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Fidelis
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Fidelis
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Reading I
2 Macc 7:1-2, 9-14
It happened that seven brothers with their mother were arrested
and tortured with whips and scourges by the king, to force them to eat pork in violation of God’s law. One of the brothers, speaking for the others, said:“What do you expect to achieve by questioning us? We are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our ancestors.”
At the point of death he said:“You accursed fiend, you are depriving us of this present life, but the King of the world will raise us up to live again forever. It is for his laws that we are dying.”
After him the third suffered their cruel sport.He put out his tongue at once when told to do so,and bravely held out his hands, as he spoke these noble words:"It was from Heaven that I received these; for the sake of his laws I disdain them; from him I hope to receive them again."Even the king and his attendants marveled at the young man’s courage, because he regarded his sufferings as nothing.
After he had died,they tortured and maltreated the fourth brother in the same way. When he was near death, he said,“It is my choice to die at the hands of men with the hope God gives of being raised up by him; but for you, there will be no resurrection to life.”
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 17:1, 5-6, 8, 15
R. (15b) Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
Hear, O LORD, a just suit; attend to my outcry;
hearken to my prayer from lips without deceit.
R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
My steps have been steadfast in your paths,
my feet have not faltered.
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my word.
R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
Keep me as the apple of your eye,
hide me in the shadow of your wings.
But I in justice shall behold your face;
on waking I shall be content in your presence.
R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
Reading II
2 Thess 2:16-3:5
Brothers and sisters:
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father,
who has loved us and given us everlasting encouragement
and good hope through his grace, encourage your hearts and strengthen them in every good deed and word.
Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us, so that the word of the Lord may speed forward and be glorified, as it did among you,
and that we may be delivered from perverse and wicked people,
for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. We are confident of you in the Lord that what we instruct you, you are doing and will continue to do. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ.
Gospel
Lk 20:27-38
Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection,
came forward and put this question to Jesus, 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.Now there were seven brothers;
the first married a woman but died childless.Then the second and the third married her, and likewise all the seven died childless.
Finally the woman also died. Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had been married to her.”
Jesus said to them, “The children of this age marry and remarry;
but 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.They can no longer die, for they are like angels;
and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise. That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush,when he called out 'Lord, 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”
T
Toni
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Fidelis finally got this in time to use and post. So tommorow I will reflect on it and post soon!
F
Fidelis
Guest
** November 7, 2004 - Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C) **
To Rise Again
**Readings:
2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14
Psalm 17:1,5-6,8,15
2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5
Luke 20:27-38 **
With their riddle about seven brothers and a childless widow, the Sadducees in today’s Gospel mock the faith for which seven brothers and their mother die in the First Reading.
The Maccabean martyrs chose death - tortured limb by limb, burned alive - rather than betray God’s Law. Their story is given to us in these last weeks of the Church year to strengthen us for endurance - that our feet not falter but remain steadfast on His paths.
The Maccabeans died hoping that the “King of the World” would raise them to live again forever (see 2 Maccabees 14:46).
The Sadducees don’t believe in the Resurrection because they can’t find it literally taught in the Scriptures. To ridicule this belief they fix on a law that requires a woman to marry her husband’s brother if he should die without leaving an heir (see Genesis 38:8; Deuteronomy 25:5).
But God’s Law wasn’t given to ensure the raising up of descendants to earthly fathers. The Law was given, as Jesus explains, to make us worthy to be “children of God” - sons and daughters born of His Resurrection.
“God our Father,” today’s Epistle tells us, has given us “everlasting encouragement” in the Resurrection of Christ. Through His grace, we can now direct our hearts to the love of God.
As the Maccabeans suffered for the Old Law, we will have to suffer for our faith in the New Covenant. Yet He will guard us in the shadow of His wing, keep us as the apple of His eye, as we sing in today’s Psalm.
The Maccabeans’ persecutors marveled at their courage. We too can glorify the Lord in our sufferings and in the daily sacrifices we make.
salvationhistory.com/And we have even greater cause than they for hope. One who has risen from the dead has given us His word - that He is the God of the living, that when we awake from the sleep of death we will behold His face, be content in His presence (see Psalm 76:6; Daniel 12:2).
F
Fidelis
Guest
**From: 2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14
Martyrdom of the Seven Brothers and their Mother
------------------------------------------------**
[1] It happened also that seven brothers and their mother were arrested and were being compelled by the king, under torture with whips and cords, to partake of unlawful swine’s flesh. [2] One of them, acting as their spokesman, said, “What do you intend to ask and learn from us? For we are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our fathers.” [9] And when he was at his last breath, he said, “You accursed wretch, you dismiss
us from this present life, but the King of the universe will raise us up to an everlasting renewal of life, because we have died for his laws.”
[10] After him, the third was the victim of their sport. When it was
demanded, he quickly put out his tongue and courageously stretched forth his hands, [11] and said nobly, “I got these from Heaven, and because of his laws I disdain them, and from him I hope to get them back again.” [12] As a result the king himself and those with him were astonished at the young man’s spirit, for he regarded his sufferings as nothing. [13] When he too had died, they maltreated and tortured the fourth in the same way. [14]
And when he was near death, he said, “One cannot but choose to die at the hands of men and to cherish the hope that God gives of being raised again by him. But for you there will be no resurrection to life!”
Commentary:
7:1-42. This is one of the most famous and popular passages in the history of the Maccahees–so much so that traditionally (but improperly) these brothers are usually referred to as “the Maccabees”. The sacred writer does not tell us the boys’ names, or where it all happened; and he brings in the presence of the king to heighten the dramatic effect. The bravery of these young men, it would seem, was inspired by the good example given by
Eleazar (cf. 6:28). The mother’s intervention divides the scene into two parts–first the martyrdom of the six older brothers (vv. 2-19), and then that of the youngest and the mother herself (vv. 20-41).
In the first part the conviction that the just will rise and evildoers
will be punished builds up as the story goes on. Each of the replies given by the six brothers contains some aspect of truth. The first says that just men prefer to die rather than sin (v. 2) because God will reward them (v. 6); the second, that God will raise them to a new life (v. 9); the third, that they will rise with their bodies remade (v. 11); the fourth, that for evildoers there will be no ?resurrection to life? (v. 14); the fifth, that there will be punishment for evildoers (v. 17); and the sixth, that when just people suffer it is because they are being punished for their own
sins (v. 18).
*
Continued…*
Martyrdom of the Seven Brothers and their Mother
------------------------------------------------**
[1] It happened also that seven brothers and their mother were arrested and were being compelled by the king, under torture with whips and cords, to partake of unlawful swine’s flesh. [2] One of them, acting as their spokesman, said, “What do you intend to ask and learn from us? For we are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our fathers.” [9] And when he was at his last breath, he said, “You accursed wretch, you dismiss
us from this present life, but the King of the universe will raise us up to an everlasting renewal of life, because we have died for his laws.”
[10] After him, the third was the victim of their sport. When it was
demanded, he quickly put out his tongue and courageously stretched forth his hands, [11] and said nobly, “I got these from Heaven, and because of his laws I disdain them, and from him I hope to get them back again.” [12] As a result the king himself and those with him were astonished at the young man’s spirit, for he regarded his sufferings as nothing. [13] When he too had died, they maltreated and tortured the fourth in the same way. [14]
And when he was near death, he said, “One cannot but choose to die at the hands of men and to cherish the hope that God gives of being raised again by him. But for you there will be no resurrection to life!”
Commentary:
7:1-42. This is one of the most famous and popular passages in the history of the Maccahees–so much so that traditionally (but improperly) these brothers are usually referred to as “the Maccabees”. The sacred writer does not tell us the boys’ names, or where it all happened; and he brings in the presence of the king to heighten the dramatic effect. The bravery of these young men, it would seem, was inspired by the good example given by
Eleazar (cf. 6:28). The mother’s intervention divides the scene into two parts–first the martyrdom of the six older brothers (vv. 2-19), and then that of the youngest and the mother herself (vv. 20-41).
In the first part the conviction that the just will rise and evildoers
will be punished builds up as the story goes on. Each of the replies given by the six brothers contains some aspect of truth. The first says that just men prefer to die rather than sin (v. 2) because God will reward them (v. 6); the second, that God will raise them to a new life (v. 9); the third, that they will rise with their bodies remade (v. 11); the fourth, that for evildoers there will be no ?resurrection to life? (v. 14); the fifth, that there will be punishment for evildoers (v. 17); and the sixth, that when just people suffer it is because they are being punished for their own
sins (v. 18).
*
Continued…*
F
Fidelis
Guest
In the second part, both the mother and the youngest brother affirm what the others have said: but the boy adds something new when he says that death accepted by the righteous works as atonement for the whole people (vv. 37*38).
The resurrection of the dead, which “God revealed to his people
progressively” (“Catechism of the Church”, 992), is a teaching that is grounded first on Moses’ words about God having compassion on his servants (v. 6; cf. Deut 32:36), and the idea that if they die prematurely they will receive consolation in the next life. This is the point being made by the first brother, and it implies that God “faithfully maintains his covenant with Abraham and his posterity” (ibid.). As the mother sees it (vv. 27-28), belief in the resurrection comes from “faith in God as creator of the
whole man, body and soul” (ibid., 992). Our Lord Jesus Christ ratifies this teaching and links it to faith in himself (cf. Jn 5:24-25; 11:25); and he also purifies the Pharisees’ notion of the resurrection, which was aninterpretation based only on material terms (cf. Mk 12:18-27; 1 Cor 15:35-53).
In what the mother says (v. 28) we can also see belief in the creation of the world out of nothing “as a truth full of promise and hope” (“Catechism of the Catholic Church”, 297). On the basis of this passage and some New Testament passages, such as John 1:3 and Hebrews 11:3, the Church has formulated its doctrine of creation: “We believe that God needs no pre-existent thing or any help in order to create (cf. Vatican I: DS 3022), nor is creation any sort of necessary emanation from the divine substance (cf. Vatican I: DS 3023-3024). God creates freely ‘out of nothing’
(DS 800; 3025). If God had drawn the world from pre-existent matter, what would be so extraordinary in that? A human artisan makes from a given material whatever he wants, while God shows his power by starting from nothing to make all he wants” (“Catechism of the Catholic Church”, 296).
The assertion that the death of martyrs has expiatory value (vv. 37-38)prepares us to grasp the redemptive meaning of Christ’s death; but we should remember that Christ, by his death, not only deflected the punishment that all men deserve on account of sin, but also, through his grace, makes sinful men righteous in God’s sight (cf. Rom 3:21-26).
Many Fathers of the Church, notably St Gregory Nazianzen (“Orationes”, 15, 22), St Ambrose (“De Iacob et Vitae Beata”, 2, 10, 44-57), St Augustine (“In Epistolam Ioannis”, 8, 7), and St Cyprian (“Ad Fortunatus”, 11) heaped praise on these seven brothers and their mother. St John Chrysostom invites us to imitate them whenever temptation strikes: “All the moderation
that they show in the midst of dangers we, too, should imitate by the patience and temperance with which we deal with irrational concupiscence, anger, greed for possessions, bodily passions, vainglory and such like. For if we manage to control their flame, as (the Maccabees) did the flame of the fire, we will be able to be near them and have a share in their confidence and freedom of spirit” ('Homiliae in Maccabaeos", 1,3).
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. **
The resurrection of the dead, which “God revealed to his people
progressively” (“Catechism of the Church”, 992), is a teaching that is grounded first on Moses’ words about God having compassion on his servants (v. 6; cf. Deut 32:36), and the idea that if they die prematurely they will receive consolation in the next life. This is the point being made by the first brother, and it implies that God “faithfully maintains his covenant with Abraham and his posterity” (ibid.). As the mother sees it (vv. 27-28), belief in the resurrection comes from “faith in God as creator of the
whole man, body and soul” (ibid., 992). Our Lord Jesus Christ ratifies this teaching and links it to faith in himself (cf. Jn 5:24-25; 11:25); and he also purifies the Pharisees’ notion of the resurrection, which was aninterpretation based only on material terms (cf. Mk 12:18-27; 1 Cor 15:35-53).
In what the mother says (v. 28) we can also see belief in the creation of the world out of nothing “as a truth full of promise and hope” (“Catechism of the Catholic Church”, 297). On the basis of this passage and some New Testament passages, such as John 1:3 and Hebrews 11:3, the Church has formulated its doctrine of creation: “We believe that God needs no pre-existent thing or any help in order to create (cf. Vatican I: DS 3022), nor is creation any sort of necessary emanation from the divine substance (cf. Vatican I: DS 3023-3024). God creates freely ‘out of nothing’
(DS 800; 3025). If God had drawn the world from pre-existent matter, what would be so extraordinary in that? A human artisan makes from a given material whatever he wants, while God shows his power by starting from nothing to make all he wants” (“Catechism of the Catholic Church”, 296).
The assertion that the death of martyrs has expiatory value (vv. 37-38)prepares us to grasp the redemptive meaning of Christ’s death; but we should remember that Christ, by his death, not only deflected the punishment that all men deserve on account of sin, but also, through his grace, makes sinful men righteous in God’s sight (cf. Rom 3:21-26).
Many Fathers of the Church, notably St Gregory Nazianzen (“Orationes”, 15, 22), St Ambrose (“De Iacob et Vitae Beata”, 2, 10, 44-57), St Augustine (“In Epistolam Ioannis”, 8, 7), and St Cyprian (“Ad Fortunatus”, 11) heaped praise on these seven brothers and their mother. St John Chrysostom invites us to imitate them whenever temptation strikes: “All the moderation
that they show in the midst of dangers we, too, should imitate by the patience and temperance with which we deal with irrational concupiscence, anger, greed for possessions, bodily passions, vainglory and such like. For if we manage to control their flame, as (the Maccabees) did the flame of the fire, we will be able to be near them and have a share in their confidence and freedom of spirit” ('Homiliae in Maccabaeos", 1,3).
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. **
F
Fidelis
Guest
From: 2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5
The Need for Steadfastness (Continuation)
-----------------------------------------
[16] Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, [17] comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.
Paul Asks for Prayers
---------------------
[1] Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed on and triumph, as it did among you, [2] and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men; for not all have faith. [3] But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from evil. [4] And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things which we command. [5] May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.
Commentary:**
16-17. God chose believers without any merit on their part; that choice marks the first stage in their path to salvation; the journey to the goal of salvation involves cooperation between God’s grace and man’s freedom. Man needs the help of the “good hope” which comes from recognizing that he is a son of God. “In my case, and I wish the same to happen to you”, Monsignor Escriva writes, “the certainty I derive from feeling–from knowing–that I am a son of God fills me with real hope which, being a supernatural virtue, adapts to our nature when it is infused in us, and so is also a very human virtue …]. This conviction spurs me on to grasp that only those things that bear the imprint of God can display the indelible sign of eternity and have lasting value. Therefore, far from separating me from the things of this earth, hope draws me closer to these realities in a new way, a Christian way, which seeks to discover in everything the relation between our fallen nature and God, our Creator and Redeemer” (“Friends of God”, 208).
By inspiring us with hope, God fills our hearts with consolation and at the same time encourages us to put our faith into practice in daily life–“in every good work and word.”
Continued…
The Need for Steadfastness (Continuation)
-----------------------------------------
[16] Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, [17] comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.
Paul Asks for Prayers
---------------------
[1] Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed on and triumph, as it did among you, [2] and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men; for not all have faith. [3] But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from evil. [4] And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things which we command. [5] May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.
Commentary:**
16-17. God chose believers without any merit on their part; that choice marks the first stage in their path to salvation; the journey to the goal of salvation involves cooperation between God’s grace and man’s freedom. Man needs the help of the “good hope” which comes from recognizing that he is a son of God. “In my case, and I wish the same to happen to you”, Monsignor Escriva writes, “the certainty I derive from feeling–from knowing–that I am a son of God fills me with real hope which, being a supernatural virtue, adapts to our nature when it is infused in us, and so is also a very human virtue …]. This conviction spurs me on to grasp that only those things that bear the imprint of God can display the indelible sign of eternity and have lasting value. Therefore, far from separating me from the things of this earth, hope draws me closer to these realities in a new way, a Christian way, which seeks to discover in everything the relation between our fallen nature and God, our Creator and Redeemer” (“Friends of God”, 208).
By inspiring us with hope, God fills our hearts with consolation and at the same time encourages us to put our faith into practice in daily life–“in every good work and word.”
- The whole Church, not just the Apostles, is given the task of
spreading the message of Jesus. All believers can and should play an active part in this, at least by way of prayer. The Apostle’s request for prayers also shows that he realizes that the supernatural work entrusted to him is beyond him and yet he does not shirk the work of apostolate. St John Chrysostom comments on St Paul’s approach: “The Apostle …] now encourages them to offer prayers to God for him, but he does not ask them to pray God to free him from dangers he ought to face up to (for they are an unavoidable consequence of his ministry);
rather, he asks them to pray ‘that the word of the Lord may speed on and triumph’” (“Hom. on 2 Thess, ad loc.”).
Continued…
F
Fidelis
Guest
- “Not all have faith”: literally, “faith is not something that
belongs to all”, that is, not everyone has believed the Apostle’s
preaching though he has excluded no one from it. The “wicked and evil men” may be a reference to certain Jews hostile to Christianity who had persecuted Paul in Macedonia and were now putting obstacles in his way at Corinth.
God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4) and so to all men he gives his grace and offers the gift of faith; however, they are free to reject or accept the light he offers them.
- “But the Lord is faithful”: and therefore, unlike those who are
unfaithful (v. 2), we should put our trust in God: “Do not doubt it”,
Chrysostom comments, “God is faithful. He has promised salvation, he will save you. But, as he said, he will do so on one condition–what we love him, that we listen to his word and his Law. He will not save us unless we cooperate” (“Hom. on 2 Thess, ad loc.”).
4-5. The Apostle is confident that the Thessalonians will stay true to Christ, and he asks God to give them the endurance they need in the midst of their difficulties. “The steadfastness of Christ” may be a reference to the example Christ gave during his passion by enduring unto death on the cross, out of love for the Father and for us; believers should love God in that kind of way (cf. Heb 12:1). However, “the steadfastness of Christ” can also be interpreted as referring to the need for Christians to be patient as they wait for the second coming of Christ (cf. 1 Thess 1:3).
Love and steadfastness are two Christian virtues which make us resemble God: “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Eph 5:1-2). So, love and endurance are interconnected and complement each other “Jesus came to the Cross after having prepared himself for thirty-three years, all his life! If they really want to imitate him, his disciples have to turn their lives into a co-redemption of Love, by means of active and passive self-denial” ([St] J. Escriva, “Furrow”, 255).
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”.**
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Fidelis
Guest
**From: Luke 20:27-38
The Resurrection of the Dead
----------------------------**
[27] There came to Him (Jesus) some Sadducees, those who say that there is no resurrection, [28] and they asked Him a question saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the wife and raise up children for his brother. [29] Now there were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and died without children; [30] and the second [31] and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. [32] Afterward the woman also died. [33] In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife.”
[34] And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage; [35] but those who are accounted worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, [36] for they cannot die any more, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. [37] But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. [38] Now He is not God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to Him.”
Commentary:**
27-40. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the body or the immortality of the soul. They came along to ask Jesus a question which is apparently unanswerable. According to the Levirate law (cf. Deuteronomy 25:5ff), if a man died without issue, his brother was duty bound to marry his widow to provide his brother with descendants. The consequences of this law would seem to give rise to a ridiculous situation at the resurrection of the dead.
Our Lord replies by reaffirming that there will be a resurrection; and by explaining the properties of those who have risen again, the Sadducees’ argument simply evaporates. In this world people marry in order to continue the species: that is the primary aim of marriage. After the resurrection there will be no more marriage because people will not die anymore.
Quoting Sacred Scripture (Exodus 3:2, 6) our Lord shows the grave mistake the Sadducees make, and He argues: God is not the God of the dead but of the living, that is to say, there exists a permanent relationship between God and Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who have been dead for years. Therefore, although these just men have died as far as their bodies are concerned, they are alive, truly alive, in God–their souls are immortal–and they are awaiting the resurrection of their bodies.
See also the notes on Matthew 22:23-33 and Mark 12:18-27.
Continued…
The Resurrection of the Dead
----------------------------**
[27] There came to Him (Jesus) some Sadducees, those who say that there is no resurrection, [28] and they asked Him a question saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the wife and raise up children for his brother. [29] Now there were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and died without children; [30] and the second [31] and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. [32] Afterward the woman also died. [33] In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife.”
[34] And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage; [35] but those who are accounted worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, [36] for they cannot die any more, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. [37] But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. [38] Now He is not God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to Him.”
Commentary:**
27-40. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the body or the immortality of the soul. They came along to ask Jesus a question which is apparently unanswerable. According to the Levirate law (cf. Deuteronomy 25:5ff), if a man died without issue, his brother was duty bound to marry his widow to provide his brother with descendants. The consequences of this law would seem to give rise to a ridiculous situation at the resurrection of the dead.
Our Lord replies by reaffirming that there will be a resurrection; and by explaining the properties of those who have risen again, the Sadducees’ argument simply evaporates. In this world people marry in order to continue the species: that is the primary aim of marriage. After the resurrection there will be no more marriage because people will not die anymore.
Quoting Sacred Scripture (Exodus 3:2, 6) our Lord shows the grave mistake the Sadducees make, and He argues: God is not the God of the dead but of the living, that is to say, there exists a permanent relationship between God and Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who have been dead for years. Therefore, although these just men have died as far as their bodies are concerned, they are alive, truly alive, in God–their souls are immortal–and they are awaiting the resurrection of their bodies.
See also the notes on Matthew 22:23-33 and Mark 12:18-27.
Continued…
F
Fidelis
Guest
The note on Matthew 22:23-33 states:
23-33. The Sadducees argue against belief in the resurrection of the dead on the basis of the Levirate law, a Jewish law which laid down that when a married man died without issue, one of his brothers, according to a fixed order, should marry his widow and the first son of that union be given the dead man’s name. By outlining an extreme cases the Sadducees make the law and belief in resurrection look ridiculous. In His reply, Jesus shows up the frivolity of their objections and asserts the truth of the resurrection of the dead.]
[The note on Mark 12:18-27 states:
18-27. Before answering the difficulty proposed by the Sadducees, Jesus wants to identify the source of the problem–man’s tendency to confine the greatness of God inside a human framework through excessive reliance on reason, not giving due weight to divine Revelation and the power of God. A person can have difficulty with the truths of faith; this is not surprising, for these truths are above human reason. But it is ridiculous to try to find contradictions in the revealed word of God; this only leads away from any solution of difficulty and may make it impossible to find one’s way back to God. We need to approach Sacred Scripture, and, in general, the things of God, with the humility
which faith demands. In the passage about the burning bush, which Jesus quotes to the Sadducees, God says this to Moses: “Put off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5).]
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. ****
23-33. The Sadducees argue against belief in the resurrection of the dead on the basis of the Levirate law, a Jewish law which laid down that when a married man died without issue, one of his brothers, according to a fixed order, should marry his widow and the first son of that union be given the dead man’s name. By outlining an extreme cases the Sadducees make the law and belief in resurrection look ridiculous. In His reply, Jesus shows up the frivolity of their objections and asserts the truth of the resurrection of the dead.]
[The note on Mark 12:18-27 states:
18-27. Before answering the difficulty proposed by the Sadducees, Jesus wants to identify the source of the problem–man’s tendency to confine the greatness of God inside a human framework through excessive reliance on reason, not giving due weight to divine Revelation and the power of God. A person can have difficulty with the truths of faith; this is not surprising, for these truths are above human reason. But it is ridiculous to try to find contradictions in the revealed word of God; this only leads away from any solution of difficulty and may make it impossible to find one’s way back to God. We need to approach Sacred Scripture, and, in general, the things of God, with the humility
which faith demands. In the passage about the burning bush, which Jesus quotes to the Sadducees, God says this to Moses: “Put off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5).]
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. ****
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