy the glory of the resurrection to come. This passage also prepares us for the Gospel Reading from St. Luke which deals with a question the Sadducees challenged Jesus with about the resurrection, something they did not believe in. The Second Reading from the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians exhorts the suffering to remain steadfast in their faith and tells them not to be over anxious about the situation of after-life or the end of the world, and to draw strength from their hope that when Jesus appeared again in glory, their persecutors would be punished and they, themselves, would be relieved of every affliction.

JEWISH FAMILY'S FAITH IN RESURRECTION:

The First Reading of today from the 2^nd Book of Maccabees is a macabre tale of the torture and execution of seven brothers immediately followed by the killing of their mother. The Lectionary shields us from the worst, excising six verses from the middle of the tale, but a glimpse at the full text reveals how the Seleucid monarch, Antiochus Epiphanes, a Syrian king who forces the people of God to adopt pagan religious practices, and his henchmen literally butcher their victims, as though preparing them for the table, or for smoking altars, and then cook them in large pans and cauldrons. One-by-one the brothers are fried alive.

The best part of the story for us is the Jewish family's faith in their own resurrection. It is significant to note that this is one of the few Old Testament passages that expresses faith in a resurrection. Although they lived two centuries before Christ, their faith helped to prepare the way for his coming. They had great hope in resurrection. Each one of them was willing to die for the Law of Moses because they believed in after-life and that at the last trumpet, the King of the universe would raise them up to an everlasting life. They were ready to die rather than sin, trusting in the Lord God to raise them up again with their bodies being fully restored. Theirs was an incredible faith displayed in the face of death and torture. Each son seems to proclaim more eloquently than the one before him faith in God and conviction of life after death.

The reading concludes with the testimony of the fourth son who warns his persecutors that their crimes will gain them no joy in the world to come. He tells them that one cannot but choose to die at the hands of mortals and to cherish the hope God gives of being raised again by him. He tells his torturers that they will have no resurrection to life awaiting them because of their wickedness. On the other hand shame and everlasting contempt awaits the wicked. They were sustained and strengthened in their sufferings by the pious exhortation of their faith-inspired mother. More so they were firmly convinced that God of the Universe, the God of Justice and love, had glorious eternal life in store for them. Thus so a clear and lively hope for the final resurrection became widespread among the Jews. The first reading therefore underlines the foundations of belief and hope in the life hereafter. It was born out of suffering that tested faith.

“HE IS GOD IS NOT OF THE DEAD, BUT OF THE LIVING”:

In today's Gospel Reading, we hear about an encounter between Jesus and some Sadducees. Who were the Sadducees? Basically they were a sect within the Jewish community. They included many of the priestly class and upper echelon families. Politically they were more ready to compromise with the Romans in the interests of their own power and wealth. Another distinguishing mark of the Sadducees was that they only accepted as the word of God the part of the Old Testament known as the Pentateuch. The Pentateuch consists of the first five books of the Hebrew (Old) Testament, which are traditionally attributed to Moses as their author. They were literal interpreters of the written Law of Moses, which means that they were in disagreement with the position of the Pharisees, who offered an oral interpretation of the Law of Moses. Because of this, the Sadducees did not accept beliefs which were found in other parts of the Hebrew Testament. So, for instance, they refused to believe in the existence of angels, or spirits, or resurrection from the dead. The Sadducees are described in this Gospel as opponents to the belief in resurrection. They cringed at Jesus' preaching about the resurrection and tried to belittle him.

In the Gospel passage we see that the Sadducees are trying to trick Jesus by getting him to respond to a hypothetical and an impossible question about the resurrection. Their attack is prompted by an obscure law. They use the example of Levirate marriage, found in the Law of Moses, to disprove belief in the resurrection. According to Deuteronomy 25:5-10, if a man died without producing an heir, the man's brother should marry his wife and the offspring of this union would inherit the property and carry on the name of the man who had died. The Sadducees use this as an example to challenge belief in the resurrection. Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. The second up to the seventh married her one after the other and also died childless. Finally, the woman died. At the resurrection, they asked, whose wife would she be, since the seven brothers were married to her? In fact their question radiated that sarcasm and ridicule and they never sincerely expected a response from Jesus. Their aim was to corner Jesus into an improbable religious belief and make him a laughing stock before the people.

Jesus answers the question on various levels. First of all, he implies that life after death is not exactly the same as physical existence. In his proper reply Jesus tells the people that the children of this world take wives and husbands, but those who are judged worthy of a place in the other world and in 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 children of God. In other words, in the resurrection, when we are transformed at the twinkle of an eye, just like the angels of God, we will receive spiritual bodies that are incorruptible. In this physical world, God has instituted the Sacrament of marriage and procreation for mankind to multiply and spread all over the earth. But once in Heaven, there will be no more procreation. The man from Heaven does not live by the same rules as the man of dust. Jesus' answer cuts the ground from under the Sadducees by revealing that the risen life beyond the grave, the identity of God's people, is a matter of being God's children, not of being any one's husband or wife. It will indeed be given by our being sisters and brothers in Christ, and thus adopted sons and daughters of the Father.

Again, since Sadducees held only the Law of Moses as their guide, Jesus concludes his argument to that by citing the remarkable incident of Moses encountering God in the burning bush. God calling out to Moses from the burning bush identifies himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. When Moses did encounter God, these Patriarchs were dead and gone. But we have the God who is God of the living persons and cannot be God of those dead. Yet God says to Moses that he is the God of those persons. That meant for certain that those persons were not dead in the divine sense but were still living. The creative power of God brings life after death. This argument puts the Sadducees to silence and indeed Jesus had met them on their own ground and won the battle. They dare not contradict the word of God coming through Moses.

It is not in today’s Gospel passage but immediately after this Luke comments: “And some of the teachers of the Law (possibly Pharisees) answered, ‘Teacher, you have spoken well’”. In other words, they were delighted to see the Sadducees put down. And Luke continues, “For they (the teachers of the Law) no longer dared to ask Jesus any question.” Jesus had established his authority but he had also guaranteed his final destiny.

BEING HOPEFUL IN LIVING UP THE GOSPEL:

Today’s Second Reading from the Second Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians opens our eyes to the fact that the Lord strengthens our hearts in every good work and word. He tells the Thessalonians, "The Lord is faithful," and it is the supreme justification for the hope of all Christians. Paul prays that Jesus and his loving Father will give the Thessalonians the help they need to be courageous and hopeful in living up to the Gospel and proclaiming it to others. We learn that through prayer, the word and the work of the Lord that is manifested through us rapidly spreads and in this way God is glorified everywhere. Through our prayers for each other, we faithful children of God are rescued from the wicked and evil people. To protect all, God placed His Holy Spirit within each and every one of us so that those baptized may follow His statutes and keep His ordinances and obey them. Here we experience the humanness of Paul, who tells them that he is begging Christ and God the Father to console and strengthen them so that they may continue to live their faith. In return he asks them to pray that he will be able to continue to spread the Christian faith to many others. Prayer prepares us and equips us to welcome even that most dreaded moment of life and, in that moment, to embrace death as a passage through which we will come face to face with the God who calls us to life everlasting.

CONCLUSION:

The Scripture Readings today invite us to think of death. We face death all the time. Life’s end may well come when one least expects it. All the more reason to live our daily life with a healthy and balanced on-going awareness of our own individual mortality. What we do in life and how we do it ought to be approached with that joyful expectancy and awareness. Christian belief in immortality is unique and special. The Gospel tells us of the Good News of the fullness of life in this age and of the resurrection in the age to come. For us death is a door that opens us to full of surprises and not a wall which blinds us from every possible vision. Our resurrection gives us the hope that we will be with God fully alive and active fulfilling the call that God has given us. The great way Jesus affirmed the hope for resurrection was by his own rising from the dead. Jesus' resurrection does not only tell us that the dead will rise, it causes the dead to rise. Jesus the 'First-Fruit' enables the harvest to take place; his resurrection is the 'channel' through which God's Spirit will flow to all the dead to restore them to life, and his risen glory is the 'prototype' on which the Spirit will pattern God's friends when they rise.

So what message do we take home this Sunday? Today's readings challenge us to live in the light of the resurrection, full of hope that indeed there is life after this present earthly life. That is why we confess in the Creed that 'I believe in the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.' The resurrection is the centerpiece of our faith and Christians have shed their blood because of that faith. Again, just as in the First Reading, the Jewish family endured suffering because of their faith in the resurrection, we too must be prepared to defend and to live our faith in the resurrection. Moreover, St. Paul was aware of this kind of opposition and persecution. It is as though he speaks directly to us in today’s Second Reading. “Pray that you might be delivered from perverse and wicked people. For not all have faith. Be faithful to the Lord and the Lord will be faithful to you.” That is why the Gospel Reading today invites us not only to celebrate our faith in the living God, but also to be quite clear on what our faith in the resurrection means. "He is God of the living, not of the dead."  And this is the Good News of today.

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