32nd SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Luke 20: 27, 34-38
November 10, 2013
Some Sadducees -- those who argue that there is no
resurrection -- approached him and they put this question to him, 'Master, Moses prescribed for us, if a man's married
brother dies childless, the man
must marry the widow to raise up children for his brother. Well then, there were
seven brothers; the first, having married a wife, died childless. The second and
then the third married the widow. And the same with all seven, they died
leaving no children. Finally the woman herself died. Now, at the
resurrection, whose wife will she be, since she had been married to
all seven?' Jesus replied, 'The children of this world take wives and husbands,
but those who are judged worthy of a place in the other world and in the
resurrection from the dead do not marry because they can no longer die, for
they are the same as the angels, and being children of the resurrection they are children of God. And Moses himself implies that the dead rise
again, in the passage about the bush where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is God, not of the
dead, but of the living; for to him everyone is alive.'
REFLECTION: Now
and Forever
We
could very well classify people into two groups: the "Now" group and the "Forever"
group.
People
in the "Now" group tend to
live colorful lives, intent on living the dream but don't care much about the
imminent future. For many among them,
they believe that we have one chance at life and we need to make the most of
it. Quality of life is centered mainly on
the present since the next life, if it is to be believed, appears to be too distant,
if not outright hazy. Much is placed on
faith, however, the human condition has somehow made us rely on experiences to
be able to successfully achieve something and at the same time, have something
to show for it.
The
"Forever" group is intent
on winning the prize at the end of the race but oftentimes without regard to
how it is achieved. They somehow live in
a trance-like wonder often oblivious to the world and indifferent towards
people around them who may not be similarly inclined to share in their
fastidiousness to that future state. Their concept of forever is often not
anchored in the now, for the current
world is a world of suffering and its path runs towards the very valley of
emptiness, pain and ultimately death.
Life for them is but a temporary reality.
Human
as we are, we normally miss the entire picture by failing to focus on a tiny
yet sublime fact: "Now" is not meant to be taken alone
when there is a future to speak of; while "Forever" is not meant merely to be aspired for since how we
achieve it is directly dependent on how we fare in our current lives: "Now and Forever" is a coordinated
truth. Jesus gives a "now" dimension to the phrase "eternal life" (which we usually
categorize as "future" or
"forever") in His high
priestly prayer: "This is eternal
life: that they should know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom you
have sent." (John 17:3). It
seems that Jesus is saying that eternal life is a matter of relationship with
the Father –– something that will be fully realized in the future, but that has
its beginnings in our lives now. Death should never be made a chasm that
separates now from forever, body from the spirit, sinner from the Creator, for
He is not a God of the dead but of the living.
Since Christ already had won victory over death; the death knell merely
signals the end of the race on the one hand, but trumpets the attainment of the
much-hoped for bliss, on the other.
"Now and Forever" is never easy, no
wonder very few subscribe to it as a single, unifying truth. People would rather consider it an "Either/Or" rather than an "And" to make believing in it much
more bearable. Many are ridiculed for
believing in that truth. Seemingly,
"Now and Forever" is an
ideal that has largely been passé, especially at an age when promises are
broken, when wicked deeds triumph over good, when temporal matters appear more
significant than the eternal. I believe
it is to this end that the Church normally ends its prayer to which we all say
"Amen." Bridging “Now
and Forever” requires the triumvirate of the great virtues that exist now
and last forever: faith, hope and love –– Hope refreshes the everydayness of
living; Faith strengthens our conviction that what we aim to achieve will come
to pass; Love makes it all worthwhile.
Understanding
the interplay of “Now and Forever”
somehow clarifies Christ's promise to be with us all the time. Forever is happening now; Forever ceases to
be a distant reward to the deserving with death as a necessary gateway. Christ's resurrection has unified "now" with "forever" by removing death's sting;
with Him conquering death, there is absolutely nothing that could conquer
us. That no matter how we get wounded
now by our own sinfulness or bogged down by the realities of life, we're never
conquered forever:
Sorting
through the wreckage of broken dreams and daring to dream again, says: "I’m not conquered."
Throwing
aside the jagged edges from failures on the path I now walk, says: "I’m not conquered."
Not
being afraid to risk again whether in life, love or business, says: "I’m not conquered."
To
give even when you feel all used up, says: "I’m not conquered."
Forgiving
and letting go, says: "I’m not
conquered."
Opening
the heart to love again after pieces were broken and missing, says: "I’m not conquered."
Staring
at fear and still going through the fire, says: "I’m not conquered."
To
feel worthy after bouts of feeling worthless and despite the doubts, says:
"I’m not conquered."
Having
faith and holding on in the darkest hours, says: "I’m not conquered."
For
to God, all are alive...now and forever.
ABOUT THE SHARER:
MR.
JOEL R. GABRIEL is a member of the Filii Sancti Dominici Philippinensis
KEYWORDS:
Ordinary
Time, Cycle C, OP Filii, Now, Forever, Resurrection
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