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32nd Sunday Ordinary Time

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Cycle C

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Q292: Why is it necessary to speak of the "resurrection of the body" as an Article of Faith?

This article of our Catholic Creed was originally designed to counter the false teachings of Greek philosophers on the subject. The Greek pagan "thinkers" just may have been influenced by oriental philosophies such as Buddhism, which found one outlet in Gnosticism - holding a "dualistic" view that contrasted the importance of body versus soul. The conclusion of these pagans was that only the spirit or "soul" counted; "body" was not important.

In the monotheistic world of Israel, only the Sadducees (conservative priestly aristocracy) did not believe in the resurrection of the body, since they could find no compelling evidence of that in the Torah (Hebrew) scriptures. The Pharisees, however, did believe based on the full Septuagint (Greek) scriptures, such as Daniel 12:2. Jesus is clear that the laws of this world no longer hold after the resurrection from the dead. In addition, his answer affirms a bodily resurrection, and affirms that a whole person, with all its natural faculties, is raised to an other-worldly existence. Bodily happiness belongs to complete happiness for an Israelite. Hence the promise of God to the patriarchs (Gen 15:1ff) cannot be fulfilled by a life that ends with death. Jesus' answer is a consequence of God's faithfulness to his covenant, and affirms the dignity of humankind in its fullness.

In terms of the New Testament, it seems to me that the belief in the general resurrection perhaps finds its best expression in John 5, especially 5:25 and 5:28. Belief or disbelief in Jesus is the factor through which we decide on our future destiny right now.

Know Your Catechism! One resource you could review is "The Creed in the Gospels" by Fr. Alfons Kemmer (Paulist Press) which tracks the arguments above. Our Catechism of the Catholic Church adheres faithfully to the teaching of Jesus, to St. Paul, and to the Ecumenical Councils, that "resurrection of the body" means the soul will live on after death, and our 'mortal bodies' will come to life again (CCC #990). If there is no resurrection, our faith is in vain (CCC #991).

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The Children of This Age Marry

St. Aloysius (or Louis) Gonzaga has long been ranked by the church as model and patron of Catholic young people, especially because of his exemplary chastity. "Chastity": a word seldom used today except as the butt of coarse jokes. Those who sneer at it do so perhaps because they have never understood its motives.

Aloysius was born in 1568, the elder son of Ferrante Gonzaga, Marquis of Castiglione in northern Italy. As a nobleman's son, he was a boy-functionary in the court of the Duke of Mantua, and later on in Spain a page in the court of the crown prince. This was intended to prepare him to succeed his father as Marquis.

Italian-court life in those days, however glamorous it appeared to be, was melodramatically bad: "a society of fraud, dagger, poison and lust of the most hideous kind." Youngsters born into this aggressive atmosphere quickly learned about the seamy side of life. By the time Louis was only nine, he was using every means of self-discipline he could think of to keep pure in body and heart. But his desire soon went farther. He wanted to make a complete break and vow himself to celibate chastity - that is, to not marrying - as a priest. He therefore entered the order of Jesuits when eighteen, despite his father's initial objections. Six years later he died. Though not yet ordained a priest he had taken his vow of chastity and grown very close to God. His death stemmed from his efforts at nursing victims of the plague. During his last illness Aloysius spoke only of heavenly things; and as death approached he said, "We are going - gladly, gladly!"

Most people, Catholic lay persons included, do not fully comprehend the celibacy of priests or religious, or even of lay Catholics who have chosen to vow not to marry. If good people fail to understand this, it is because God has not given them the gift, which he gives to relatively few. The celibate's motive is this: marriage and child-bearing are a divine pleasure and privilege; but they are very temporary. As Jesus says in today's gospel, marriage and begetting belong to this world, not the next. So those gifted with celibate chastity say to the rest of us: Marry if you will, and God prosper you! I, with God's help, will hold off, in anticipation of heaven.

Celibate priests, sisters, brothers and vowed lay persons, whether they realize it or not, thus become constant signs to the rest of mankind. By their self-denial they remind us that there is a heaven awaiting the "sons of God." In that heaven even the greatest joys of earthly married love will be seen to have been only like the light of a flickering candle in the brightness of the noonday sun.

-Fr. Robert F. McNamara

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Q449 Isn’t it kind of silly and unreal, having a gospel story (Luke 20:27-38) about a hypothetical woman who outlived seven husbands?

In our own time, Mickey Rooney had eight wives; Elizabeth Taylor had eight husbands; Zsa Zsa Gabor had nine husbands. Even the situation itself in the bible story is not that unreal. Back in Jesus’ time there was a statute called the “levirate law.” This legal code (spelled out in Deuteronomy 25) permitted a widow to marry a brother-in-law for the sole purpose of continuing the name and the ancestry line of the dead husband. In fact, it is more than permission; it is obligatory for the brother of the deceased husband to marry the new widow. Of course, there is a legal escape loophole if either one of the two principals do not wish to accept the relationship.

The Sadducees, however, did not believe in life after death. Furthermore, they accepted only the first five books of the bible as the sacred words of God through Moses; therefore they were not really honest in appearing to seek truth through dialogue with Jesus. Their intention was to ridicule Jesus, by positing what they thought was an unsolvable riddle. In essence, they thought they had him boxed in to a “Gotcha!” predicament.

Jesus points out to them that they don’t even know well the scriptures of the five books that they do accept. The real issue at stake is not marriage relationships, but whether there is indeed a resurrection after death. He pointed out that God identifies himself to Moses (Exodus 3) as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In fact, he said “I am their God,” not “I was their God” – thereby indicating that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were still living, not dead.

In heaven we will not need traditional marriage relationships because now, as sons and daughters of God through baptism, we will live forever.

KNOW YOUR CATECHISM! Is your faith strengthened by hope in the resurrection of the body (CCC #989)? Do you really believe what you proclaim in the Creed every Sunday, a belief in the “resurrection of the body and life everlasting” (CCC #988)? Did you know that this is an essential element of the Christian faith (CCC #991)?

==== Q605: There has to be a deeper issue involved in today’s Gospel than a discussion of multiple spouses in heaven!

If there ever was a political or religious hidden agenda, it is surely manifested in our Gospel today (Luke 20:27-38). The Sadducees pose a question to Jesus involving the laws governing inheritance rights and levirate laws. However, the main theme is not about inheritances left to one’s posterity. Rather, it is the Sadducees’ attempt to trap Jesus with an absurd situation. They did not believe in the resurrection because they could not find anything about it in the Torah. Therefore, they thought they had Jesus in a no-win situation and could prevail in any argument about the resurrection. Needless to say, Jesus knew the Torah better than they did, and pointed them to the relevant passages about life after death.

For a Christian disciple, today’s First Reading (2 Macc 7:1-2, 9-14) and Gospel combine to speak about our belief in Jesus and belief in his teachings—especially his teachings which lead to our hope in the resurrection of our own bodies. If we hold fast in faith to the teachings of Christ and his Church, we can face any adversity—even to the extent of paying the ultimate price for our beliefs like the Maccabees family.

Now, it may be hard to connect our lives to the situations of the Sadducees and the Maccabees. But think about this: it is simply about living our discipleship by clinging faithfully to the foundational principles that Jesus taught us. Those include the holiness of the sacred marriage bond between a man and a woman; the sanctity of all life from womb to tomb; justice for those we call marginalized and poor; and honesty in the political and economic world. Look around: those things are invisible today in the sick public segment of our culture! So you will be held up to public ridicule if you object to abortion; object to so-called gay marriages; object to destructive competition; and object to lying and deceptive politicians.

It is our trust in Jesus and hope in the resurrection that enables us to defend our principles in the public forum, no matter what the cost. Read and heed the signs of our times!

KNOW YOUR CATECHISM! By St. Augustine’s time, Christian faith had met with more opposition on the subject of our bodily resurrection than on any other topic (CCC 996). Just how this resurrection will happen is beyond our imagination and understanding (CCC 1000).

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