OT 32 [C] II Mc 7:1-2, 9-14; II Thes 2:16–3:5; Lk 20:27-38

The Sadducees were the Jewish political leaders in Palestine.  They were less strict than the Pharisees, religiously speaking. They also collaborated with the Roman authorities who ruled Palestine, which made them a wealthy and influential class. Their frequent contact with pagan Roman society affected their faith, contaminating it, distorting their concept of God. That was the reason they didn't believe in the Resurrection. They were the progressives of the day. They were applying human restrictions to God. They were conceiving of heaven in earthly terms. But heaven is an entirely different level of existence than earth. God is much wiser, more powerful, and more creative than even the greatest human genius. Jesus reminds them of this. He points out that God is transcendent – human limitations of time and space don't apply to Him. Then he points out that when we get to heaven, we will share in that transcendence more fully than we do here in this fallen world.

We are very much like the Sadducees. The world we live in is full of non-Christian influences that can contaminate our faith. This is why so many Catholics have in recent years become "cafeteria Catholics." They accept the Church teachings that fit into today's popular culture. When we pick and choose like that, we are making the same mistake the Sadducees made: we are not letting God be God.  We are cutting Him down to our size. And when we do that, we miss out on the greater things that God wants to give us, the only things that can fulfill the deepest yearnings of our hearts.

One reason many of our fellow Catholics aren't with us at Mass today is because they have fallen into the Sadducees' trap; they have cut God down to their size. They have been seduced by this anti-Christian world and have put their friendship with Christ into second place. As a result, they are content to think their relationship with God is doing just fine, as long as they don't become an axe murderer or suicide bomber. They are perfectly content to pick and choose from the buffet of Catholic teachings, making no commitment to Christ, but enjoying a few morsels of his wisdom here and there. They have forgotten that they are part of a much bigger story, and that God has much more that he wants to give them - eternal life, in fact.

How can we help them? First, we should pray to God for them to be brought back home. Then we should invite them at least on special occasions to Church.

 

Today’s first reading presents one of the most gripping stories in the Bible. The pagan rulers of ancient Israel attempted to force the Jewish people to violate their dietary laws. This was really an effort to persuade them to abandon their relationship with God, who had commanded them not to eat certain foods. In today’s world one might wonder why not compromise on such a little thing, than accepting to die. But it was God’s direction for them to keep them holy, making them fit for a holy God. From the revelation of Jesus we know that eating or drinking any kind of food does not affect our spiritual holiness. But the Jewish Old Testament holiness concept had much to do with external or ritual cleanliness and purity.

The young men in today’s story, together with their mother, all affirmed that they were prepared to die rather than offend God. Their relationship with God was so real that it brought them to die for the Lord, with the hope of eternal life. There are moments when our relationship with God will cost us.  We need to be frank about this, and not delude ourselves. The more any relationship matters to us, the more we’re willing to suffer for the person we love.

We’re all called to live as those young men did, with our eyes fixed on God, on his promises and on his presence. The traditional word for this is “Martyr.” The word martyr comes from the Greek word martyrios, which means witness. As Christians, we’re called to witness to the rest of the world that God is real, that he’s good, and that he’s worth it; He is worth dying for.

God is real. Sometimes it’s easy to dismiss God as a distant idea or a cosmic force that has little bearing on our everyday life. A Christian lives in such a way that others recognize God as more real than anything else. God is good. So many people doubt the goodness of God. A Christian lives in such a way that others are able to experience the goodness of God, who sent his only Son so that we might have life.

Most of us are not called to die a violent death for our faith. But we will have thousands of opportunities each day to die a little death. To live a true Catholic life is really living a martyr’s death every day. Because in the present culture and the present political scenario where death culture is acclaimed and biblical values are derided as pristine, to stand up against them is inviting rejection and martyrdom. But if we do not do that then we would not be following Jesus. Because he told us that if anyone wants to follow him he must take up the cross and follow him. Today, let’s pray for the strength to live our Christian faith, with St. Ignatius, Lord, grant that I may see you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, day by day.