May Jesus Christ be
praised and may his holy Mother pray for us.
On the 11th
of November each year, we celebrate Veteran’s Day. We remember in a particular way those who
have served in the Armed Forces of this country. We remember those who served in times of
peace and times of war. And we remember
those who shed their blood and gave their lives in defense of freedom
throughout the world. We remember and we
honor those who remained faithful to their mission, even unto death.
In our first reading
from the book of Maccabees, we hear of the seven brothers who remained faithful
even unto death. They were victims of
religious persecution and they accepted death from the government rather than
violate their consciences. They believed
that the law of God was more precious than the law of man. These seven brothers were faithful unto death
because they believed and they hoped in the promise of God for eternal
life. They were people of faith, who
lived in hope.
The Sadducees in our
gospel, however, were people without hope.
Today in the reading from the gospel, the Sadducees asked the Lord Jesus
a question about particular details of the resurrection to eternal life. The Sadducees did not believe in resurrection
or in eternal life. They rejected any
notion of an afterlife. Their entire
existence was based on what could be gained in this world, with no expectation
for the next world. The question that
they posed was designed to mock the Lord Jesus.
Some of this same group would likely be mocking him at his trial. The Sadducees focused everything on attaining
money and prestige and power in this life, because they had no thought of the
resurrection. They were not people of
faith in the Living God. They were not
faithful unto death, because they had no hope of eternal life.
But we have the hope of
eternal life.
We are gathered as believers
in the promise of the Living God. The
gospel in which we have put our faith is the message of sure and certain hope
that sin and death will not prevail against those who are united to Christ
Jesus. The Lord Jesus who claimed us for
himself in the waters of our baptism will receive his faithful ones as his own
in the Kingdom of the Father.
In our daily struggle
against sin and temptation and persecution, we are surrounded by a great cloud
of witnesses who urge us on to victory.
We are surrounded, dear brothers and sisters, by the holy ones who were
faithful unto death, and who believed in the promise of eternal life. St. Peter and St. Paul and St. Jude gave
their lives and shed their blood because they proclaimed that they had seen the
Risen Lord. St. Leo and St. Ambrose
lived in faith and died in hope as they shepherded the flock of God and
challenged the political authorities who challenged the authority of God. St. Padre Pio showed us the mercy of God and
the wounds of Christ, and St. Francis Xavier proclaimed the Good News
throughout the world. St. Toribio Romo
was killed because he preached in faith and would not abandon his flock. St. Stephen preached boldly and served humbly
and died in hope, and St. Francis proclaimed the joy of the Lord. From St. Edward the Confessor we saw the
exercise of authority with charity and St. Juan Diego brought us the image of
the Virgin of Guadalupe. We have the
example of the holy and prayerful mothers St. Anne and St. Monica. St. Mary Magdalene and St. Catherine lived in
powerful and tender devotion to the Lord Jesus.
St. Louise lived her faith and cared for abandoned children, and St.
Therese showed us the little way of loving the Lord. St. Josephine Bakhita and St. Faustina lived
the message of mercy and welcomed people to the house of God. St. Bernadette lived in simplicity and hope,
and received the message and the waters of Lourdes. And St. Lucy, St. Cecilia, and St. Dymphna
gave themselves up to death rather than belong to anyone other than Christ
Jesus the Lord.
We are surrounded, dear
brothers and sisters, by a cloud of witnesses who were faithful unto
death. May they encourage us and pray
for us that we might live in faith and rejoice in hope and believe in the promise
of eternal life. Amen.
Preached
at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Monroe NC
