Word to the Wise
Saturday, November 22, 2008 - St. Cecilia, virgin and martyr
[Revelation 11:4-12 and Luke 20:27-40]The children of this age marry and remarry; but those who are deemed 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 Mosesmade known in the passage about the bush, when he called '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.
Jesus' response to the Sadducees' question about the poor lady who married each of seven brothers is significant on a number of levels. On the level of the tense drama building between Jesus and the religious leadership, Jesus "silences" the Sadducees who were the aristocratic priestly party. However, there is another level, that of revealing a bit of what we can expect after death. We will be "like angels...." Hmmmm......after several days of the Book of Revelation, that thought could give rise to mixed feelings. I have the impression that angels have to work hard! The essential comment is about all of us being alive to God! Death is not the end of things. This is precisely why Jesus came - to offer hope in the face of the "primordial" enemy - death! Jesus' own words about the encounter between Moses and God at the burning bush! God speaks of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as currently existing (not as past figures)! That is what I find so comforting. I want God to speak of me as well. If so, I'll be in good company. I hope everyone who reads this will be too! AMEN
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