Homily
for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)
Based
on Lk 20:27-38 (Gospel),
2 Mc 7:1-2, 9-14
(First Reading) and 2 Th 2:16-3:5 (Second Reading)
From
the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”
AGE OF THE RESURRECTION
“Those
who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of
the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage.” (LK 20:35)
The Gospel
reading for this 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time is from Lk 20:27-38
under the title “The resurrection
of the dead.” Parallel texts for this title are:
1.
Mt 22:23-33 - That day some Sadducees - who
deny that there is no resurrection -
approached him and they put this question to him (v. 23) “Master, Moses
said that if a man dies childless, his brother is to marry the widow, his
sister-in law, to raise up children for his brother.’ 24 Now we had a case
involving seven brothers; the first married and then died without children,
leaving his wife to his brother (v. 25); the same happened with the second and
third and so on to the seventh (v. 26),
and then last of all the woman herself died (v. 27). Now at the
resurrection to which of those seven
will she be wife since she had been married to them all” (v. 28). Jesus answered them, “You are
wrong, because you do not understand neither scriptures nor the power of God
(v. 29). For at the resurrection men and women do not marry; no, they are like
the angels in heaven (v. 30). As far as the resurrection of the dead, have you
never read what God himself said to you
(v. 31‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is
God, not of the dead, but of the living’ (v. 32). And his teaching made a deep impression on the people who heard
it (v. 33).
2.
Mk 12:18-27 - Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him and put
this question to him, (v. 18) saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us, ‘If
someone’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the
wife and raise up descendants for his brother.’ (v. 19). Now there were seven brothers.
The first married a woman and died, leaving no descendants (v. 20). So the
second married her and died, leaving no descendants, and the third likewise (v.
21). And the seven left no descendants.
Last of all the woman also died (v. 22). At the resurrection [when they arise] whose
wife will she be? For all seven had been married to her”(v. 23). Jesus said to
them, “Are you not misled because you do not know the scriptures or the power
of God? (v. 24). When they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given
in marriage, but they are like the angels in heaven (v. 25). As for the dead
being raised, have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the
bush, how God told him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, [the] God of Isaac, and [the]
God of Jacob’? (v. 26). He is not God of the dead but of the living. You are
greatly misled (v. 27).
Verses 27
to 36 say: 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 but died childless. Then the second and then the third married the widow.
And the same with all the 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 ageb take wives and husbands; but
those who are judged worthy of a place in the coming age and in the
resurrection from the deadc do not marry. because they can no longer
died, for they are the same as the angels, and being children of the
resurrectione they are sons of God. Footnote b says “‘children’;
a Semitism for ‘those who belong to…’Cf. 16:8.”; Footnote c says “Only
the resurrection of the just is considered here. Cf. Ph 3:11+.”; Footnote d says “Var. ‘they have not to die’”; and Footnote e says “Semitism for those who are actually raised
up.”
Verse 37 says: And Moses
himself implies that the dead will 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.
Parallel
text is Ex 3:6 that says: I am the God of
your father,’ he said, ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of
Jacob.’ At this Moses covered his face, afraid to look at God.e” Footnote e says “God’s
majesty is such that no man can gaze on it and live.”
Verse 38 says: Now he is
God, not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all men are in fact alive.
Parallel texts are:
1.
Rm 6:10-11 - When he died, he died, once and
for all, to sin,e so his life now is life with God (v. 10).
Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as [being] dead to sin and
living for God in Christ Jesus (v. 11). Footnote e
says “Christ was sinless, 2 Cor.
5:21, but having a physical body like our own, Rm. 8:3, he belonged to the
order of sin; when he became ‘spiritual’, 1 Co. 15:45-46, he belonged only to
the divine order. Similarly, though the Christian remains in the flesh for a
time, he already lives in the spirit.”
2.
Ga 2:19 - In other words, through the Law I am dead to
the Law, i so that now I can live for God. I have been crucified
with Christ. Footnote i
says “So short as to be
obscure: there have been various explanations:
1. Christians, crucified with Christ, are dead with Christ and
therefore, like Christ, dead to the Mosaic law, cf. Rm 7:1f – and indeed in
virtue of that law, Ga 3:13; this is why Christians already share the life of
the risen Christ, Rm 6:4-10; 7:4-6 with notes. 2. Christians only renounced the
Law for a deeper obedience to the OT, Ga 3:19,24; Rm 10:4; 3.Christians are
only dead to the Mosaic Law in obedience to a higher law, the law of faith and
of the Spirit, Rm 8:2.”
The First Reading is from 2 Mc 7:1-2, 9-14.
Verses 1
and 2 say: 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.”
Parallel text is Jr 15:9 that says: The mother of seven sons
grows faint, and breathes her last. It
is still day, but already her sun has set, shame and disgrace are hers… And the
remainder of them shall hand over to their enemies to be cut to pieces—It is
Yahweh who speaks.’
Verse 9 says: 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 forever’.a Footnote a says “Belief in the resurrection of the body, not clearly expressed in Is
26:19 and Jb 19:26-27 (see notes) is here asserted for the first time,
vv.9,11,14,23,29,36, and in Dn 12:2-3 (again in the context of Antiochus
Epiphanes’ persecution, Dn 11). Cf. also 2 M. 12:38-45+; 14:46. By the power of
the creator the martyrs will rise again, v. 23 to a life, v. 14, cf. Jn 5:29,
which is eternal, vv. 9,36. At this point we encounter the doctrine of
immortality which will be developed in the atmosphere of Greek thought and
without reference to the resurrection of the body, by Ws 3:1-5:16. For Hebr.
Thought however, which makes no distinction between soul and body, the notion
of survival implied a physical resurrection, as we see here. The text does not
explicitly teach universal resurrection, and is only concerned with the case of
the virtuous, cf. v. 14, Dn 12:2-3 is clearer.”
Parallel texts are:
1.
2 Mc 12:44 - For if he had not expected the fallen to rise again, it would have been
superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead (v. 44)
2.
2 Mc 14:46 - Although he had now lost every drop of blood, he tore out his entrails
and taking them in both hands flung them among the troops, calling on the
Master of his life and spirit to give them back to him one day. Such was the
manner of his passing (v. 46).
Verses 9,
10, 11, 12 and 13 say: After him, they
amused themselves the third who being asked for his tongue promptly thrust it
out when told to, and boldly held out
his hands with these honorable 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 sane savage torture . When
he neared his end, he cried, “Ours is
the better choice, to meet death at man’s hands, yet relying on God’s promise
that we shall be raised up by him; but for you, whereas for you, there can be
no resurrection, no new life.”
Parallel
text for verse 12 is 2 Mc 12:38-46 that says: The sacrifice for the
falleng Judas then rallied his army and moved on to the town of
Adullam, and since the seventh day of
the week had arrived, they purified
themselves according to custom and kept the abbath in that place (v. 38). The next day, they came to Judas (since
the necessity was by now become urgent)h
to have the bodies of the fallen taken up and laid to rest among their relatives
in their ancestral tombs (v. 39). But when they found on each of the dead under
the tunic amulets of the idols taken from Jamnia, which the law prohibits to
Jews it became clear to everyone that this was why these men had lost their
lives (v. 40). All then blessed the ways
of the Lord, the just judge who brings hidden things to light (v. 41) and gave
themselves to prayer, begging that the sin committed might be fully blotted
out. Next, the valiant Judas urged the people to keep themselves free from all
sin, having seen with their own eyes the effects of the sin of those who had
fallen(v. 42). After this he took up a collection from them individually,
amounting to nearly two thousand
drachmae, and sent it to Jerusalem to have a sacrifice for sin offered,
a altogether fine and noble action in which he took full account of the
resurrection (v. 43); for if he had not expected the fallen to rise again, it
would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. 44 Whereas if he
had in view the splendid recompense reserved for those who make a pious en, the
thought was holy and devout (v. 45) This was why he had made this
atonement sacrifice offered for the dead
so that they might be released from their sin (v. 46). Footnote g
says “Judas is thinking of the
resurrection of his fallen soldiers, cf. 7:9+, which, however is dependent on
atonement in the other world. Expiation for their sins is to be won by prayer,
v. 42, and the offering of sacrifice, v. 43. After their resurrection the
soldiers will receive their reward; v. 45. This is the only OT text mentioning
an intermediate state, where the souls of the dead are purified, and assisted
in the process by the prayers of the living: i.e. purgatory.”; and Footnote
h says “Insertion
missing in a few textual authorities”.
The Second Reading is from 2 Th 2:16-3:5.
Chapter
2, verses 16 and 17 say: May
our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has given us his love and
through his grace such inexhaustible
comfort and sure hope, comfort you and strengthen you in everything good
that you do or say.
Parallel text for verse 16 is 1
Th 3:11-13 that says: Now may God
our Father himself and our Lord Jesus make it easy for us to come to you (v. 11),
May the Lord be generous in increasing
your love and make you love one another and the whole human raced as
much as we love you (v. 12). And may he so confirm your hearts in holiness that
you may be blameless in the sight of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus
Christ comes with all his saints.e (v. 13). Footnote e says “Add.
“Amen’. Holiness, 4:3+, begins with brotherly love but will not be perfect till
the parousia. In this context ‘saints’ can refer to the chosen, the saved or
the angels, Ac 9:13+.”
Chapter 3, verse 1 says: Finally,
brothers, pray for us; pray that the Lord’s message may spread quickly and be received
with honor as it was among you,
Parallel
text is Rm 10:16 that says: Not
everyone of course listens to the Good News; as Isaiah says, “Lord, how many
believed what we proclaimed?”
Verse 3
says: But the
Lord is faithful and he will give you strength and guard you from the evil onea. Footnote a says “Or perhaps ‘from evil.’ Christians will be tempted but not beyond their
power of resistance, 1 Co 10:13.”
Parallel texts are:
1.
Mt 6:13 - And do not put us into the test, but save us
from the evil oned Footnote d says “Or ‘from evil’. Add ‘For yours is the kingdom and the power and the
glory forever. Amen. (a reading introduced into the text through liturgical
influence).”
2.
1 Th 5:24 - God has called, and he will not fail.
3.
1 Jh 2:14 - I have writtend to you, children,
because you already know the Father; I have written to you, fathers, because
you have come to know the one who has existed since the beginning; I have
written to you, young men, because you are strong and God’s word had made a
home in you, and you have come the Evil One.e Footnote d says “Var. (Vulg.) ‘I am writing to you (now)’.
The second clause (‘I have written to you, fathers…beginning’) is omitted by
Vulg.”; and Footnote e says “The
devil is still the tempter as in Gn 3:1-6; Jb 1:6+, who incites human beings to
wickedness, 1 Jn 3:8+. Christians however, having ‘known’ the Son, the Son
lives in them, 1:3+, and ‘clothes’ them in light, virtue and love, 1:7+,; and
as this protects them from the devil, 5:18; Jn 17:15; and prevents them from
sinning, 3:6,9, it constitutes their victory over the devil, 2:13,14, and over
this transient world, 4:4, 5:4,5; cf. Jn 12:31; 14:30; 16:33; Mt. 6:13.”
Verse 4 says: and, in the Lord, have every confidence that you are doing and go on doing all that tell
you.
Parallel text is 2 Co
7:16 that says: I am very happy knowing that I can rely on you so completely.
Verse 5 says: May the
Lord turn your hearts towards the love of God and to the fortitude of Christ.
Parallel
text is 1 Co 13:13 that says: In short,e there are three things that last:f
faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love. Footnote e says “Or
‘Meanwhile.’”; and Footnote f
says “Or ‘In short, then, we are left with these three things.’ This
association of the three theological virtues, which is found earlier in 1 Th
1:3 and which was probably in use before Paul’s time, recurs frequently in his
letters, though the order varies: 1 Th 5:8; 1 Co 13:7,13; Ga 5:5f; Rm 5:1-5;
12:6-12; Col 1:4-5; Ep 1:15-18; 4:2-5; 1 Tm 5:11; Tt 2:2; CfHeb 6:10-12; 10:22-24; 1 P 1:3-9,21f. Faith
and charity are associated in 1 Th 3:6;
2 Th 1:3; Phm 5; faith and fortitude in 2 Th 1:4, love and fortitude in 2 Th
3:5, Cf. 2 Co 13:13.”
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