Gospel: November 23, 2024
November 23, 2024 (Saturday)
33rd Week in Ordinary Time
Psalter: Week 1 / (Green/Red/White)
Blessed Virgin Mary / St. Clement I, pope & martyr
St. Columban, abbot
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 144: 1b, 2, 9-10
Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
1st Reading: Revelation 11: 4-12
Gospel: Luke 20: 27-40
Then some Sadducees arrived. These people claim that there is no resurrection and they asked Jesus this question, “Master, in the Scripture Moses told us: ‘If anyone dies leaving a wife but no children, his brother must take the wife, and the child to be born will be regarded as the child of the deceased man.’ Now, there were seven brothers; the first married a wife, but he died without children; and the second and the third took the wife; in fact all seven died leaving no children. Last of all the woman died. On the day of the resurrection, to which of them will the woman be wife? For the seven had her as wife.”
And Jesus replied, “Taking husband or wife is proper to people of this world, but for those who are considered worthy of the world to come and of resurrection from the dead, there is no more marriage. Besides, they cannot die for they are like the angels. They too are sons and daughters of God because they are born of the resurrection.
Yes, the dead will be raised, and even Moses implied it in the passage about the burning bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. For he is God of the living and not of the dead, and for him all are alive.”
Some teachers of the Law then agreed with Jesus, “Master, you have spoken well.” They didn’t dare to ask him anything else.
Reflection:
“Children of God”
Today’s Gospel narrates Jesus’ teaching on the resurrection. He answered the question posed by the Sadducees concerning a woman who married seven brothers without leaving her any child. The Sadducees’ question was—on the resurrection of the dead, whose wife she will be. Jesus answered them that in the life to come, there will be no more marriage because they will be children of God.
The children of God are generated by God and are fully responsible creatures. Hence, no one will be in need. The story of the woman who had been widowed seven times seems to be a call to take responsibility over the needy other. We may reflect that the more important point rests not on the issue of dependency of the female on the male but on the challenge posed to the male to be more responsible over whatever is given him.
Perhaps, the very reason why Jesus told the Sadducees that they misunderstood the resurrection is that the Sadducees not only refused to believe in the resurrection of the dead but also were not willing to take responsibility over the needy. How responsible have we already become as children of God even in the here and now?
