Readings & Reflections: Saturday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time & Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro, November 23,2019

A native of Guadalupe, Zacatecas, Mexico, Miguel joined the Jesuits in 1911 A.D. After studies abroad, he was ordained and returned to Mexico in 1926 A.D., amid violent persecutions of the Church. Miguel braved chronic stomach pain and the constant threat of capture to hear confessions, give Communion, and serve disenfranchised families – always with his characteristic mirth. “I see God’s hand so palpably in everything that almost – almost I fear they won’t kill me in these adventures,” he wrote at this time. Miguel was arrested on the baseless charge of masterminding a bombing plot. He was executed on November 23,1927.

AMDG+

Opening Prayer

“May the Lord Jesus put his hands on our eyes also, for then we too shall begin to look not at what is seen but at what is not seen. May he open the eyes that are concerned not with the present but with what is yet to come, may he unseal the heart’s vision, that we may gaze on God in the Spirit, through the same Lord, Jesus Christ, whose glory and power will endure throughout the unending succession of ages.” Amen. (Prayer of Origen, c. 185-254)

Reading 1
1 Mc 6:1-13
As King Antiochus was traversing the inland provinces,
he heard that in Persia there was a city called Elymais,
famous for its wealth in silver and gold,
and that its temple was very rich,
containing gold helmets, breastplates, and weapons
left there by Alexander, son of Philip,
king of Macedon, the first king of the Greeks.
He went therefore and tried to capture and pillage the city.
But he could not do so,
because his plan became known to the people of the city
who rose up in battle against him.
So he retreated and in great dismay withdrew from there
to return to Babylon.

While he was in Persia, a messenger brought him news
that the armies sent into the land of Judah had been put to flight;
that Lysias had gone at first with a strong army
and been driven back by the children of Israel;
that they had grown strong
by reason of the arms, men, and abundant possessions
taken from the armies they had destroyed;
that they had pulled down the Abomination
which he had built upon the altar in Jerusalem;
and that they had surrounded with high walls
both the sanctuary, as it had been before,
and his city of Beth-zur.

When the king heard this news,
he was struck with fear and very much shaken.
Sick with grief because his designs had failed, he took to his bed.
There he remained many days, overwhelmed with sorrow,
for he knew he was going to die.

So he called in all his Friends and said to them:
“Sleep has departed from my eyes,
for my heart is sinking with anxiety.
I said to myself: ‘Into what tribulation have I come,
and in what floods of sorrow am I now!
Yet I was kindly and beloved in my rule.’
But I now recall the evils I did in Jerusalem,
when I carried away all the vessels of gold and silver
that were in it, and for no cause
gave orders that the inhabitants of Judah be destroyed.
I know that this is why these evils have overtaken me;
and now I am dying, in bitter grief, in a foreign land.”

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 9:2-3, 4 AND 6, 16 AND 19
R. (see 16a) I will rejoice in your salvation, O Lord.

I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart;
I will declare all your wondrous deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, Most High.
R. I will rejoice in your salvation, O Lord.

Because my enemies are turned back,
overthrown and destroyed before you.
You rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
their name you blotted out forever and ever.
R. I will rejoice in your salvation, O Lord.

The nations are sunk in the pit they have made;
in the snare they set, their foot is caught.
For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
nor shall the hope of the afflicted forever perish.
R. I will rejoice in your salvation, O Lord.

Gospel
Lk 20:27-40

Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection,
came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying,
“Teacher, Moses wrote for us,
If someone’s brother dies leaving a wife but no child,
his brother must take the wife
and raise up descendants for his brother.
Now there were seven brothers;
the first married a woman but died childless.
Then the second and the third married her,
and likewise all the seven died childless.
Finally the woman also died.
Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be?
For all seven had been married to her.”
Jesus said to them,
“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 Moses made 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.”
Some of the scribes said in reply,
“Teacher, you have answered well.”
And they no longer dared to ask him anything.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Reflection 1 – The woman married seven times

The attempt to trap Jesus in a political question failed that is why the Sadducees came to Him with a theological trivia. They thought they were so clever in asking such an answerable problem. “If someone’s brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman but died childless. Then the second and the third married her, and likewise all the seven died childless.  Finally the woman also died. Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had been married to her.”

To the question Jesus responded:  “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.”

The response of Jesus to the hypothetical case posed by the Sadducees emphasizes the fact that physical death does not terminate the self-conscious existence of the individual. He answered that a marriage relationship was for this life only and would not be continued in heaven. He did not say the spouses will not recognize each other in heaven, but their relationship would be on a completely different basis. It simply meant that the intimacy that we experience on earth as spouses is only a symbol of the reality we will experience in God’s glory. The joy that a married couple finds in their union will never be taken away, but will be multiplied as we experience a deeper closeness with everyone that is beyond here and now.

“Moses made 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.”  God is God of the long dead Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and therefore God will raise them from the dead. In that respect men will be equal to the angels as there is no more death. The character of God as the God of the living therefore uncovers the resurrection of those who count themselves vindicated and found worthy and have been considered children of God because of the merits of Christ our Lord.

Today, we are all consoled that even as we sleep and rest in grief, we have a God with Whom we can rejoice, Who rebukes the nations and destroys the wicked and their name blotted out forever and ever and in the snare they set, their foot is caught. We have a God Who never forgets the needy nor shall allow the hope of the afflicted to forever perish.

Let us give thanks to our LORD, with all our heart; declare all His wondrous deeds, be glad and exult in Him and sing praises to His Name, the Most High!

Direction

Bad times are certainly in the air and this is no time to be dismayed and to give up. We must face life, our work for the Lord and its realities head-on, doing what is necessary to remain firm and attached to our God. We should all realize that to draw closer to our Lord and grow in His love and mercy, we should be able to take in much of life’s most challenging opportunities, often brilliantly disguised as bitter and painful experiences, trials and tribulations, unsolvable problems and conflicts, all in the Mighty Name of Jesus, our Lord! Believe and be counted among the worthy of the coming age.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we pray that as we believe and live for Christ, we may all be among those who will be part of the resurrection. In Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Reflection 2 – All live to him

Is your life earth-bound or heaven-bound? The Sadducees had one big problem – they could not conceive of heaven beyond what they could see with their naked eyes! Aren’t we often like them? We don’t recognize spiritual realities because we try to make heaven into an earthly image. The Sadducees came to Jesus with a test question to make the resurrection look ridiculous. The Sadducees, unlike the Pharisees, did not believe in immortality, nor in angels or evil spirits. Their religion was literally grounded in an earthly image of heaven.

The Scriptures give witness – we will rise again to immortal life
Jesus retorts by dealing with the fact of the resurrection. The scriptures give proof of it. In Exodus 3:6, when God manifests his presence to Moses in the burning bush, the Lord tells him that he is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He shows that the patriarchs who died hundreds of years previously were still alive in God. Jesus defeats their arguments by showing that God is a living God of a living people. God was the friend of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when they lived. That friendship could not cease with death. As Psalm 73:23-24 states: “I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.” 

The ultimate proof of the resurrection is the Lord Jesus and his victory over death when he rose from the tomb. Before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, he exclaimed:  “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.  Do you believe this?” (John 11:25). Jesus asks us the same question. Do you believe in the resurrection and in the promise of eternal life with God?

Jesus came to restore Paradise and everlasting life for us
The Holy Spirit reveals to us the eternal truths of God’s unending love and the life he desires to share with us for all eternity. Paul the Apostle, quoting from the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 64:4; 65:17) states: “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him,” God has revealed to us through the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). The promise of paradise – heavenly bliss and unending life with an all-loving God – is beyond human reckoning. We have only begun to taste the first-fruits! Do you live now in the joy and hope of the life of the age to come?

“May the Lord Jesus put his hands on our eyes also, for then we too shall begin to look not at what is seen but at what is not seen. May he open the eyes that are concerned not with the present but with what is yet to come, may he unseal the heart’s vision, that we may gaze on God in the Spirit, through the same Lord, Jesus Christ, whose glory and power will endure throughout the unending succession of ages.” (Prayer of Origen, 185-254 AD) – Read the source: http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/2019/nov23.htm

Reflection 3 – Love conquers all     

Fearing death is one of the most natural of human emotions. We look to the end of our lives as a time of suffering and testing of faith. “Will I make it through the pain and remain faithful to Christ?” “Will Christ help me through my dying?” We see in the courage of the brothers in today’s first reading (2 Mac 7:1-2, 9-14) an astonishing act of faith that God is present with them in their suffering and in their hope for life after death. It is an astonishing faith, because there was no clear consensus in Israel that the God who revealed himself in the burning bush was to raise Israel from the dead. Israel is not given any guarantee of Love’s ability to conquer death until Easter morning. So these brothers stood in the deepest faith and trusted that God is a God of life. Countless others in the history of faith have stood before evil ready to stay faithful to God because they knew that the meaning of their lives was not limited to this time and space. Jesus makes our hope for resurrection concrete. He is the Bridegroom who comes for the Bride. He comes not simly to give this time on earth meaning, he is not a philosopher. He comes to secure the Bride’s participation in Trinitarian love. He comes to share his own joy with all humble and needy enough to let him into their lives.

The proud Sadducees, on the other hand, who questioned Jesus about resurrection, did not think resurrection was possible and so they tried to trap Jesus with a question about marriage law. Little did they know that they were addressing the divine Bridegroom, the one who wants to have loving communion with all of humanity if only we would consent. In heaven people “neither marry nor are given in marriage” (Lk 20:35) because deified humanity itself is married to God in and through the Bridegroom who came to find the one he loves. Since he is the divine Bridegroom we should trust the Lord even in our dying and our suffering because, as Paul says in today’s reading (2 Thes 2:16-3:5), we may not be faithful, but the Lord is. We put our trust in his constancy and his fidelity to his own promises, promises he will not break. We are afraid of dying because we look at ourselves, our weaknesses, our sins, our fears. Turn and look to him who gave all for love of his Bride. He is coming for you, he will not delay, he will not – cannot – disappoint.

The brother in Maccabees cries out that death and the king who wants to kill him are “accursed fiends.” So they are. But the brother goes on, “you are depriving us of this present life but God will raise us up to live again forever” (2 Mac 7:9). To get through any suffering in this life and remain faithful we need to ask the Lord to share his own fidelity and endurance with us through his Holy Spirit. Only such communion with love itself can we securely endure the sufferings of this life. And what is more, we will not simply endure the sufferings, but in and through them we will secure our intimacy with him who loved us till the end. This Love will not leave us orphaned or abandoned in the grave. This love will come for his Bride. (Source: Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., “Homilies for Sunday Liturgies and Feasts,” Homiletic & Pastoral Review, Vol. CXI, No. 1. Ohio: Ignatius Press, October 2010, pp. 33-34; Suggested Reading: Catechism of the Catholic Church: 1005-19; 1612-20).

Reflection 4 – The unbeatable insurance policy

In this age of technology, we cannot run away from television – and definitely, not from the advertisements and commercials. Nevertheless, it is interesting to note that these TV commercials reveal the stark contrast between rich and poor countries. For instance, in the Philippines, the great majority of advertisements are on food products. This is closely followed by household and beauty products, then medicines, cars, real estate and the least seen are insurance and securities. This order is reversed in rich countries. Most of the advertisements in countries like the United States are on insurance and securities, followed by real estate and cars, but the least on food products.

This shows that the people in rich countries barely think about food and other basic things in life for they already have all these in superabundance. Rather, they are mainly concerned about the future, their retirement, and the security of their investments. Indeed, material abundance naturally leads people to trust more in purely human powers and resources rather than in God. Hence, despite a life of abundance and excess, they live in anxiety and fear.

On the other hand, the main concern of the people in poor countries is food – how to survive from day-to-day. Insurance and investments are far from their minds. The obvious reason is lack of money. But the more important reason has something to do with faith. Poor people have no investments and insurance policies. They simply cannot afford one. So, they rely more on God. And this gives them some sense of security and peace, even in the midst of life’s adversities and hard realities. Jesus taught us: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:3).

There is the story about three insurance agents who tried to convince a prospective buyer. The first one, an atheist, said: “Buy my insurance, for its coverage is from basket to casket.” But the Hindu salesman is more persuasive: “That’s nothing! My insurance will cover you from womb to tomb!” Not to be outdone, the third insurance guy, a devout Catholic, offered the widest coverage: “Take mine. It’s from conception to resurrection!”

As Christians, we have the unbeatable insurance policy ever – and with free premium at that! From the very start of our life, at the moment of conception, we are already in the hands of a loving God. He protects and guides us throughout our life in this world and even through the dark valley of death until the resurrection of our bodies into eternal life. I am not saying that we do away with prudence and totally disregard the wisdom of preparing for the future. However, in the ultimate analysis, it is only God who is our sure refuge and security for the future. Psalm 118 says: “Better to take refuge in the Lord than to put one’s trust in mortals; Better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.”

The resurrection is the unmistakable proof and guarantee of this divine insurance. Even before Jesus Christ came, the Jews already believe in the resurrection. This is expressed in the Book of Maccabees. But this is not true for all Jews, unfortunately. The Sadducees do not believe in the resurrection. They claim that this is not found in the Torah, the books of Moses, which they solely believe in. They tried to ridicule the belief in the resurrection by posing to Jesus a question based on a hypothetical case of a woman marrying seven brothers.

In his answer, Jesus emphasized two points. First, there is absolutely no comparison between life in this age with the age to come. The children of the resurrection do not die anymore, and they live like angels. It is pointless to ask the question as to who will be the husband of the woman in the next life. Since there is no more death, the natural end of marriage, which is procreation, serves no more purpose. In the presence of the glory of God, and enjoying perfect joy, the people in heaven need not concern themselves anymore with worldly matters such marriage, family and jobs. They live like angels.

Second, God is a God of the living, and not of the dead. And as God’s children, we are called to share in that divine life. He did not create and save us just to vanish into absolute extinction. As Jesus said, “I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full” (Jn 10:10). Eternal life is our destiny. Our bodies are limited, and we all die. But life continues after death in a more perfect and pure state.

We are truly blessed to have received the gift of faith that tells us there is resurrection. We profess this truth at Mass: “I believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.” This is the most central element of our faith. As St. Paul said, “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then neither has Christ been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then empty is our preaching; empty, too, your faith” (1Cor 15:13-14). The resurrection proves we have the true faith.

Moreover, on a practical note, belief in the resurrection is the key to true happiness and peace. A rich tourist visited a well-known wise man. When he entered his house, he was surprised to find it almost empty, save for a table, a chair and bed. “Where is your furniture?” he asked. “Where is yours?” replied the wise man. The tourist was puzzled: “What do you mean? I cannot be carrying my furniture with me. I am a tourist. I am just passing through.” The wise man answered, “So am I.”

Many people nowadays are consumed by too much egoism and materialism. Their desire for this world’s goods is insatiable. They already have, and yet they yearn for more, and so they become discontented and unhappy. Belief in the resurrection reminds us that as God’s children, we do not belong to this world, but are only passing through. And so it is pointless to store and hold on to the ephemeral things of this world. The resurrection, then, is the best antidote to materialism and the key to true freedom and perfect happiness.

Life in this world is never easy. It is always full of trials and sufferings. But thank God, we are not permanent residents here. We are just passing through. The realization of this truth makes our pains and sufferings, and even death, not only bearable but also meaningful. St. Paul said, “I consider the sufferings of this present time as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us” (Rom 8:18). We may not fully know and understand what is in store for us, for we are talking about “what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor 2:9).However, as what the Apostle St. John pointed out, “What we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed; all we know is, that when it is revealed we shall be like Him because we shall see Him as He really is” (1Jn 3:2). Then our joy will be complete! (Source: Fr. Mike Lagrimas, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Palmera Springs 3, Susano Road, Camarin, Novaliches, Caloocan City 1422).

Reflection 5 – The resurrection

Do you believe in the resurrection? That’s the question that Jesus indirectly poses when he challenges the Sadducees in next Sunday’s Gospel reading.

As Christians, we believe that someday we will experience a resurrection like Christ’s, after we depart from this present earthly “age” or stage of life. All believers who follow Jesus will live as the angels do. This is why Catholic funeral Masses are Resurrection Masses and use white instead of black as the liturgical color.

But do you believe in the resurrection of love? Jesus explained the resurrection in terms of marriage. A marriage is supposed to be a reflection of God’s love for his people. Marriage is supposed to unite a man and a woman in an enduring love that comes from God; therefore it gives witness to the world of God’s faithfulness and commitment.

So why would Jesus say that marriage is not a part of the resurrection of the dead? Why won’t today’s marriages become perfect and continue forever after both husband and wife have entered heaven?

Here on earth, love is imperfectly given and imperfectly received. Therefore, it’s constantly dying and being resurrected again, every day, to the extent that each spouse repents and forgives. (The same is true of any friendship.)

Perfect love is God. We live as true children of God when we love our brothers and sisters the way he loves them. Marriage does not exist in heaven because it’s an imperfect love: We love our spouses more than we love others. In heaven, we will love our spouses fully (yes, even our ex-spouses!) and we will love everyone else just as much. And those who have loved us poorly will love us better than the best spouse could love us now.

Marriage is only a foreshadowing of what love – with everyone – will be like in heaven.

Questions for Personal Reflection:
Who has failed to love you enough? Who has caused you a lot of pain? How would you feel if that person were to greet you at the entrance of heaven to let you in at the moment of your death? Do you have enough love for that person to get you through the door?

Questions for Family & Community Faith Sharing:
How is a marriage like God’s love? Describe the ways that God loves us, and relate these signs of true love to what you’ve experienced in good friendships. How is this a foretaste of heaven? (Source: Terry Modica, Good News Reflection, 2010).

 

Reflection 6 – Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro (1891-1927 A.D)

¡Viva Cristo Rey! (Long live Christ the King) were the last words Fr. Pro uttered before he was executed for being a Catholic priest and serving his flock.

Born into a prosperous, devout family in Guadalupe de Zacatecas, Mexico, he entered the Jesuits in 1911, but three years later fled to Granada, Spain, because of religious persecution in Mexico. He was ordained in Belgium in 1925.

Fr. Pro immediately returned to Mexico, where he served a Church forced to go “underground.” He celebrated the Eucharist clandestinely and ministered the other sacraments to small groups of Catholics.

He and his brother Roberto were arrested on trumped-up charges of attempting to assassinate Mexico’s president. Roberto was spared but Miguel was sentenced to face a firing squad on November 23, 1927. His funeral became a public demonstration of faith. He was beatified in 1988.

Comment:

When Father Miguel Pro was executed in 1927, no one could have predicted that 52 years later the bishop of Rome would visit Mexico, be welcomed by its president and celebrate open-air Masses before thousands of people. Pope John Paul II made additional trips to Mexico in 1990, 1993, 1999 and 2002. Those who outlawed the CatholicChurch in Mexico did not count on the deeply rooted faith of its people and the willingness of many of them, like Miguel Pro, to die as martyrs.

Quote:

During his homily at the beatification Mass, Pope John Paul II said that Fr. Pro “is a new glory for the beloved Mexican nation, as well as for the Society of Jesus. His life of sacrificing and intrepid apostolate was always inspired by a tireless evangelizing effort. Neither suffering nor serious illness, neither the exhausting ministerial activity, frequently carried out in difficult and dangerous circumstances, could stifle the radiating and contagious joy which he brought to his life for Christ and which nothing could take away (see John 16:22). Indeed, the deepest root of self-sacrificing surrender for the lowly was his passionate love for Jesus Christ and his ardent desire to be conformed to him, even unto death.”

Read the source: http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1208

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