- 1st Reading – 2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14
- 2nd Reading – 2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5
- Gospel – Luke 20:27-38
Death is generally a subject that most people shy away from talking about. It just doesn’t come up in general conversation very often. It’s not a conversation starter, like the weather or a recent trip. Speaking of death kind of kills the festive mood at a party. But that’s because most people are afraid of death; they fear death. As Christians we should know better than that. We know that there’s an afterlife. And even better for us as Catholics, because not all Christians believe in Purgatory. We know that even if we die with some residual sins attached to our soul, we still have the chance of being purified in Purgatory. So, we should have no reason to fear death. That doesn’t mean that we necessarily look forward to it. We don’t want it to come to us any sooner than necessary. But we should have no fear of death.
Throughout the liturgical year, our Sunday readings tend to focus on how, we as Christians, should live and conduct our lives, following in Christ’s footsteps; but now as we near the end of the liturgical year, our readings tend to focus on the resurrection, our resurrection, and life after death. A little over a week ago we began the month of November by celebrating All Saints Day, and then All Souls Day, and from there the Church dedicates the whole month of November to praying for the faithful departed. Many parishes, including here at St. Michael’s we place our parishes “Book of the Dead” on the altar where it will remain for the whole month. All of us are invited, after Masses, to enter names of our departed loved ones to its pages.
Our first reading today is from the Second Book of Macabees. In our Sunday readings through the year, we don’t hear from 1st or 2nd Macabees very often, but they fit in well with our “end of the year” theme of resurrection. I’d like to reference a little bit of history here. The two Books of Macabees are among the few books that are found only in Catholic bibles. Going back to the first century after Christ, Jewish Scholars had two different lists, or “Canon” of Hebrew Scripture; a shorter Palestinian Canon and the Alexandrian Canon which simply contained a little more history of the Jewish People. From the very beginning of Christianity, the longer Alexandrian Canon was used and was eventually included as the Old Testament Canon of the Bible. This lasted all the way to the sixteenth century when the protestant reformers went back to the shorter Palestinian Canon for the Old Testament of the protestant bible. Some of the books in the longer Alexandrian Canon made references to beliefs that the reformers didn’t agree with, namely, praying for the dead, which went against the reformers belief that when a person dies, they are immediately Judged by God and then sent directly to either heaven or hell. Therefore, for them, they have no belief in purgatory or any reason to pray for the dead. But even disregarding the Books of Macabees, their belief doesn’t hold water, because in 2nd Timothy, St. Paul makes reference to praying for the dead.
The two Books of Macabees talk about the times during the Jewish revolt against Syria in the second century before Christ. The first book talks about the battles of Judas, also known as Macabeus, and his conquest of the Syrians. But it also tells how Judas prayed for his dead and that he sent sacrifices to Jerusalem as atonement so the dead might be freed from their sins.
The 2nd Book of Macabees details the sufferings and deaths of those who died for their faith. That’s where our first reading comes from today; telling of a mother and seven sons who were tortured and died for their faith.
The Books of Macabees present a firm belief in the eternal life of those who have lived for the Lord, and a belief in praying for those who have died. So, we can see how the early Christian Church would have treasured these books as an inspiration to endure persecution for their faith. As we continue this in the Church today, we use the term Purgatory for the state of being, or the place of cleansing, for our faithful departed who are still waiting to be fully united to our Father in Heaven.
Today’s gospel passage from St. Luke, is closely linked to the first reading from Macabees, not just because it also uses seven brothers as part of the lesson on the resurrection. The real link comes as Christ refutes the Sadducees. The Sadducees did not believe in heaven or the resurrection. They simply didn’t believe in an afterlife. This parallels the Syrian King who the Macabeans were fighting against in our 1st reading. The question that the Sadducees ask Jesus was not a serious question. It was a trap; a test to see how he would react. They were hoping to trap him into admitting that there is no resurrection. But instead, Jesus gives a very clear teaching on the resurrection, and on heaven itself. He says the woman is not going to be anyone’s wife. He said, in effect that their whole question is irrelevant because people will be different, all things will be different, because heaven is different.
The Sadducees question about marriage in heaven brings up many of our own questions: “If we don’t remain married to current spouse, what kind of relationship will we have with them in heaven?” Those of us who are married surely remember those words in our wedding vows: “Until death do you part.” I would certainly like to see Annie again when we both get to heaven. I’m sure all of you here today who are married would like to see your spouse in heaven. At least I hope you do. But what kind of relationship will we have? We can be sure that we will no longer have our imperfect, our overweight, our handicapped, near-sighted and scarred bodies, but what age will we be? Will those who died at an old age still be old? Will those who died as babies still be babies?
But Jesus, in his answer to the Sadducees, tells us to forget about all of our preconceptions. Heaven is so entirely different, so completely beyond our way of thinking, that no questions fit, and no answers would be understood. We cannot think about the next life in terms of this life. Jesus’ body was transformed after he was resurrected. Mary Magdalene, on her way to his tomb, thought he was gardener and didn’t recognize him until he spoke. The two disciples on the road to Emmaus didn’t recognize him until he broke bread with them. The disciples on Easter Sunday were gathered in a locked room, when Jesus suddenly appeared among them. Yet they made it clear that Jesus had a body. He ate with them, and showed them his wounds. So, we too, when we are resurrected will go through a radical transformation that will affect everything about us, even marriage.
So, the only things that remain; —-the only things that count —- are love and our faith. Because of their faith in the resurrection, the seven brothers in our first reading endured suffering and death. Our love of God, and our faith in the resurrection should give us the strength to endure any trials, or live with any pain we may suffer in our current life.
This month of “All Souls” let us pray for all of our faithful departed. We often do a disservice to our loved ones by presuming that they must surely be in heaven, because it is quite possible that they may still need our prayers. We are all human and need prayers to heal the effect of sin in our lives.
So, I’d like to end with this prayer for all of our loved ones who are listed in our “Book of the Dead”:
Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed,
Through the mercy of God,
Rest in peace. Amen