32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
C. November 11, 2007. Our Lady of
Grace 7:30, 11:30. 2 Maccabees
7:1-2, 9-14. 2
Thessalonians 2: 16-35. Luke
20: 27-38.
Suffering, pain, loss and death are a part of every human
life. Some suffer more and
some suffer less in the course of a lifetime.
But no human being lives a pain free existence, even with the advance of
medicine. Many would say that
emotional and spiritual pain is the worst pain of all – the pain of rejection,
loneliness or a broken heart.
God did not promise that there would be no suffering in our lives. God did promise to be with us in the midst
of our pain and suffering. God
promised to take our hand as we make the journey though the valley of death.
It is hard to imagine a more painful situation than that of
a mother watching her seven sons tortured and executed.
She had raised good sons and rather than beg them to save their lives and
her feelings by doing what the evil executioners wanted, she encouraged them to
live as she had taught them no matter what the cost. After six of her
sons had been murdered the executioners appealed to her to save her youngest
son by begging him to break God’s law as he was being told to do. This
part of the story was skipped in today’s first reading.
I read it now because it says something very powerful and awesome about the
relationship between the mother and her sons.
When the youngest son paid no attention to the executioner, the king appealed
to the mother, urging her to advise her boy to save his life.
“After he had urged her for a long time, the mother went
through the motions of persuading her son.
In derision of the cruel tyrant, she leaned over close to her son and said in
their native language: "Son, have pity on me, who carried you in my womb
for nine months, nursed you for three years, brought you up, educated and
supported you to your present age. I
beg you, my child, to look at the heavens and the earth and see all that is in
them; then you will know that God did not make them out of existing things; and
in the same way the human race came into existence.
Do not be afraid of this executioner, but be worthy of your brothers and accept
death, so that in the time of mercy I may receive you again with them.” She had scarcely finished speaking
when the youth said: "What are you waiting for? I will not obey the king's
command. I obey the command of the
law given to our forefathers through Moses.”
At that, the king became enraged and treated him even worse than the others,
since he bitterly resented the boy's contempt. Thus he too died undefiled, putting all his trust in the
Lord.”
God doesn’t take the responsibility for making hard
decisions away from us. God didn’t
promise to take away the pain mixed into every life; in fact Jesus taught us
that we must take up our cross and follow him.
Faced with the pains, the hardships and the hard decisions of life our faith
teaches us that there are two things we can count on – and these two things are
enough for us to make the journey of life successfully and even heroically. First, God has promised that we will
never face life’s difficult moments alone.
God will always be with us. We
will never walk alone. We will
never suffer alone.
The second thing that God has promised is that there is light
at the end of the tunnel.
Seeing light at the other end of the valley of death we can move forward
through the darkness with the eyes of our souls fixed intently on the light. The resurrection is the light at the end of
the tunnel. God is not the God
of a dead Jesus. On the other
side of the cross is the light of the resurrection.
In today’s gospel Jesus says, “God is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac
and the God of Jacob; he is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. For God all are alive.”
The light of the resurrection gives us the courage to do what we need to do in
moments of darkness and suffering in our lives.
Today we celebrate Veterans’ Day, a day when we remember all
those who have offered their lives and often their deaths in service of our
country and in service of justice, love and freedom in our world. 52 Million people
died in World War II. 17
million civilian men, women and children were killed.
35 million members of the military died – among them 500,000 Americans. Those of you who saw this war or the Korean,
Viet Nam or Iraq
war first hand know that war is utter horror.
We do not glory in war – war is always ugly.
We do glory in the men and women who were willing to serve us by risking their
lives and enduring great suffering for the noble values of justice, love and
freedom.
In the midst of World War II many Americans found something
to hand onto in the words of a song by Rodgers and Hammerstein. We have shared this song before.
When you walk through a storm,
Hold your head up high,
And don't be afraid of the dark.
At the end of a storm,
There's a golden sky,
And the sweet silver song of a lark.
Walk on through the wind, Walk on through the rain,
Though your dreams be tossed and blown.
Walk on, walk on, with hope in your
heart,
And you'll never walk alone.......
You'll never walk alone.
The words of the 23rd Psalm have brought comfort
to many in the great trials of life:
The LORD is my shepherd; there is
nothing I lack.
In green pastures you let me graze;
to safe waters you lead me; 3
you restore my strength. You guide
me along the right path for the sake of your name.
4
Even when I walk through a dark valley, I fear no harm for you are at my side;
your rod and staff give me courage. 5
You set a table before me as my enemies watch; You
anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6
Only goodness and love will pursue me all the days of my life; I will dwell in
the house of the LORD for years to come.
For the grace to walk through the valley of darkness with
firm confidence that God is with us always we give God thanks and praise.