Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God)
From: 2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14
Martyrdom of the Seven Brothers and their Mother
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[1] It happened also that seven brothers and their mother were arrested and were being compelled by the king, under torture with whips and cords, to partake of unlawful swine's flesh. [2] One of them, acting as their spokesman, said, "What do you intend to ask and learn from us? For we are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our fathers." [9] And when he was at his last breath, he said, "You accursed wretch, you dismiss us from this present life, but the King of the universe will raise us up to an everlasting renewal of life, because we have died for his laws."
[10] After him, the third was the victim of their sport. When it was demanded, he quickly put out his tongue and courageously stretched forth his hands, [11] and said nobly, "I got these from Heaven, and because of his laws I disdain them, and from him I hope to get them back again." [12] As a result the king himself and those with him were astonished at the young man's spirit, for he regarded his sufferings as nothing. [13] When he too had died, they maltreated and tortured the fourth in the same way. [14] And when he was near death, he said, "One cannot but choose to die at the hands of men and to cherish the hope that God gives of being raised again by him. But for you there will be no resurrection to life!"
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Commentary:
7:1-42. This is one of the most famous and popular passages in the history of the Maccahees--so much so that traditionally (but improperly) these brothers are usually referred to as "the Maccabees". The sacred writer does not tell us the boys' names, or where it all happened; and he brings in the presence of the king to heighten the dramatic effect. The bravery of these young men, it would seem, was inspired by the good example given by Eleazar (cf. 6:28). The mother's intervention divides the scene into two parts--first the martyrdom of the six older brothers (vv. 2-19), and then that of the youngest and the mother herself (vv. 20-41).
In the first part the conviction that the just will rise and evildoers will be punished builds up as the story goes on. Each of the replies given by the six brothers contains some aspect of truth. The first says that just men prefer to die rather than sin (v. 2) because God will reward them (v. 6); the second, that God will raise them to a new life (v. 9); the third, that they will rise with their bodies remade (v. 11); the fourth, that for evildoers there will be no “resurrection to life” (v. 14); the fifth, that there will be punishment for evildoers (v. 17); and the sixth, that when just people suffer it is because they are being punished for their own sins (v. 18).
In the second part, both the mother and the youngest brother affirm what the others have said: but the boy adds something new when he says that death accepted by the righteous works as atonement for the whole people (vv. 37¬-38).
The resurrection of the dead, which "God revealed to his people progressively" ("Catechism of the Church", 992), is a teaching that is grounded first on Moses' words about God having compassion on his servants (v. 6; cf. Deut 32:36), and the idea that if they die prematurely they will receive consolation in the next life. This is the point being made by the first brother, and it implies that God "faithfully maintains his covenant with Abraham and his posterity" (ibid.). As the mother sees it (vv. 27-28), belief in the resurrection comes from "faith in God as creator of the whole man, body and soul" (ibid., 992). Our Lord Jesus Christ ratifies this teaching and links it to faith in himself (cf. Jn 5:24-25; 11:25); and he also purifies the Pharisees' notion of the resurrection, which was an interpretation based only on material terms (cf. Mk 12:18-27; 1 Cor 15:35-53).
In what the mother says (v. 28) we can also see belief in the creation of the world out of nothing "as a truth full of promise and hope" ("Catechism of the Catholic Church", 297). On the basis of this passage and some New Testament passages, such as John 1:3 and Hebrews 11:3, the Church has formulated its doctrine of creation: "We believe that God needs no pre-existent thing or any help in order to create (cf. Vatican I: DS 3022), nor is creation any sort of necessary emanation from the divine substance (cf. Vatican I: DS 3023-3024). God creates freely 'out of nothing' (DS 800; 3025). If God had drawn the world from pre-existent matter, what would be so extraordinary in that? A human artisan makes from a given material whatever he wants, while God shows his power by starting from nothing to make all he wants" ("Catechism of the Catholic Church", 296).
The assertion that the death of martyrs has expiatory value (vv. 37-38) prepares us to grasp the redemptive meaning of Christ's death; but we should remember that Christ, by his death, not only deflected the punishment that all men deserve on account of sin, but also, through his grace, makes sinful men righteous in God's sight (cf. Rom 3:21-26).
Many Fathers of the Church, notably St Gregory Nazianzen ("Orationes", 15, 22), St Ambrose ("De Iacob et Vitae Beata", 2, 10, 44-57), St Augustine ("In Epistolam Ioannis", 8, 7), and St Cyprian ("Ad Fortunatus", 11) heaped praise on these seven brothers and their mother. St John Chrysostom invites us to imitate them whenever temptation strikes: "All the moderation that they show in the midst of dangers we, too, should imitate by the patience and temperance with which we deal with irrational concupiscence, anger, greed for possessions, bodily passions, vainglory and such like. For if we manage to control their flame, as (the Maccabees) did the flame of the fire, we will be able to be near them and have a share in their confidence and freedom of spirit" ('Homiliae in Maccabaeos", 1,3).
Parable of the Pounds
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[11] As they heard these things, He (Jesus) proceeded to tell a parable, because He was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the Kingdom of God was to appear immediately. [12] He said therefore, "A nobleman went into a far country to receive kingly power and then return. [13] Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten pounds, and said to them, `Trade with these till I come.' [14] But his citizens hated him and sent an embassy after him saying, `We do not want this man to reign over us.' [15] When he returned, having received the kingly power, he commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by trading. [16] The first came before him, saying, `Lord, your pound has made ten pounds more.' [17] And he said to him, `Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.' [18] And the second came, saying, `Lord, your pound has made five pounds.' [19] And he said to him, `And you are to be over five cities.' [20] Then another came, saying, `Lord, here is your pound, which I kept laid away in a napkin; [21] for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man; you take up what you did not lay down, and reap what you did not sow.' [22] He said to him, `I will condemn you out of your own mouth, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow? [23] Why then did you not put my money into the bank, and at my coming I should have collected it with interest?' [24] And he said to those who stood by, `Take the pound from him, and give it to him who has the ten pounds.' [25] (And they said to him, `Lord, he has ten pounds!') [26] `I tell you, that to every one who has will more be given; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. [27] But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them before me.'"
The Messiah Enters the Holy City
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[28] And when He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
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Commentary:
11. The disciples had a wrong concept of the Kingdom of Heaven: they thought it was about to happen and they saw it in earthly terms: they envisaged Jesus conquering the Roman tyrant and immediately establishing the Kingdom in the holy city of Jerusalem, and that when that happened they would hold privileged positions in the Kingdom. There is always a danger of Christians failing to grasp the transcendent, supernatural character of the Kingdom of God in this world, that is, the Church, which "has but one sole purpose--that the Kingdom of God may come and the salvation of the human race may be accomplished." (Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 45).
Through this parable our Lord teaches us that, although His reign has begun, it will only be fully manifested later on. In the time left to us we should use all the resources and graces God gives us, in order to merit the reward.
13. The "mina", here translated as "pound", was worth about 35 grammes of gold. This parable is very like the parable of the talents reported in St. Matthew (cf. 25:14-30).
14. The last part of this verse, although it has a very specific context, reflects the attitude of many people who do not want to bear the sweet yoke of our Lord and who reject Him as king. "There are millions of people in the world who reject Jesus Christ in this way; or rather they reject His shadow, for they do not know Christ. They have not seen the beauty of His face; they do not realize how wonderful His teaching is. This sad state of affairs makes me want to atone to our Lord. When I hear that endless clamor--expressed more in ignoble actions than in words--I feel the need to cry out, `He must reign!' (1 Corinthians 15:25)" (St J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 179).
17. God counts on our fidelity in little things, and the greater our effort in this regard the greater the reward we will receive: "Because you have been `in pauca fidelis', faithful in small things, come and join in your Master's happiness. The words are Christ's. `In pauca fidelis!... Now will you neglect little things, if Heaven itself is promised to those who mind them?" (St J. Escriva, "The Way", 819).
24-26. God expects us to strive to put to good use the gifts we have received--and He lavishly rewards those who respond to His grace. The king in the parable is shown to be very generous towards his servants--and generous in rewarding those who managed to increase the money they were given. But he is very severe towards the lazy servant who was also the recipient of a gift from his Lord, who did not let it erode but guarded it carefully--and for this his king criticizes him: he failed to fulfill the just command the king gave him when he gave him the money: "Trade till I come." If we appreciate the treasures the Lord has given us--life, the gift of faith, grace--we will make a special effort to make them bear fruit--by fulfilling our duties, working hard and doing apostolate. "Don't let your life be barren. Be useful. Make yourself felt. Shine forth with the torch of your faith and your love. With your apostolic life, wipe out the trail of filth and slime left by the corrupt sowers of hatred. And set aflame all the ways of the earth with the fire of Christ that you bear in your heart" (St J. Escriva, "The Way", 1).
28. Normally in the Gospels when there is mention of going to the Holy City it is in terms of "going up" to Jerusalem (cf. Matthew 20:18; John 7:8), probably because geographically the city is located on Mount Zion. Besides, since the temple was the religious and political center, going up to Jerusalem had also a sacred meaning of ascending to the holy place, where sacrifices were offered to God.
Particularly in the Gospel of St. Luke, our Lord's whole life is seen in terms of a continuous ascent towards Jerusalem, where His self-surrender reaches its high point in the redemptive sacrifice of the Cross. Here Jesus is on the point of entering the city, conscious of the fact that His passion and death are imminent.