Thirty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

Thirty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

First Reading: 2 Maccabees 7:1-2,9-14

Responsorial Psalm: 16 (17):1,5-6,8,15

Second Reading: 2 Thessalonians 2: 16-3:5

Gospel: Luke 20:27-38

The Power of Our Humble Hope in the Resurrection of the dead

In the past three to four weeks, we have dealt with gratitude, perseverance, humility and God’s patience and mercy towards all people. Two Sundays ago, we heard that the humble person’s prayer pierces the cloud. We were invited to consider humility as lived out in Jesus. I told us that Humility would sometimes necessarily consist in letting go that which is rightly ours when charity calls. It is in letting go, like Jesus let go his equality with God for the sake of charity that we hope to attain the glory of resurrection, of which the psalmist in today’s responsorial psalm  from psalm 17 sings “I shall be filled, when I awake, with the sight of your glory, O lord.

As Jesus was raised from the dead and sits eternally in glory, even so shall be all, who in humility have given in to the kenosis, the self-emptying of humility and so await the infilling at the awakening in the sight of God’s glory. St Paul in today’s reading from 2 Thessalonians 2:16 -3:5 calls this Christian expectation, an inexhaustible comfort and sure hope by which we are comforted and strengthened in everything good that we do.  Knowing that our hope in him does not disappoint (Romans 5:5), we confidently trust and endure the trials that come to us on account of our faith.  As St Paul says in today’s second reading, the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and guard you from the evil one.

In today’s First reading from 2 Maccabees 7: 1-2, 9-14, we heard of an undiluted witness to the power of our hope in God which is made manifest only if we are willing, like Jesus, to let go of that which is ours, simply for the love of God. We heard of the seven brothers and their mother whom the king tried to force to eat pig’s flesh which was against their Law.  One by one they were tortured to swerve them from that faithfulness. But then they were strengthened by the hope in the resurrection of the dead without which a believer cannot endure till the end.  Their witness announces to us the glorious hope of which today’s responsorial psalm declared, “I shall be filled, when I awake, with the sight of your glory, O Lord”.

When we are tested and tried in our journey of faith, and are stretched to the limits when we think that the end has come, what do we do? Do we cast our gaze above to the upward calling of our faith, or do we cower and sacrifice the eternal for fear of the passing?

The witness of these seven sons and their mother challenges us today. They understood the truth that, “if our hope in God is only in this world, we are of all people the most miserable” (see 1 Corinthians 15 verse 19).  It is only when our hope rises beyond this passing world that we could, like this family say, we are prepared to die rather than be unfaithful to God. Our Lord, the king of the world will raise us up since for his law we die to live again for ever. Our lives we have received from him, and in faithfulness we give them back to him if that’s what it takes to be faithful. For we know that we shall receive them back when we awake in the light of his glory.

Here is the thing, many of us have been kept in places of captivity for the lack of the hope that rises above this passing world. For fear of what people will do to us, many have remained enslaved, in grave situations of sin because we can’t let go of that with which the enemy blackmails us with into sinning against God. Things like worldly affection, fame, reputation, acceptance, prestige, power, money, success etc). As a result of which we couldn’t mount on the wings of our unfailing hope to say even if I lose everything I will not yield to the wishes of the enemy. Like the Maccabean family said, I know that ours is the better choice, to suffer here on earth on account of our faith but relying on God’s promise of resurrection.

Listen Child of God, the death and resurrection of Jesus was the final defeat of death and evil. Now, by his promise we know that evil will always be overcome by good in the end. By his promise we know that even in death we live. As today’s Gospel from Luke 20:27-38 says, He is God, not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all men and women are alive.

If we are to overcome the bullying and the harassment of evil and refuse to be cowered and subjected to situations of sin for fear of what people will do to us, we must humbly descend with Jesus so as to reset our gaze and focus on the heights of our unfailing hope. It is precisely on this hope that St Paul stood and said that these are the trials through which we triumph by the power of him who loved us. For neither death nor life, nothing that exists, nothing still to come, not any power, or height or depth not any created thing, can ever come between us and the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We therefore pray for that grace of hope and courage in faithfulness to the Lord in every situation. So, that anchoring our lives on God’s promises, we the flock, the church, we may come to the resurrection to that place where Christ our shepherd and our head has gone before. We make our prayers through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Let us pray,

Almighty and merciful God, graciously keep from us all adversity; so that unhindered in mind and body alike we may pursue in freedom of heart the things that are yours. We make our prayers through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

The Lord be with you

May the Almighty God bless you, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Go in Peace and Happy Sunday.