32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C, Year II)
Community Word:
The sovereignty of Christ is the firm foundation of our faith.
Theme:
Christ is sovereign in our life when we put our hope in His promise of eternal life.
Promise:
“Our Lord Jesus Christ has given us everlasting encouragement and good hope through his grace.” (2Thes 2:16)
Reflection:
In the gospel of the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jesus is confronted by the Sadducees, members of a priestly and aristocratic group widely known for their conservatism in their beliefs. They do not believe in miracles, in the existence of angels and more so, in the resurrection and life after death. Intending to ridicule the belief in resurrection, they wanted to know what Jesus thought about it. And Jesus proved to them that there is resurrection of the dead and tried to correct their mistaken belief.
The words of Jesus fill our hearts with hope because the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is not the “God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive,” (Lk 20:38). Death is not the end. God raised Jesus from the death and brought Him to heaven where He lives interceding for us. The “children of God” “can no longer die for they are like angels” and “they are the ones who will rise,” (Lk 20:36). God will transform our bodies after our death from what is perishable into that which is imperishable (1 Cor 15:42-44). The ultimate proof Jesus gives us that there is life after death is His own Resurrection.
Resurrection is the goal of our earthly life. It is the reason why we are ready to sacrifice and suffer for others, why we do good things, live a just and righteous life, and why we follow Jesus and fulfill His commandments. Resurrection is our hope here on earth because after this life, there is eternal life. Heaven is infinitely more than our human minds can imagine. In heaven, our loved ones will be with us, but the love we have for each other will be beyond and more than our human love. Rather, we will all gaze upon the beauty and pure love of God.
Jesus assures us that after our earthly life, there is something much more we can look forward to. In heaven, relation by kinship no longer matters. What will be important is that we are with God. Our end-goal is to be with God, to reach heaven and live with God forever. Our ultimate happiness is to see God face to face. As our utmost desire is to remain with God for all eternity, God will raise us to a life of absolute fulfillment.
Faith in the resurrection is rooted in what is most fundamental in the biblical experience of God. The bible shows us that God is not distant but near. He is the Creator, who brought all things into existence and upon whom all things depend, the God who calls His people to a relationship of trust and love with Him. As time goes by, it becomes evident that He intends such relationship never ends. His involvement with us in this life is a promise and foretaste of our life when we will be in His presence in heaven. He cares about us and involves Himself in us. Thus, we continue to rely on the greatest possible reason for courage and hope. We must remain firm in our faith as expressed in our community theme for this week: Christ is sovereign in our life when we put our hope in His promise of eternal life. All who believe in Jesus and confess His Name above every other name shall receive eternal life.
God has begun a good work in us. We can be sure that it will be brought to perfection in the life of the world to come. As we go through the motion of remembering and praying for the departed souls, may our hearts long of finding rest in the promise of heaven. Our promise this week is from 2 Thessalonian 2:16 – “Our Lord Jesus Christ has given us everlasting encouragement and good hope through his grace.” Heaven does not start after death. We prepare for it now by spending our lives today as a prelude to a life of unending love, peace and joy.
Prayer:
God of the living and of the dead, continue to work within us individually and among us as a community of faith, that we may experience resurrection. Grant us the grace to be Your witnesses to the resurrection daily in our journey of faith. All for your name sake. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
1.How prepared are you to merit eternal life? Are your day to day actions prepare you towards the heavenly goal?
2.Reflect on death and pray for the souls in purgatory everyday.
This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
November 6, 2016 (Sun) – 2 Mc 7:1-2,9-14/Ps 17:1,5-6,8,15/2Thes 2:16-3:5/Lk 20:27-38
November 7, 2016 (Mon) – Ti 1:1-9/Ps 37:3-4,18,23,27-29/Lk 17:7-10
November 8, 2016 (Tue) – Ti 2:1-8,11-14/Ps 37:3,4,18,23,27,29/Lk 17:7-10
November 9, 2016 (Wed) – Ez 47:1,2,8,9,12/Ps 46:2,3,5,6,8,9/1Cor 3:9-13,16,17/Jn 2:13-22
November 10, 2016 (Thu) – Phlm 7-20/Ps 146:7-10/Lk 17:20-25
November 11, 2016 (Fri) – 2 Jn 4-9/Ps 119:1,2,10,11,17,18/Lk 17:26-37
November 12, 2016 (Sat) – 3 Jn 5-8/Ps 112:1-6/Lk 18:1-8
“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”
wsc reflection 06 november 2016 final
