Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 11-22-03, Memorial, St Cecilia, virgin and martyr

Reading I
1 Macc 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."

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.

From: Luke 20:27-40

The Resurrection of the Dead

[27] There came to Him (Jesus) some Sadducees, those who say that there
is no resurrection, [28] and they asked Him a question saying,
"Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife
but no children, the man must take the wife and raise up children for
his brother. [29] Now there were seven brothers; the first took a
wife, and died without children; [30] and the second [31] and the third
took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. [32]
Afterward the woman also died. [33] In the resurrection, therefore,
whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife."

[34] And Jesus said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given
in marriage; [35] but those who are accounted worthy to attain to that
age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given
in marriage, [36] for they cannot die any more, because they are equal
to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. [37]
But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about
the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of
Isaac and the God of Jacob. [38] Now He is not God of the dead, but of
the living; for all live to Him." [39] And some of scribes answered,
"Teacher, You have spoken well." [40] For they no longer dared to ask
Him any question.

Commentary:

27-40. 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.
Deuteronomy 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 the species: that is the primary aim of marriage.
After the resurrection there will be no more marriage because people
will not die anymore.

Quoting Sacred Scripture (Exodus 3:2, 6) our Lord shows the grave
mistake the Sadducees make, and He argues: God is not the God of the
dead but of the living, that is to say, there exists a permanent
relationship between God and Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who have been
dead for years. Therefore, although these just men have died as far as
their bodies are concerned, they are alive, truly alive, in God--their
souls are immortal--and they are awaiting the resurrection of their
bodies.

See also the notes on Matthew 22:23-33 and Mark 12:18-27.

[The note on Matthew 22:23-33 states:

23-33. The Sadducees argue against belief in the resurrection of the
dead on the basis of the Levirate law, a Jewish law which laid down
that when a married man died without issue, one of his brothers,
according to a fixed order, should marry his widow and the first son of
that union be given the dead man's name. By outlining an extreme cases
the Sadducees make the law and belief in resurrection look ridiculous.
In His reply, Jesus shows up the frivolity of their objections and
asserts the truth of the resurrection of the dead.]

[The note on Mark 12:18-27 states:

18-27. Before answering the difficulty proposed by the Sadducees, Jesus
wants to identify the source of the problem--man's tendency to confine
the greatness of God inside a human framework through excessive
reliance on reason, not giving due weight to divine Revelation and the
power of God. A person can have difficulty with the truths of faith;
this is not surprising, for these truths are above human reason. But
it is ridiculous to try to find contradictions in the revealed word of
God; this only leads away from any solution of difficulty and may make
it impossible to find one's way back to God. We need to approach
Sacred Scripture, and, in general, the things of God, with the humility
which faith demands. In the passage about the burning bush, which
Jesus quotes to the Sadducees, God says this to Moses: "Put off your
shoes from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground"
(Exodus 3:5).]

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

FEAST OF THE DAY

St. Cecilia was a virgin who was martyred by the Roman
persecution. It is disputed what year she was executed, some
martyrologies place her death near the middle or end of the second
century, and others place her death in the third century. She was a
popular saint of the early Church and many legends sprung up
concerning her life and the manner of her death. St. Cecilia's feast
day has been celebrated by the Church from around the middle of
the sixth century and her name is included in the First Eucharistic
Prayer.

The legends that exist about St. Cecilia say that she was a young
Christian of high Roman birth at the time of her martyrdom. She was
filled with zeal for the Lord and dedicated her virginity to the Lord.
Her parents forced her to marry a nobleman named Valerian, but she
succeeded in converting him to Christianity and maintained her
promise of special dedication to the Lord.

Cecilia's dedication and holy actions helped convert several young
nobles, including the brother of her husband. When these converts
were found they were put to death and an order was sent out for the
arrest of Cecilia. When Cecilia was arrested, she was ordered to be
beheaded. The executioner struck her neck three times but was not
successful in killing her. Cecilia lived for three days after her
attempted execution and then died from the wounds she received.
St. Cecilia is the patron of sacred music and of musicians.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Pride makes us forgetful of our eternal interests. It causes us to
neglect totally the care of our soul. -St. John Baptist de la Salle

TODAY IN HISTORY

365 Pope Felix II dies
498 Pope St Symmachus begins his reign

TODAY'S TIDBIT

The word "Eucharist" comes from Greek roots meaning thanks
giving.

INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray for all grandparents.

The Word Among Us

Saturday, November 22, 2003

Meditation
Luke 20:27-40

St. John Bosco believed that God had called him to work with the young men of Turin, Italy. His heart went out especially to those boys who were living on the streets. He helped them find good jobs even as he taught them how to pray and follow the Lord.

To achieve these goals, Bosco developed what he called his “Festive Oratory” as an instrument of conversion and a comprehensive educational institution. On Sundays, he would gather all his boys—as many as six hundred of them—for prayer, confession, Mass, and games. And during the week, he organized them into smaller groups for prayer, discussion, and friendship building.

Finally, once a month, Bosco took his boys to the local cemetery, where he would speak to them about death and dying. In addition to teaching them how to live in this world, he sought to teach his boys how to prepare for a “happy death” and get ready to enter heaven. Today’s reading must have been one of John Bosco’s favorites because it invites us to reflect on the end of time and on the life thereafter.

Whenever we reflect on topics like these, we probably find a combination of hopeful, uncertain, and even fearful thoughts. Our uncertain thoughts make us wonder what heaven will be like. What will we do all day? What will our relationship with our family and friends be like? Will we really like it? Our fearful thoughts may lead us to worry that God won’t let us in, or that we’ll just squeak by and experience only a part of heaven’s blessings. And our good thoughts fill us with hope. We recall that in heaven there is no pain, sickness, war, poverty, division, or death. And we think about being with Jesus forever.

Take a look inside yourself right now and see what thoughts are dominant. Then, in prayer today, ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen your faith so that fear will have no hold on you. Let him convince you that heaven will exceed your every expectation.

“Jesus, help me overcome my fears about death. Teach me how to be as confident about heaven as St. John Bosco was. Show me the glorious inheritance that you have in store for me and for everyone who loves you.”

One Bread, One Body

<< Saturday, November 22, 2003 >>

St. Cecilia

1 Maccabees 6:1-13

Psalm 9

Luke 20:27-40

View Readings

HAPPY, HOLY, JOYFUL DEATHS

“God is not the God of the dead but of the living. All are alive for Him.” —Luke 20:38

Throughout the course of my priesthood, I have preached and taught many times today’s Gospel readings on the resurrection. But yesterday the promise of this revelation meant more to me than ever before. I read it at the bedside of my dying father. Jesus promises that His faithful disciples “become like angels and are no longer liable to death. Sons of the resurrection, they are sons of God” (Lk 20:36).

We know that Jesus will keep His promise to raise His disciples from the dead because He has the power to do so. We have extensive credible evidence that Jesus has risen from the dead and is all-powerful. Jesus has always kept His promises (see 2 Cor 1:19-20). We can be sure that Jesus will raise us, His disciples, from the dead. Thus, “death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Cor 15:54-55)

The only thing that can prevent us from being raised from the dead is ourselves. If we do not live as His disciples, we will not die as His disciples, unless we repent. So let us no longer live for ourselves “but for Him Who for [our] sakes died and was raised up” (2 Cor 5:15). Let us accept the grace to believe in Jesus, “the Resurrection and the Life” (Jn 11:25). Then “death has no more power over” us (Rm 6:9). Jesus has saved us from death. Let us love Him with all our hearts forever. Alleluia!

Prayer: Father, free me from the fear of death (see Heb 2:14-15).

Promise: “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.” —Ps 9:2-3

Praise: St. Cecilia dedicated her virginity and her very life to her Beloved. She had the consummate happy death as she gave her life in martyrdom for her Lord.

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