Thirty-second Sunday of the Year, C – Nov 6, 2016.
Readings: 2 Mc 7:1-2, 9-14; Responsorial Psalm Ps 17:1, 5-6, 8,15; 2 Thes 2:16-3:5; Gospel Lk 20:27-38 or Lk 20:27, 34-38.
Theme: Witnessing to the Point of Death
Introduction
Beloved in Christ, as we approach the end of the Church’s liturgical calendar, our readings are apocalyptic in nature. They not only remind us about the four last things namely, death, judgment, heaven and hell, but challenge us to the fact of witnessing without which we cannot see the face of God.
In the first reading (2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14) we hear about the dramatic witnessing of a courageous Jewish woman and her seven sons. This moving story is a one of faith, courage and heroic witness. From this dutiful family, we learn devotion to the law of God and our ancestors in the faith; therein, we also take lessons in the resurrection and on how to witness courageously:
1. Devotion to the Law of God: One thing we cannot take away from this family is their dedication to the law of God. It would seem that the Old Testament injunction: “You shall thus observe all my statutes and all my ordinances and do the; I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:37) was a creed that spurred them on. Little wonder the second son in Verse 9 of the first reading said: “It is for his laws that we are dying.”
2. Devotion to the Law of their Ancestors: This devoted Jewish family would rather die that eat pork and transgress the laws of their ancestors. The first son would say in Verse 2: “We are prepared to die rather than break the laws of our ancestors.”
3. Conviction about the resurrection: What is noteworthy of their action is the fact that they were convinced about the resurrection of the dead. In Verse 9 the second son would insist: “...you are depriving us of this present life, but the King of the world [God] will raise us up again forever” and in Verse 11 we hear: “It was from heaven that I received these...from him I hope to receive them again.” This is a direct scandal to the denial of the resurrection by the Sadducees in the gospel (Luke 20:27).
The Sadducees did not only deny the resurrection but went ahead to set a trap for Jesus. They veiled their grievance in a question about a woman who was married to seven men by inquiring whose husband she would be at the resurrection. It is important to note that those who do not believe in life after death were asking a question about the resurrection.
Expectedly, Jesus would clear their doubts. He rose to the occasion to present a full blown catechesis about the-life-after as found in Verse 35 of Luke 20: "...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 out ‘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.”
Such theological exposition serves to satisfy our curiosity about life-after-the-now and also assure us that the trials, tribulations and temptations of this world are nothing compared to what Christ has prepared for his elect.
4. Courageous witness: In Verse 12, “Even the King and his attendants marvelled at the young man’s courage...” This shows us how heroic-virtue is a gospel of its own.
We shall now consider the various kinds of witnessing there are in the light of our homiletic theme: “Witnessing to the Point of Death.”
1. Witnessing of Words: This involves the verbal proclamation of the word of God either as homily or catechesis. It takes its root from the Great Commission Christ entrusted to his apostles and to the Church of preaching the gospel to the ends of the earth (Matthew 28:16-20). All those who participate in the verbal proclamation of the word are involved in witnessing of words.
2. Witnessing of Action: Among other action-oriented apostolates, the witnessing of action is the non-verbal expression of the faith in parish, school, hospital, prison and orphanage apostolates.
3. Witnessing of Presence: Like the witnessing of action, this kind of witnessing entails quietly going about our apostolate as priests, religious or laity while wearing our cassock, habit or sacramentals. Although we may not preach, our sacramentals alone can preach to the world about the faith. Even if we do not appear in our religious regalia, the state of being celibate is itself witnessing of presence. Most times, the witnessing of presence takes place in countries which are hostile to the faith or secular institutes where Catholics quietly live out the faith as they work.
4. Witnessing of blood: Witnessing of blood also known as red martyrdom is shedding of one’s blood for Christ. Martyr, a Greek word which means martus simply means, witness. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines martyrdom as “...the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith – the martyr bears witness to Christ who died and rose, to whom he is united by charity. He bears witness to the truth of the faith and of Christian Doctrine” (no, 2473).
To be sure, all the apostles of Christ (except St. John) died as martyrs. Although Official Church teaching does not give colours for martyrdom, it would seem that due to development of doctrine or emerging trends in theology, there are four types of martyrdom:
a). Red Martyrdom: Red martyrdom is the official martyrdom we know of in the Church. The Fathers of Vatican II defined red martyrs as “[those who are] conformed to (the Lord) by the shedding of blood” (Lumen Gentium, no, 42). This occurs when a person sheds his or her blood for Christ. In the litany of the saints, many martyrs bore heroic witness to Christ by demonstrating courage and unalloyed trust in God. Examples of such saints are: Stephen, Maximillian Kolbe, Paul Miki and companions, Maria Goretti, Agnes, Lucy, Cecilia to mention just a few.
b). White Martyrdom: This type of martyrdom started with the desert fathers and confessors, who left everything, withdrew to the wilderness to serve God and underwent suffering and sometimes physical persecution.
This is martyrdom without taking life or shedding blood. It is a form of dying to the world and living for righteousness. It involves giving up the mundane allurement of this world and all its trappings to live a perpetual pilgrimage in worship of God. This type of martyrdom culminates in heroic devotion to uniting ones’ suffering to those of Christ. Few examples of this kind of martyrdom are: St. Anthony of Egypt, one of the leading desert Fathers and Anna the prophetess who spent the rest of her life in the temple.
c). Blue Martyrdom: Blue martyrdom is the ardent desire to live a life of repentance. This involves a devotion to Christ. Mary Magdalene is often given as an example of a blue martyr.
d). Green Martyrdom: Green martyrdom is associated with Irish missionaries who spread the gospel to various continents of the world. As such, Green martyrs are those who have given up their lives for the sake of propagating the gospel to others.
Conclusion
We live in an age and time where many people are afraid of declaring that they are Christians. Sadly, in the West, the clergy are sometimes hindered from preaching against divorce, abortion, contraception and gay marriage. The young are increasingly becoming either shy of identifying themselves as Catholics in secular institutes or organisations because they are afraid of losing their jobs. It is crucial to remember the words of scripture which says: “Do not be afraid of those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell” (Matthew 10:28).
Importantly too, the scripture says: “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels (Luke 9:26). Inspired by the blockbuster narrative of a Jewish mother and her seven sons and these Sacred Texts, may Catholic parents urge their children to heroically live out the faith even in the face of threats to their jobs and lives. Have a fabulous week ahead!Type a message
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