Fr. Daniel Evbotokhai
THE RESURRECTION AND MARRIAGE
2Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14; Psalm 16; 2Thessalonians 2:16-3:5; Luke 20:27-38
Resurrection and marriage are the two basic themes in the gospel reading of today. Every Sunday we gather in church to celebrate the Lord’s resurrection. But the reality shows that we often do not know in truth why we are in Church. We are often carried away with the busy nature of marriage and its concomitant anxieties. Like the woman marrying seven brothers in the gospel – all our desires are self-centered and we are ready to go any length to achieve them. While this woman was busy marrying seven brothers; some other seven brothers in 2Maccabees 7 were offering their lives to God- giving expression to divine will. For them, life is not about personal advantage – life is about fulfilling the will of the Father. Therefore, the message today is an alarm and a cry for a reordering of our appetite and hunger.
The resurrection according to the first reading is the raising up of man to an everlasting renewal of life by the King of the universe. It is also the coming to life after death. It is not reincarnation, neither is it resuscitation. In the former, a dead man is said to have being reborn into earthly existence. This is baseless in Christian tradition. While in the latter a dead man is raised to life through prayers or the promptings of the doctors. These do not equate resurrection in anyway. In resuscitation all those who were brought to life died again, Lazarus, Jarius daughter and the widow’s son at Nain all died again. In resurrection man enters into the reality of his external fate where he will not die again. In Acts 24:15 Paul says “there will be resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.” The righteous shall be raised to eternal life in heaven and the unrighteous to eternal damnation. Resurrection happened in Jesus and he is the historical and biblical fact of our faith. And so, resurrection is the reason for Christianity. In 1Cor.15:14 Paul says; “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is worthless, and so is your faith.” So, Christianity is not a delusion but the pathway to salvation.
In the gospel we are presented with a group of people called the Sadducees – they don’t believe in the resurrection. Are there Christians who don’t believe in the resurrection? Are there Christians who see no reason to pray for the dead? These kinds of Christians are not different from the Sadducees. Their very attachment to material things speaks for itself. Christians must rise to the truth of their vocation. The days have come when true Christians must now stand for what they believe and put a stop to the drama in the body of Christ.
If we believe in resurrection we don’t have to drag lands at the cost of lives. If we believe in what we profess we don’t have to secure earthly exultation at the detriment divine mandates. If we believe in the resurrection then we should pray for the dead – they need our prayers; 2Macc 12:39-45 says it; Paul did it for Onesiphorus in 2Timothy 1:18. In fact, if Jesus could pray for the dead to come back to physical life; we can pray for them as well; even though they don’t come back to physical life our prayers can make them attain eternal life.
To illustrate their position the Sadducees brought up the topic of “levirate marriage” which finds its support in (Deut. 25:5-6). A woman is said to have married seven brothers who all died; eventually the woman herself died; at the resurrection whose wife will she be? In answering their question Jesus teaches that marriage ends at death. This explains the marital vows “till death do us part”. Therefore, at the resurrection there is no marriage. Beloved, marriage is good but do not marry at all costs. Why will a woman want to marry at all cost? Strive towards building virtues – virtues live beyond the grave. In the creed we profess our faith and say “I believe in… the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.” This creed shows that we are not heading to nothingness but something else and something greater. For this reason we are ready to give up anything it takes to attain salvation.
The Maccabean martyrs in the first reading profess their believe in the resurrection before given up their life in heroism. This kind of death is not suicidal but martyrdom. In suicide a man takes his life; but in martyrdom a man offers his life to God. In 2Macc.7:2 these seven sons and their mother were ready to die rather than transgress the law of God. In Dan3:15-17 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were ready to die rather bow to the carved image. Are there Christians today who are ready to walk this path of martyrdom? Are there men and women who ready to sacrifice it all just for the gospel? Or are we dealing with players and talkers? In Rom.8:35-39 Paul asked “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Beloved in Christ, for real Christians life is not live for personal advantage; life is lived fulfilling the will of God.
Let us rise in prayer for one another that our faith may not fail. In the second reading (2Thess. 2:16-3:5) Paul prayed for the Thesselonians and equally requested for their prayers. We need to learn how to assist ourselves in prayer; no one is too strong not to deviate; Jesus said to the disciples in Matt.26:41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” That means if they do not pray they will fall. Beloved, pray, pray for your ministers – Paul says “ And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith” (2Thess.3:2). The evil one is out there looking for who to devour; beloved help and not hinder – pray and not destroy; build, don’t make the work of the devil easier by all sorts of malicious criticisms; attacks; lies; gossips and anger. When we pray for ourselves we shall win the battle set before us without losing any to disbelief and damnation.
LET US PRAY
Almighty and merciful God, graciously keep from us all adversity, so that, unhindered in mind and body alike, we may pursue in freedom of heart the things that are yours. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. AMEN.
