Word to the Wise
Wednesday, November 22, 2023 - Wednesday in the 33th Week in Ordinary Time
[2 Macc 7:1, 20-31 and Luke 19:11-28]"I do not know how you came into existence in my womb; it was not I who gave you the breath of life, nor was it I who set in order the elements of which each of you is composed. Therefore, since it is the Creator of the universe who shapes each mans' beginning, as he brings about the origin of everything, he, in his mercy, will give you back both breath and life, because you now disregard yourselves for the sake of his law...... Son, have pity on me, who carried you in my womb for nine months, nursed you for three years, brought you up, educated and supported you to your present age. I beg you, child, to look at the heavens and the earth and see all that is in them; then you will know that God did not make them out of existing things; and in the same way the human race came into existence. Do not be afraid of this executioner but be worthy of your brothers and accept death, so that in the time of mercy I may receive you again with them." [2 Maccabees]
NOVEMBER 22 ST. CECILIA, martyr
Prior to the Roman occupation of Israel, it was under the rule of the successors to the generals who divided up Alexander the Great's conquests in the Middle East. These rulers attempted to impose Greek customs and culture on the Jewish population. A resistance gradually developed and resulted in a revolt that led ultimately to Roman intervention. The two books of the Maccabees are an account of that time and revolt. One of the stories is about the mother of seven sons who were tortured and killed because they refused to follow the new practices, which included eating pork!!! The words above are the exhortation of the mother to her sons as they were tortured. The words reflect a profound appreciation of the human person before God and a belief in a final resurrection, which was a relatively new idea in Jewish faith. [The Pharisees came into existence during this time, and they accepted that belief.]
Our Catholic tradition is filled with martyrs who placed faith above life itself. We celebrate their memories and stories in liturgy and catechesis. We may also feel somewhat uneasily challenged by their courage. How valuable is our faith to us? The decisions of the mother and seven sons were about more than pork chops!!! Ancient stories have a way of challenging our present ones. AMEN