Sunday, November 6, 2022 | By Rev. Michael P. Hanifin
Readings: 2 MC 7:1-2, 9-14; PS 17:1, 5-6, 8, 15; 2 THES 2:16-3:5; LK 20:27-38
As the Liturgical Year Cycle C moves toward its completion (November 20th), today’s readings challenge us to focus on the “why” of our Christian call to discipleship. Why embrace this challenging way of life when it seems hard enough just to pay the bills, take care of our loved ones, meet the demands of our jobs, and fall into bed at the end of each full day? Because this life is not all there is. We were made for more than our present existence — we are called for eternal happiness in union with God. While we cannot earn our way into Heaven, what we do now with the life God has given us has eternal consequences. Our discipleship in Jesus Christ helps us to keep our focus on our hoped-for destination in the choices we make each day.
In our Gospel passage from Luke, Christ reminds us very clearly that we were made for more than just this life and that our choices in this life have eternal consequences. In this passage, our Lord corrects some Sadducees for their mistaken notion that there is no resurrection. He instructs that “those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead…can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise.”
Being a follower of Jesus Christ, rather than the world in which we live, is not ultimately about the amount of our time (which for us is very valuable), our talent (abilities and skills we possess), and treasure (our material resources) we offer. It is about the conviction that everything we have is a gift from our loving God – given to us on loan – who we can never truly repay and with whom we want to live forever. Revisiting and reflecting on these three aspects of our lives regularly, prayerfully discerning the best use of our gifts and abilities and putting this down in writing clarifies and strengthens our conviction to put God first. It is a clear guide and a powerful aid in living out this conviction in concrete ways day-by-day.