I believe in the Resurrection (32rd Sunday)

There is a story about a man who died while on a business trip in Jerusalem. When asked by phone about the burial arrangements, his wife insisted that the remains should be brought back home to their country even if it was expensive. But why, everyone asked her, she said: “Don’t bury him there because I heard that years ago, a man was buried there and he rose again!”

We are at the end of the liturgical year. In a few weeks, we are going to start the new liturgical year with Advent. That is why the readings speak about death, hope and resurrection. For today's students, Google and Wikipedia are very helpful. They have answers for everything. But even those websites do not give satisfactory answers to some questions; Is there life after death? Does heaven/hell/purgatory exist really? Where will we go after death?  Do you believe that there is a heaven and a hell?  Science cannot answer these questions perfectly, while Faith can answer with certainty (Faith of the Catholic Church/Individuals). 

The Old Testament is almost silent about the resurrection and eternal life. The people of Israel did not believe in the resurrection (there are some rare references here and there). They commonly believed in the presence of Sheol, the place under the earth where the good and bad people go after death. Just 2-4 centuries before the arrival of Jesus Christ, the concept of resurrection was introduced in the scriptures (eg. Maccabees, wisdom literature, the book of Daniel). The book of Daniel, composed about the year 165 B.C. speaks of the belief in the resurrection of the dead, “and many of those that sleep in the dust of the earth, shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting disgrace (Dan. 12:2).”

The problem of Suffering: Why the innocent people suffer? We can accept the suffering of sinners, but how can we interpret the suffering of honest people? This was the starting point for the belief in the afterlife. Innocent people may not be rewarded in this life, but surely they will be rewarded in the life where they will be near God. In today's first reading from the book of Maccabees, there are seven sons of an unusually tough mother who are dragged before the king to endure terrible tortures, and even death, if they would not break a rule of their faith and eat pork. They refuse to do so! And so, they must suffer to death, one by one. Through  all the history, God has shown us many ways in which people are led to something because of faith–endurance till the end, in fact, sometimes is the supreme mark of Faith in God which is strong, and solid, and even powerful.

In this Sunday gospel (Lk 20: 27-38), this is exactly what the Lord said in His conversation with some Sadducees, about bodily resurrection. Sadducees belong to a very conservative/fundamentalist group, who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead or future life. They were believing the Torah, the five books of OT, according which there was no life after death. They wanted to put Jesus to the test. Jesus conveyed the powerful message not only to Sadducees but also to today's Christians inviting everyone to start their life expecting the arrival of Christ. I want to give you a few points from today's readings. 

1. Jesus said, "Our God is not a God of the dead but of the living". Diyos na Buhay... Diyos Ng Buhay; Naniniwala tayong may Diyos na buhay na tutulong sa atin upang muling bumangon mula sa ating pagkadapa sa anumang kahirapan sa buhay.  Are you relating with a living God? Do you have a personal relationship with God? Is God just a Somebody, or is He a Someone to you? Marahil ay hindi natin maipagkakaila na ito ay dahil sa ating PANANAMPALATAYA SA DIYOS NA BUHAY!  
2. Jesus responded that the resurrection is not a return to our normal life. The question of the Sadducees was “Whose wife will that woman be because she married all the seven brothers?” Jesus did not entertain that question. Rather, he explained that the resurrection should not be thought of as a continuation of our earthly life. In the resurrection there is no more marrying, partying, eating or drinking. Jesus said that the resurrection is a completely new life, and a new experience as well. He said, that those who rise “can no longer die, for they are like angels.” to be of pure spirits; they don’t have bodies. The reunion is better seen in the context of “communion”. We will all be in communion with Christ. That communion is an experience of Heaven. Moreover, as angels, we will be seeing God face-to-face. Let us leave some fancy stories about resurrection. 
3. No Fear, but Faith: So let's not be afraid of our death. This is like a "door" that we have to enter if we want to get God's reward. How to prepare? Have Faith in Jesus and the resurrection of the dead, and good deeds based on his love. Another way of preparing for the afterlife is through good deeds. They said God has two dwelling places: one in heaven, and the other in a humble and grateful heart. If one is humble and grateful, one can experience Heaven already here on earth. If one is proud and ungrateful, he/she already experiences and makes others experience hell here on earth. 
4. Our earthly loves and relationships do not end in death. We will meet each other again in our best and purest form, minus the heartaches, minus issues, minus walls and divisions. There will be peace and rejoicing in Heaven. But the highlight of our reunion in Heaven is our reunion with our Creator. Over and above our joy of being reunited with our loved ones, our greatest joy will be that of being united with Him and in Him, finally.

Let us not forget to pray for the “grace for a happy death”. May we be ready when the Lord calls us back to our Heavenly Home. When that time comes, may we be in the state of grace, truly reconciled with God, with the world, with ourselves. May we face Him not empty-handed, but with hearts full of love, having humbly accomplished our mission in life. Let us also pray for the “grace for a meaningful life”! 

Enjoy simply in receiving God's grace (Lk 14:12-14)

Jesus was politically incorrect when saying, "invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; because they will not have anything to repay you"? For me, being a Servant of Charity, that is  literally not true because the vulnerable persons have so many things to repay back, which we do not have; such as smiles, innocence, and simplicity.  The people can receive and learn a lot from them. 

To understand Jesus’ speech we need to understand the Palestinian context in which the poor lived. The poor of those days (differently-abled persons, blind, widows etc) were considered a curse in the society. They were considered to be born like this because their parents or generations before them committed a grave sin. In this context, Jesus asks his followers and disciples to invite such persons. 

In those days, people would not say “thank you”, but they would say "pay me back". A guest was expected to pay the host in return. This was the common rule of reciprocity when a guest is invited for a banquet, "I do you a favor, you do me a favor. I invite you, you invite me". 

There are three insights from today's gospel:

1. There are some things in the world, that we can only receive nd we cannot give back. The love of God (we cannot give in return to God), mother’s love, the sacrifices of your father, the friendship of companions. These things in our life, can not be given back in return. We cannot become an accountant to calculate God’s graces in our life. God’s love is being revealed to us through so many persons and events. We receive graces, simply we receive them like we receive the sunlight. Let us be happy and enjoy receiving the graces from God. Let us not lament, and not be pessimistic. 

2. When we invite the poor, crippled, and lame, we recognize the brokenness and weakness in the poor. St. Paul says in 2 Cor 12:10, I take delight/pleasure in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, and difficulties for Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong. How do I look at others? What is my vision for the weak people? Am I able to feel Joy in sharing experiences of brokenness and weakness? 

3. Philippi was one of the cities of Northern Greece, governed by Romans at that time. This letter was also called a letter of serene joy. Why? This is one of the letters where St. Paul rebukes way less the Christians, offers pieces of advice, and more peaceful blessings. Do you know the context in which Paul was writing this letter? When Paul writes this letter, Paul and Sila were imprisoned in Philippi, receiving Roman punishments during imprisonment. 

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but remember they cannot kill the soul” Mat 10:28. St. Paul’s soul was free; nobody can harm him when you accept your real state. That is the state they call Nirvana in Buddhism, the perfect state where your soul is still with God. Complete my joy of being the same in mind. Today God has called you for this day, do not preoccupy with more things, leave everything to God. 

WOE SAYINGS NOT TO THE PHARISEES, BUT TO ALL OF US !

Reflection on Lk 11:47-54

A pharisee invited Jesus to dine in his house (Lk 11:37). There Jesus began to preach so many things; internal cleansing versus external cleansing, woe sayings for choosing the first place in synagogues, hypocrisy, those were some typical behaviors of the teachers of the Law. 

Somehow, Jesus' preaching in Luke 11 takes a different tone. The Gospel could be considered a scandal for many of us, other people and readers. Why? Jesus preached about the love towards enemies (earlier in the Gospel of Luke), and he preached about the selfless love of disciples. While praying "our father" in Luke 11, he asked us to pray for forgiveness (forgive our trespasses, also for those who trespass against us). Why Jesus then could not forgive the pharisees? How can we understand the woe sayings towards pharisees?

1. Confrontation is a part of the proclamation of the Word of God. We need to point out the errors of others with humility. That is also a part of evangelization. For example, John the Baptist and some of the prophets. This is not only about preaching mercy and love but it is important to show the errors and help one to correct them. We should not rebuke the persons, but we should condemn the sins/errors.  

2. 'Woe sayings' are a call to conversion. By showing their errors, Jesus wanted them to take a U turn to retain their original life with God. It is a call to live an open life. 

3. Jesus used the Woe sayings directly for the Pharisees, but it is even applicable to the disciples and to us. Woe to you, if you live like this or that. Today the teachers of the law are hypocrites, but the disciples also may fall into the temptation of becoming hypocrites. That is what happened in the early Church. Jesus is warning them so that the disciple should not fall into the Pharisaic attitude of hypocrisy.