-
The inspiring story of Eric Little was made famous in the movie “Chariots of Fire.” It is the chronicle of a young athlete who preferred to honor the Lord than to be honored by the Olympics. He would eventually lose his life as a missionary in China. Early in the movie, there is a scene as crowds gather around the victorious Eric Little after winning an important race. He takes this moment not only to speak but also to preach. This is what he says: “You came to see a race today ... to see someone win. But I want you to do more than just watch a race. I want you to take part in it. Faith is like running a race. It’s hard and requires concentration of will and energy of soul. …And where does the power come from to see the race to its completion. It comes from within. Jesus says: Behold the kingdom of God is within you. If you commit yourself to the love of God.... that is how you run a great race.”
As we get closer to the end of the liturgical Year C the Church’s liturgy shifts our attention to the last things: death, judgement, heaven, and hell. Every Sunday we recite the Creed and concludes with the profession of faith in the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. From the time of JESUS to this day we have had people who did NOT believe the doctrine of the resurrection. The Gospel of today presents one of such groups, the Sadducees. Who were the Sadducees and what did they stand for? The Sadducees emerged both as a political and religious interest group around the second century B.C. The Sadducees were a party of Judaism active in JESUS’ time. They descended from the priestly family of Zadok and derived the name from Zadok, who served under King Solomon (1Kings 2:35). In JESUS’ day, it was likely that many Sadducees were wealthy and held important positions in Israel. They maintained a good relationship with the Roman authorities and that helped them to occupy important positions and to amass wealth.
The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the body or the immortality of the soul. They came along to ask Jesus a question which is apparently unanswerable. According to the levirate law (cf. Deut 25: 5ff), if a man died without issue, his brother was duty bound to marry his widow to provide his brother with descendants. The consequences of this law would seem to give rise to a ridiculous situation at the resurrection of the dead.
Our Lord replies by reaffirming that there will be a resurrection; and by explaining the properties of those who have risen again, the Sadducees’ argument simply evaporates. In this world, people marry in order to continue their species: that is the primary aim of marriage. After the resurrection, there will be no more marriage because people will not die anymore. The answer given by JESUS reveals
howlimitedthe Sadducees were in their imagination. JESUS also used a part of the Pentateuch to answer them. GOD is the God of the living. He is also the GOD of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These patriarchs were already dead at the time GOD was referred to as their God. The conclusion is that they still live even after death, meaning that there is life after death
People may not openly speak against the doctrine of the resurrection, but their actions show that what matters is gaining earthly popularity and prosperity. We readily say “no” to GOD in order to follow the demands of the world. We are asked to stand firm in our faith even when it has become unpopular and even dangerous to do so. JESUS invites us to have faith in a GOD of the living. The invitation is a source of hope because, after this life, there is another fellowship in heaven. It is also a challenge for us to live like people who do not see the world as everything. While we make the world a comfortable place to live, let us also prepare for a more comfortable existence after the present life by the way we live.
Fr Tom Kunnel, C.O.