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November 9, 2016
- 32nd Sunday "C"
2 M 7,1-2.9-14; 2 Th 2,16--3,5; Lk 20,27-38
H O M I L Y
The Sadducees in this Gospel are not really interested
in learning from Jesus. They are simply
trying to set a trap for him. Since they
do not believe in resurrection, they want to show that such a belief leads to
ridiculous consequences. Jesus' answer
is rather mysterious. In fact, he just
wants to show that it is their whole approach that is ridiculous. They try to “imagine” what life is like after
death; and this is impossible, because we can "imagine” something only by
using "images" from our present limited life. But life after death is beyond all theses
images and these limitations. It will
not be a new life; it will be the same life, but freed from all the limits of
our present temporal existence.
There is something else that I find quite interesting
in today's readings. It is the points of contact between the first reading,
from the book of Maccabees and the Gospel. Of course there is an obvious point of contact in the fact that both
express faith in the resurrection of the flesh. There is also another point of contact less obvious but as important. It
is the fact that the Sadducee movement had something to do with the Maccabees’
revolt. And that may have something to
teach us.
The first great period in the history of the people of
Israel was the time of Exodus, when Yahweh formed his people through the
experience of the desert. The second
great period was the time of the Exile when, through the teaching of the
prophets Yahweh prepared the re-birth of his people. The most beautiful fruit of that period was
the movement of the Hassidim, the devout or the pious ones, among whom were the
Anawim, or the Poor of Yahweh.
After the return of the remnant to the land of Israel,
and a new domination by foreign powers, when the pagan authorities wanted to
force the Jews to apostatize, the Maccabees revolt against that pagan power
found its support mostly among the charismatic movement of the Hassidim and the
Poor of Yahweh.
But unfortunately, the Maccabees’ revolt, that was in
its origin, a deeply spiritual movement, became rapidly a political power that
accepted several compromises with the pagan authorities, to the point where one
of the Maccabees became both the King of Israel and the High Priest, without
belonging either to the priestly family or to the kingly family. That was too much for the faithful of Yahweh,
and they broke away in a movement of spiritual revolt. From that spiritual revolt three great
spiritual groups were born: the Pharisees, the
Sadducees and the Essenes.
Both the Pharisees and the Sadducees had a great and
deep spiritual influence on the evolution of the people of Israel, and on
preparing the people for the coming of the Messiah. But when the Messiah did come, these
movements had lost their spiritual sap, and were concerned with the
preservations of their traditions, and not open at all to the new life brought
about by Jesus. The two parties had become rather conservative, religiously as
well as politically, as are easily those who, having acquired power, privileges
and riches have no interest in anything changing.
All this is a lesson for us. The lesson is that we must always be
attentive, as a Christian community, and as a monastic community, less we fall
into the same danger of sclerosis and lukewarmness. In the history of the Church many movements
that started with a great charismatic enthusiasm soon became fossilized. Monasticism has remain alive in the Church only because it has periodically undergone reform and
conversion.
So, what is really important for us, as for the
Sadducees, is not to discover through our imagination or through the last
private revelation what life after death will look like, but unceasingly to continue,
as a community as well as individuals, that constant conversion process that
will permit us, at the end of our earthly pilgrimage, to be united with all our
brothers and sisters in the eternal "today" of God.
Armand Veilleux
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