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Homily of the Day

Title:	He Will Bring You Back Both Breath and Life
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Date:	Wednesday, October 16, 2005

2 Maccabees 7:1,20-31 / Lk 19:11-28

Fear is one of the greatest adversaries that any of us will ever face. It steals our peace and our joy, it closes down many roads, and throws up many walls. Some form of fear is at the root of every sin, and some kind of fear is behind every failure to live up to our best selves. Fear pretends to be a protector of life, but in fact it is a friend only of death. Jesus said it best, "Fear is useless. What is needed is trust."

Nothing less than monumental trust can explain the confident courage of the mother of the Maccabees in today's Old Testament reading. As she watched each of her seven sons being carried off to a martyr's death, she was a tower of strength for them, and like the good mother she was, she explained to each of them why they had no reason to fear anything, not even death. "The Creator of the universe who shapes every man's beginning, as He brings about the origin of everything, will in His mercy bring you back both breath and life..." They heard her words, they trusted in their Creator's love, and they went to their death in peace.

Many things ever so much smaller than death frighten us and rob us of too many of our days. The time for that to stop forever is now. We need only trust in the love of the Creator who made us, and we will be free. Troubles will inevitably come, sometimes great ones. They may even kill us, but if we are connected to Him, they will never destroy us. That is God's promise!

The Word Among Us

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Meditation
2 Maccabees 7:1,20-31

What a heroic witness this Jewish mother and her seven sons gave! Not wanting to dishonor God or his covenant, they chose to die painful deaths rather than transgress even the smallest of God’s commands. But as powerful a testimony as this was, this family did something even more important: They were among the first people in the Old Testament to demonstrate a clear belief in the resurrection from the dead. Reasoning that God created everything out of nothing and that he continues to create and to re-create, they willingly gave up their lives for their faith.

We owe much to this family! The story of their faith in the resurrection was instrumental in paving the way for the revelation that Jesus would later bring—revelation concerning the final judgment and the promise of eternal life. As Christians, we can now believe in a Savior who is already risen from the dead and has already opened heaven for all believers!

The question we now face is: Do I believe this? Am I convinced in the resurrection? In my heart, do I believe that Jesus will return at the end of time and that all believers will ultimately be raised, transformed, and united forever with him in love? Do I believe that this is my destiny?

Right now, your Father has you in the palm of his hand. He is both compassionate and powerful. He loves you and promises to hold you close to himself. If you trust in him—and if you translate this trust into a hopeful mixture of obedience and consistent repentance—he will bring you home. You will be raised from the dead at the end of time and united forever in glory with your Savior.

This mother and her seven sons are models of faith and trust for us. Faith like theirs, whatever our situation, can bring us much peace. God never promised that we won’t undergo trials and difficulties, but no matter how difficult things might get for us, we know that our Father will care for us. We know that he will never leave us or forsake us, not even at the end of time.

“Father, I love you. Thank you for the promise of everlasting life. Thank you for sending your Son Jesus to open heaven for me and all who embrace him.”

Psalm 17:1,5-6,8,15; Luke 19:11-28