Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C
November 6, 2016
Gospel: Lk 20:27-38
Some Sadducees (1), 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 (2) 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 (3), 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.”
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The difficult words
(1)The Sadducees
were a group of Jewish leaders who were experts in the law of Moses and
who often tried to trick Jesus.
(2)Deemed means judged, or considered.
(3)The bush here refers to the burning
bush from which God spoke to Moses.
This week’s spotlight
Christ, the firstborn from the
dead
In the Letter to the Colossians (I: 18), Paul called
Christ "the firstborn from the dead." He meant that Jesus was the
first person to rise from the dead to eternal life. We believe that he has
conquered death - not just for himself - but for all people of every time and
place. He lives now with the Father and calls us to join him.
'We look for the resurrection of the dead'
When we die, our bodies turn to dust. But we believe
that one day we will be alive with God for ever. This new life is not just in
spirit, but also in body. We will be whole persons, full of joy. Our risen
bodies will be different from the bodies that we have now. They will be
glorious and beautiful, with no more death or pain. This is what it means in
the Creed, when we say, "We look for
the resurrection of the dead."
Reflection
What comes next?
Everyone is born, grows up, matures, and dies. And
what comes after death? We believe that death is not the end of life. God wants
eternal life for us after death. In the Gospels, Jesus Christ explains that
eternal life will be neither a separation from our lives on earth, nor some
kind of recycling of our lives on earth. So what will it be like? With the
exception of Jesus Christ, nobody really knows! But just believing in eternal
life makes us look at this life differently. It’s sort of like looking at a
caterpillar, knowing that one day it will become a butterfly. Eternal life
gives infinite and unique value to each human life on earth. It lights up our
lives on earth and prepares us to join Jesus Christ, whose life is eternal.
Discussion questions
1.What question do the Sadducees ask Jesus?
2.What are they trying to do to Jesus?
3.How does Jesus answer their question about the resurrection?
After
receiving Holy Communion,
you can say this prayer silently to yourself. If you
have not yet
received your First Communion, you can still say this prayer because of your desire to
receive Jesus.
Father, through Jesus, in
communion with the whole Church, I thank you for coming into my heart. Thank
you for raising your Son Jesus from the dead. Raise us to new life with him.
Let us share the eternal life you want to give all people in the joy of your
kingdom.
This week…
Let us live our lives anew
It’s easy to pass the joy of
living on to those around you. Smiling is a good way to start. Go ahead and
express your joy freely.
Get to know a unique person
There is probably already an older
person in your life whom you like, perhaps a grandparent or neighbor. This
week, ask that person to tell you about the highlights of his or her life.
Crossword Puzzle
Source: usccb.org
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