NOVEMBER 29 - Feast of all Saints of the Franciscan Order - Festa tal-Qaddisin kollha tal-Ordni Franġiskan

 

 

29 ta’ Novembru
FESTA TAL-QADDISIN KOLLHA
TAL-ORDNI FRANĠISKAN

F’kull waqt u f’kull żmien mit-twaqqif tiegħu sal-lum, l-Ordni Franġiskan kien dejjem jixbah lil ġnien li fih iwarrdu għadd bla qjies ta’ qaddisin u rwieħ tajba. Uliedu l-qaddisin tal-Ewwel, it-Tieni u t-Tielet Ordni ġew minn kull qasam tal-ħajja u minn kull ġens ta’ bnedmin. Hemm Franġiskani Martri, Dutturi tal-Knisja, Isqfijiet, Presbiteri, Fratelli Reliġjużi, Lajċi, Verġni, u Nisa u Rġiel Miżżewġa. Huma kotra kbira ta’ qaddisin miġmugħa madwar il-Fqajjar ta’ Assisi li f’ġismu jġib is-sinjali ta’ Alla l-ħaj. Il-festa tal-Qaddisin Kollha tal-Ordni ssir illum, għax kien sewwa sew fid-29 ta’ Novembru 1223 li l-Papa Onorju III wettaq b’mod solenni r-Regola ta’ San Franġisk, li kien ġa wettaqha bil-fomm Innoċenz III fis-sena 1209. Il-kitba oriġinali tar-Regola tinsab miżmuma b’għożża kbira fost ir-relikwi insinji fil-Bażilka Patrijarkali ta’ San Franġisk f’Assisi.

Facebook - Parroċċa Marija Addolorata San Pawl il-Baħar

======================

November 29
FEAST OF ALL THE SAINTS OF THE SERAPHIC ORDER

In addition to All Saints Day on November 1, the entire Franciscan Order celebrates a Franciscan All Saints Day. November 29, is a special day to the Seraphic Order as we Celebrate the FEAST OF ALL THE SAINTS IN THREE FRANCISCAN ORDERS --Festum Omnium Sanctorium Trium Ordinum Francescalium (First, Second, Third Order Religious and Secula...r).

On this day, all members of three Franciscan Order who have attained their goal in Heaven, whether known or unknown are honored in a special manner.

November 29 was selected for the feast day because on that day in 1223 Pope Honorius III gave his approval to the final rule which Saint Francis gave to the Friars Minor, a rule which pointed out a new way to sanctity. By observing it faithfully many have become saints; and by celebrating the feast of all Franciscan saints, we are inspired and encouraged to follow in their footsteps.







A Franciscan Litany of All Saints

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
God, the Father, have mercy on us.
God, the Son, have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, the Immaculate Conception,
Queen of the Franciscan Order, pray for us.
Holy Father Francis, pray for us.

All you holy martyrs of the Franciscan Order, pray for us.

Saints Berard, Accursius, Adjutus, Otto, and Peter, Protomartyrs, pray for us.

Saints Daniel, Angelo, Domnus, Hugolinus, Leo, Nicholas, and Samuel, Martyrs of Africa, pray for us.

Saints Nicholas Tavelic, Deodat of Aquitaine, Peter of Narbonne, and Stephen of Cuneo, Martyrs of the Holy Land, pray for us.

Saint Thomas More, Martyr of England, pray for us.

Saints Nicholas Pick, Anthony Hornaer, Anthony of Weert, Cornelius, Francis, Godfrey, Jerome, Nicasius, Peter, Theodoric, Willehad, Martyrs of Holland, pray for us.

Saints Peter Baptist Blasquez, Martin de Aguirre, Francis Blanco, Philip of Jesus of Mexico, Gonzalo García of India, and you holy seventeen Japanese members of the Third Order, Saints Anthony of Nagasaki, Bonaventure, Cosmas, Francis of Fahelante, Francis of Miyako, Gabriel, Joachim, John, Leo, Louis, Matthias, Michael, Paul Ibaraki, Paul Zuzuki, Peter, Thomas Danki, and Thomas Kosaki, Protomartyrs of Japan, pray for us.
Saints John Jones and John Wall, Martyrs of England, pray for us.

Saints Fidelis of Sigmaringen, pray for us.
Saint Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us.

All you holy priests of the First Franciscan Order, pray for us.

Saint Anthony of Padua, Doctor of the Gospel and Wonderworker, pray for us.
Saint Bonaventure, Seraphic Doctor, pray for us.
Saint Benvenute of Osimo, Bishop, pray for us.
Saint Louis of Tolouse, Bishop, pray for us.
Saint Bernardine of Siena, pray for us.
Saint John Capistran, pray for us.
Saint Peter Regalado, pray for us.
Saint James of the March, pray for us.
Saint Peter of Alcantara, pray for us.
Saint Francis Solano, pray for us.
Saint Joseph of Leonissa, pray for us.
Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, Doctor of the Church, pray for us.
Saint Joseph of Cupertino, pray for us.
Saint Pacificus of San Severino, pray for us.
Saint John Joseph of the Cross, pray for us.
Saint Theophilus of Corte, pray for us.
Saint Leonard of Port Maurice, pray for us.
Saint Leopold Mandic, pray for us.

All you holy lay brothers of the First Franciscan Order, pray for us.
Saint Didacus of Alcalá, pray for us.
Saint Salvator of Horta, pray for us.
Saint Felix of Cantalice, pray for us.
Saint Benedict the Black, pray for us.
Saint Paschal Baylon, pray for us.
Saint Seraphim of Montegranaro, pray for us.
Saint Charles of Sezze, pray for us.
Saint Ignatius Laconi, pray for us.
Saint Francis Camporosso, pray for us.
Saint Conrad of Parzham, pray for us.

All you holy virgins of the Second Franciscan Order, pray for us.
Holy Mother Clare of Assisi, pray for us.
Saint Agnes of Assisi, pray for us.
Saint Colette of Corbie, pray for us.
Saint Catherine of Bologna, pray for us.
Saint Veronica Giuliani, pray for us.

All you holy priests of the Third Franciscan Order, pray for us.
Saint Yves of Brittany, pray for us.
Saint Charles Borromeo, pray for us.
Saint Joseph Benedict Cottolengo, pray for us.
Saint Vincent Palotti, Founder, pray for us.
Saint John Mary Vianney, Patron of Parish Priests, pray for us.
Saint Joseph Cafasso, pray for us.
Saint Michael Garicoits, pray for us.
Saint Peter Julian Eymard, Founder, pray for us.
Saint John Bosco, Founder, pray for us.
Saint Pius X, Pope, pray for us.

All you holy foundresses of religious congregations who were members of the Third Franciscan Order, pray for us.
Saint Bridget of Sweden, pray for us.
Saint Jane of Valois, pray for us.
Saint Angela Merici, pray for us.
Saint Mary Bartholomea Capitanio, pray for us.
Saint Mary Magdalen Postel, pray for us.
Saint Vincentia Gerosa, pray for us.
Saint Joachima de Mas y de Vedruna, pray for us.
Saint Mary Josepha Rossello, pray for us.
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for us.

All you holy men of the Secular Franciscan Order, pray for us.
Saint Ferdinand, King of Castile and Leon, pray for us.
Saint Louis, King of France, Patron of the Third Order, pray for us.
Saint Elzear of Sabran, pray for us.
Saint Roch of Montpellier, pray for us.
Saint Conrad of Piacenza, Hermit, pray for us.

All you holy women of the Secular Franciscan Order, pray for us.
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Patroness of the Third Order, pray for us.
Saint Rose of Viterbo, Virgin, pray for us.
Saint Zita of Lucca, Virgin, pray for us.
Saint Margaret of Cortona, pray for us.
Saint Clare of Montefalco, Virgin and Religious, pray for us.
Saint Elizabeth of Portugal, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, pray for us.
Saint Frances of Rome, pray for us.
Saint Catherine of Genoa, pray for us.
Saint Hyacintha Mariscotti, Virgin and Religious, pray for us.
Saint Mariana of Jesus of Quito, Virgin, pray for us.
Saint Mary Frances of the Five Wounds, Virgin, pray for us.

All you holy Cordbearers of St. Francis, pray for us.
Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop, pray for us.
Saint Joseph Calasanctius, Founder, pray for us.
Saint Benedict Joseph Labre, pray for us.
Saint Bernadette Soubirous, Virgin and Religious, pray for us.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

Let us pray:
Almighty everlasting God, we thank You for granting us the joy of honoring our holy Father Francis and his sainted followers and enjoying the protection of their unceasing prayers. Grant us also the grace to imitate their example and so attain their fellowship in eternal glory. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

https://www.facebook.com/504570186569904/photos/a.506109396415983/538640283162894/?type=3&theater&ifg=1

=================

PROPER GOSPEL on November 29

NOVEMBER 29 - All Saints of the Franciscan Order  (I,II,III Ord.)  Feast
29 ta’ Novembru - IL-QADDISIN KOLLHA TAL-ORDNI FRANĠISKAN. Festa

Evanġelju
Mur, bigħ li għandek u ejja u imxi warajja
Mk 10, 17-21

Qari mill-Evanġelju skont San Mark

F’dak iż-żmien Ġesù [Mk:10:17] kien se jaqbad it-triq, meta mar fuqu wieħed jgħaġġel, niżel għarkubbtejh quddiemu u qallu: "Mgħallem tajjeb, x'għandi nagħmel biex nikseb il-ħajja ta' dejjem?" [Mk:10:18] "Għaliex qiegħed issejjaħli 'tajjeb'?" qallu Ġesù,"ħadd ma hu tajjeb ħlief Alla biss. [Mk:10:19] Inti l-kmandamenti tafhom: la toqtolx, la tiżnix, la tisraqx, la tixhidx fil-falz, la tiħux bil-qerq dak li hu ta' ħaddieħor; weġġaħ lil missierek u  'l ommok." [Mk:10:20] U dak wieġbu u qallu: "Mgħallem, jiena dan kollu ili nħarsu minn żgħożiti." [Mk:10:21] Mbagħad Ġesù xeħet fuqu ħarsa ta' mħabba u qallu: "Ħaġa waħda tonqsok: mur bigħ li għandek, agħtih   lill-fqar, u jkollok teżor fis-sema; mbagħad ejja u imxi warajja."


Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
R/. Tifħir lilek Kristu

================================

 

 

https://www.olaprovince.org/2016/11/28/november-29th-feast-of-all-of-the-saints-of-the-order/

 

 

Excerpt from a sample “Renewal of Vows” celebrated during Morning or Evening Prayer:

Let us pray that, with the help of God and the intercession of St. Francis,
all our Franciscan saints, and Mary, Queen of the Franciscan Order,
we may rekindle our initial fervor and recommit ourselves
to the ideals of the Franciscan way of life.

RENEWAL OF VOWS
All praise be Yours, O Lord,
for all creation gives You glory.
All praise be Yours, O Lord,
for all good things come from You.
All praise be Yours, O Lord,
for You call us to the life of Your Risen Son.

Today, we Your sons, renew and re-dedicate ourselves to the call You have given us. We renew our profession of the Rule of our Father Francis, and we ask Your help to continue to live the life of the Gospel with obedience to Your Spirit and Your Church, with poverty that imitates the life of Your Son and His holy mother, and with chastity that frees us to love You and Your people, with unmeasured love. All praise be Yours, O Lord, now and forever. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

READINGS & REFLECTIONS -- Sunday in Year C, of week 32, in Ordinary Time

WORD OF THE DAY

READINGS - In Year C - Sunday, week 32 in Ordinary Time

FIRST READING
A reading from the second book of Maccabees
7:1-2, 9-14

It happened that seven brothers with their mother were arrested
and tortured with whips and scourges by the king,
to force them to eat pork in violation of God's law.
One of the brothers, speaking for the others, said:
"What do you expect to achieve by questioning us?
We are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our ancestors."
At the point of death he said:
"You accursed fiend, you are depriving us of this present life,
but the King of the world will raise us up to live again forever.
It is for his laws that we are dying."
After him the third suffered their cruel sport.
He put out his tongue at once when told to do so,
and bravely held out his hands, as he spoke these noble words:
"It was from Heaven that I received these;
for the sake of his laws I disdain them;
from him I hope to receive them again."
Even the king and his attendants marveled at the young man's courage,
because he regarded his sufferings as nothing.
After he had died,
they tortured and maltreated the fourth brother in the same way.
When he was near death, he said,
"It is my choice to die at the hands of men
with the hope God gives of being raised up by him;
but for you, there will be no resurrection to life."


SECOND READING
A reading fromt The Second Letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians
2:16-3:5

Brothers and sisters:
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father,
who has loved us and given us everlasting encouragement
and good hope through his grace,
encourage your hearts and strengthen them in every good deed
and word.
Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us,
so that the word of the Lord may speed forward and be glorified,
as it did among you,
and that we may be delivered from perverse and wicked people,
for not all have faith.
But the Lord is faithful;
he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.
We are confident of you in the Lord that what we instruct you,
you are doing and will continue to do.
May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God
and to the endurance of Christ.

Gospel of the day

From the Gospel according to Luke
20:27-38

Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection,
came forward.
Jesus said to them,
"The children of this age marry and remarry;
but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age
and to the resurrection of the dead
neither marry nor are given in marriage.
They can no longer die,
for they are like angels;
and they are the children of God
because they are the ones who will rise.
That the dead will rise
even Moses made known in the passage about the bush,
when he called out 'Lord, '
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob;
and he is not God of the dead, but of the living,
for to him all are alive."

Words of the Holy Father

With these words, Jesus means to explain that in this world we live a provisional reality, which ends; conversely, in the afterlife, after the resurrection, we will no longer have death as the horizon and will experience all things, even human bonds, in the dimension of God, in a transfigured way. Even marriage, a sign and instrument of God in this world, will shine brightly, transformed in the full light of the glorious communion of saints in Paradise. (Angelus, 6 november 2016)

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day/2019/11/10.html

 ------------------------------

Lk 20:27-38 -- The Resurrection and Marriage - Mhuwiex Alla tal-mejtin, iżda tal-ħajjin.



IN YEAR C - SUNDAY GOSPEL OF WEEK 32 IN ORDINARY TIME
--- He is God, not of the dead, but of the living ---
Evanġelju
Mhuwiex Alla tal-mejtin, iżda tal-ħajjin.
Lq 20, 27-38
 
Qari mill-Evanġelju skont San Luqa
 
F’dak iż-żmien, [Lq:20:27] resqu fuq Ġesù xi wħud mis-Sadduċej, dawk li jiċħdu l-qawmien mill-imwiet, u staqsewh: [Lq:20:28] "Mgħallem," qalulu,"Mosè ħallielna miktub, 'Jekk wieħed imutlu ħuh miżżewweġ u dan ikun bla tfal, dak ikollu jiżżewweġ l-armla biex inissel ulied lil ħuh.' [Lq:20:29] Issa jkun hemm sebat aħwa, u l-kbir iżżewweġ u miet bla tfal. [Lq:20:30] It-tieni wieħed, [Lq:20:31] u mbagħad it-tielet, f'kelma waħda, is-sebgħa li kienu, ħadu l-armla, u mietu bla ma ħallew tfal. [Lq:20:32] Fl-aħħar mietet  il-mara wkoll. [Lq:20:33] Issa din, fil-qawmien ta' l-imwiet, mart min minnhom tkun? Għax is-sebgħa jkunu żżewwġuha."
 
[Lq:20:34] Weġibhom Ġesù: "Il-bnedmin f'din id-dinja jiżżewwġu u jżewwġu; [Lq:20:35] imma dawk li jkun jistħoqqilhom jgħaddu għad-dinja l-oħra u jqumu   mill-imwiet, dawn la jżewwġu u lanqas jiżżewwġu. [Lq:20:36] Għax anqas jistgħu jmutu iżjed, għaliex ikunu bħall-anġli, u huma wlied Alla ladarba qamu mill-imwiet. [Lq:20:37] U li l-mejtin iqumu, Mosè wkoll urieh, fir-rakkont tax-xitla ta' l-għollieq, għax lill-Mulej isejjaħlu Alla ta' Abraham, Alla ta' Iżakk, u Alla ta' Ġakobb. [Lq:20:38] Issa hu m'huwiex Alla tal-mejtin, iżda tal-ħajjin, għax għalih kulħadd jgħix."

Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
R/. Tifħir lilek Kristu

------------------------------------------------
.

Reflections for the XXXII

Sunday - Year C, in Ordinary Time 

Fr. Antony Kadavil reflects and comments on the readings at Mass for the thirty second Sunday in ordinary time. He says that the readings invite us to consider the true meaning of the Resurrection in our lives.

II Mc 7:1-2, 9-14; II Thes 2: 16--3:5; Lk 20: 27-38

Introduction: As we near the end of the Church's liturgical year, the readings become more eschatological -- having to do with the end times.  The main theme of today’s readings is the reality of life after death and of the relationship between our lives on earth and the life of glory or punishment that will follow. The readings invite us to consider the true meaning of the Resurrection in our lives. 
Homily starter anecdote: Resurrection of the dead: The film Amadeus ends showing the funeral of the great musician Mozart. (https://youtu.be/vCY4ryE9uF ) He died at the age of 35. A genius as a composer, he never re-copied his compositions. He never had to make corrections, so the first draft was also the final copy. A child prodigy, he started playing several instruments at the age of four, wrote several symphonies by the age of eight and created at least 528 musical compositions before he died at age 35. He was a genius, whom one authority calls "one of the brightest stars in the musical firmament." What a waste, that he should have died so young! It makes you wonder: is this life all there is? Imagine a beloved spouse, a darling parent or grandparent, a close friend, lying cold in the coffin. Is this life all there is? We try to comfort ourselves with the doctrine of the resurrection. We say: the genius of people like Mozart is not going to be wasted. The love of dear ones - the squeeze of their hands and the music in their voices - that love will be enjoyed in even greater intensity. A Sadducee in Jesus’ time might say, "I don't believe it; the doctrine is absurd." That was the point the Sadducees wanted to make by challenging Jesus in today’s Gospel, with an absurd story of a woman who married seven husbands. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)

Scripture lessons summarized: The first reading describes a Jewish family, consisting of a mother and her seven sons, who refused their conqueror’s command to eat pork, forbidden as “unclean” by Jewish Law.  Because of their Faith in, and obedience to, God, they endure suffering and accept martyrdom.  During their torture, three of the brothers speak, and each of them finds strength in the belief that he will eventually be raised and rewarded by God. In the refrain for today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 17) we proclaim our Faith: “Lord, when Your glory appears, my joy will be full!” The second reading encourages the Thessalonians who were waiting for the Parousia or the second coming of Christ, to trust in the fidelity of God Who would strengthen their hearts in every good work and word.  The same theme of the resurrection of the dead is the basis of the confrontation described in today’s Gospel passage. In this confrontation, Jesus ingeniously escapes from a doctrinal trap set for him and explains the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, supported by the Pharisees and denied by the Sadducees.  Jesus speaks of God as the God of the living and declares that heavenly life with God in glory is totally different from earthly life, explaining that there is no marriage in heaven in the earthly sense.

First reading: II Mc 7:1-2, 9-14 explained:  A belief in Divine Judgment with reward or punishment for each of us after death, together with a lively hope for resurrection, is not clearly seen in the Jewish writings until the second century BC. I Maccabees, written in Hebrew by a Palestinian Jew, and II Maccabees, written in Greek by an Alexandrian Pharisee, both in the late second century BC, are named after Judas Maccabaeus, the hero of the war for Jewish independence against Antiochus IV Epiphanes who had wrested Egypt from the control of Ptolemy, King of Egypt, then raided the Temple in Jerusalem carrying off all its golden vessels and treasures. He next attempted to Hellenize the Jews by imposing Greek culture and idol worship on them under pain of torture and death. The Second Book of Maccabees is the story of invaders who had the job of convincing the Jews who remained faithful to the Law and Covenant, to give up their Faith. The invaders met with heroic resistance. In today's passage, the resisters express their hope of resurrection, and this hope helps them defy their persecutors. The selection describes a Jewish family, consisting of a mother and her seven sons, who refused Antiochus IV Epiphanes’ command to eat pork, (forbidden as “unclean” by Jewish law).  Because of their Faith and obedience to God, they endured suffering and accepted martyrdom. The conviction that the dead would be raised on the last day had not become widely accepted at that time, nor even by the time of Jesus. But in our first reading, three of the brothers speak, and each of them finds strength in the belief that he will eventually be raised by God. One says, “You may discharge us from this present life, but the King of the world will raise us up.”  Another says that he hopes to receive his severed limbs again in heaven.  The fourth son also says that he is “relying on God’s promise that we shall be raised up by Him.”

The second reading: II Thes 2: 16- 3:5 explained: Today’s second reading is comprised of three short prayers. In the first (2:16-17), and third (3:5), prayers, Paul asks that his readers remain constant in their commitment, bolstered by the knowledge that theirs is truly the work of the Gospel. In the second prayer (3:1-4), he asks that the community remember him and his ministry to God. Prayer prepares us and equips us to welcome even that most dreaded moment of life and, in that moment, to embrace death as a passage through which we will come face to face with the God who calls us to Life Everlasting. Paul hints at the necessity of adjustment to an adverse religious environment in Thessalonica when he prays for the community’s endurance (II Thes 2:16-3:5). The belief that the Parousia, or the “second coming of Jesus in glory,” was just around the corner, was common among the Thessalonian Christians. So Paul was anxious about three things: i) keeping the Thessalonian Christians from getting off track in their excitement about the end, ii) getting the word of God spread as far as possible while there was still time,  and  iii) keeping them steadfast and faithful to the Gospel. "May the Lord," he writes, "direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ."

Gospel exegesis: The context: Jesus had reached Jerusalem for his final Passover feast. He wept over Jerusalem, cleansed the Temple and started teaching there. As part of a well-planned plot to trap Jesus, the chief priests, the scribes and the Pharisees approached him with two controversial questions: i) "Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things and who is it who gave you this authority?"  (Lk 20:2), and ii) "Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?" (Lk 20:22). Learning that Jesus had ingeniously escaped from the first two traps, the Sadducees, in today’s Gospel lesson, asked a question concerning the marital state after the resurrection. The challenge to Jesus was clear: do you believe in the written Torah which is silent on the resurrection, or do you side with the Pharisees, accepting their belief in the resurrection based on oral traditions and interpretations, and thus subjecting Moses to ridicule?

Afterlife theology of the Pharisees: The Pharisees were an entirely religious group with no political ambitions and were content with any government which gave them religious freedom.  They accepted both the Torah and the Prophets as authoritative Scripture, and they relied heavily on oral tradition to understand Scripture.  They observed all the regulations and rules of the oral and ceremonial law, such as the Sabbath laws and the laws about ritual handwashing. The Pharisees believed in, and hoped for, the coming of the Messiah. They believed also in the resurrection of the dead, in angels, in spirits and in fate, i.e., that a man's life was planned and ordered by God. The word "resurrection" does not appear in the Pentateuch (Torah), but the beginnings of the concept are found in Job 19:26; Psalm 16:10; 49:15; Isaiah 25:8; 26:16-19; Daniel 12:2; and Hosea 13:14.  “Those who had died would be raised so that they too could receive their due reward.” (Daniel [165 BC]: 12:2).  Ezekiel 37 recounts the prophet's vision of dry bones rising to life, but the image refers to the Jewish nation rather than to individual persons. The idea of the resurrection is further developed in the Deuterocanonical books (see II Mc 7).   

Heaven-on-earth theology of the Sadducees: The Sadducees constituted a party of wealth, power and privilege, which controlled the Temple worship. Although few in number, the Sadducees were the Jewish governing class, and they supported Roman rule.  Nearly all priests were Sadducees. They acknowledged only written Scripture as bearing God’s word, accepting only the first five books of the Hebrew Bible as authoritative; they rejected the oral tradition which Pharisees found necessary for applying God's revealed word to everyday life. They gave the writings of the prophets a lower place in their system. The Sadducees believed in unrestricted free-will and not in fate or Divine Providence. They assumed that we control our own destinies through our personal actions. They rejected the idea of the resurrection, because it was not found in the Torah. Nor did they believe in the coming of the Messiah.
The trap: When the Sadducees saw that Jesus had silenced the emissaries of the Sanhedrin, they confronted him with a question ridiculing the belief in the resurrection of the dead about which, they claimed, Moses had written nothing. Their question put Jesus in a no-win political position.  If Jesus defended the concept of the resurrection, he would displease the Sadducees.  If he failed to do so, he would displease the Pharisees. Thus, either way, he would alienate a part of the crowd. The Sadducees’ question was based on the Levirate Law of marriage included in the Mosaic regulations, and hence was regarded as binding by the Sadducees. That law provided for the economic and social security of widows in a Jewish society where women had no legal rights and could not earn wages [Dt 25:5-10] According to that law, if a man died childless, his brother must marry the widow and beget children to carry on the line.   In their hypothetical question, they asked Jesus who, in Heaven, would be the husband of the woman who had been married in succession to seven of her brothers–in-law (“levires”), and had died childless. Jesus turns their insincere query into an occasion for genuine teaching. First, he draws a sharp distinction between “this age” (our earthly life) and “that age” (life at the resurrection or life after death). He makes it clear that the resurrection is not simply a continuation of earthly life. He speaks here of the resurrection not of everyone but only of “those judged worthy of a place in the age to come.”

Going on the offensive as defense: Jesus begins his counterargument by pointing out the Sadducees’ ignorance about the existence and nature of life after death with God. He refutes their misconception that eternal life is in this world. Then Jesus goes on the offensive, making two points. First, he provides positive Biblical proof for the reality of resurrected existence: God said to Moses from the burning bush, "I AM the God of your Fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob" (Ex 3:1-6).  Jesus here presumes that Yahweh's burning bush statement is in the present tense. Since God is claiming at the time He is speaking to Moses that He is  God of the patriarchs, these three patriarchs must still alive at the time of Moses, 600 years after their deaths. So, God must somehow be sustaining the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by granting them resurrection and eternal life. Thus, Jesus uses the Sadducees' sacred text of the Torah to respond to their anti-resurrection belief, and therefore, the resurrection of the body can be proved from the Torah itself. Second, Jesus explains that the afterlife won't be just an eternal replay of this life. Things will be different after we die. Normal human relations, including marriage, will be transformed. Then Jesus tells the Sadducees (who denied angels and spirits), that those whom God considers worthy of the resurrection and heavenly life with Him are immortal, like the angels and hence are “children of God.”

Teaching of the Church: According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, our belief in the resurrection is based upon a faith-relationship with God as Creator. “God revealed the resurrection of the dead to His people progressively” (CCC #992). Resurrection is implied in the earlier books of the Old Testament, becomes clearer in the later books and is emphatically asserted in II Maccabees (Ex 3:6; Jb 19:25-26; Ps 16:9-10; 49:15; 73:24; Hos 6:1-2; Dn 12:2). The teaching of Jesus and the Apostles on this topic is crystal clear in the New Testament [Mt 26:17-31, 31-46, 28:1-10,  Mk 16:1-8, Jn 3:16, 5:29, 11:1-57, 11:25-26, 2:19,  20:1-18, 20:10-18, Acts 1:1-11, 2:23-24, Rom 1:3-4, 4:25, 5:8, 10:9, 1 Cor 1:15, 1:18,  15:1-58, Heb 11:1, 12:2, 1 Thes 4:13-18, 1 Jn 3:16, 2 Tm 1:10.]  Hence, the whole of Christian theology is based on the belief in our resurrection and everlasting life of reward or punishment.

Life messages: 1) We need to live as people of the Resurrection:  This means that we are not to lie buried in the tomb of our sins and evil habits. Instead, we are to live joyful and peaceful lives, constantly experiencing the real Presence of the Risen Lord who gives us the assurance that our bodies also will be raised.   In addition, the hope of our resurrection and eternal life with God gives us lasting peace and celestial joy amid the boredom and tension of our day-to-day lives. An awareness of the all-pervading presence of the Spirit of the living God [Jn 11:27; Acts 14:14; Rom 9:26; 1 Thes 1:9; 1 Tm 3:15, 4:10, 6:17; 2 Cor 3:3, 6:16; Heb3:12, 9:12, 10:31, 12:22; Rv 7:2] will  help us to control our thoughts, desires, words and behavior.   The salutary thought of our own resurrection and eternal glory should also inspire us to honor our bodies, keeping them holy, pure, and free from evil habits, and to respect those with whom we come in contact, rendering them loving and humble service.
2) We need to offer living worship to a living God. The reason we come together each week to pray for the needs of the community, share the Word and break the Bread is that we have Faith and Hope in a living God Who loves us and Whom we love.  If God is the God of the living, should not worship of this God also be alive?  Our worship services and relation to God must be life-giving rather than life-draining experiences.  Unfortunately, Holy Mass and other worship services are often described as "dead” or "boring."    Even Church volunteers sometimes complain of being exhausted in their work.  The proclamation that our God is the God of the living has to mean something positive to us. It should affect our lives today and every day, especially during our Sunday worship. In response to Him, our participation in prayers and songs during the Holy Mass should be active and our behavior in Church reverent, though not gloomy. As we continue our Eucharist celebration and gather around the Table of the Lord, let us give thanks to Almighty God for this foretaste of the Heavenly Banquet that awaits us in the place that God has prepared for us. (Fr. Antony Kadavil).

Topics

• Gospel commentary

    https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2019-11/sunday-gospel-reflection-vatican-news.html           

 

 

07 November 2019, 13:51

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2019-11/sunday-reflection-vatican-news.html









.

OCTOBER 31st, 2019 - Pope Francis: ‘We begin to die when we forget about death’ - Vatican News

Pope Francis: ‘We begin to die when we forget about death’

In a video message sent on Thursday, October 31st, Pope Francis reflects on the meaning of death, saying the question is really one about life.

 

 

By Devin Watkins

Pope Francis sent a video message to participants in the 4^th World Meeting of Young People, organized by Scholas Occurrentes and World ORT.
The encounter began in Mexico City on 28 October.
The end came on Thursday, coinciding with Halloween, and just ahead of the Feast of All Saints on Friday and the Feast of All Souls on Saturday, which is known in Mexico as Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).

End versus aim

In his message (original in Spanish), the Pope took the occasion to reflect on “the end”, using a similarity in terms found in Romance languages (el final: the [temporal] end vs. el fin: the aim or end goal).

“The question of death is really a question about life.” 
 
Pope Francis repeated that seemingly-paradoxical idea just to be clear: “It is death that allows life to remain alive!”

He said the “end goal” is what allows a story to be written or a painting to be painted.

The Holy Father invited the students in Mexico City to pay attention to “each small purpose of everyday life”, like the end of each word and the end of each silence.

“Only a life that is conscious of the fact that this exact instant will end works to make it eternal.”
 
Death, he said, kills our “illusion of omnipotence” and teaches us to engage with the mystery of life.

“This gives us confidence to jump into the void and to realize that we will not fall, that we will not sink, and that there is always Someone there to catch us. Both before and after the end.”

Not knowing the exact “end” of our life, he said, leads us to feel fragile but also opens us up to listen to other people and to create something together.

‘Nothing new under the sun’

Pope Francis turned his thoughts to the nature of modern human society.

“The world is already formed, and everything is already explained.” 
 
He said society refuses to leave questions unanswered, considering its ideas fully-formed and well-defined.
“In a world that worships autonomy, self-sufficiency, and self-realization, there seems to be no place for the other,” he said.
Our world seems to be accelerated at such a rapid pace that no interruptions are allowed, leaving us enslaved and “put to sleep so that we forget what it means to stop in the end.”

“But the very oblivion of death is also its beginning.” 
 
The Pope said a culture that forgets death begins to wither and die. “He who forgets death has already begun to die.”

Die for one another

Pope Francis thanked the students participating in the Scholas Occurrentes meeting, because they had the courage to confront the question of death.
And he said there are three types of death that really fill us with life:

“The death of every instant. The death of the ego. The death of one world gives way to a new one.”

“Remember, if death is not to have the last word, it is because in life we learned to die for one another.” 
 

A Vatican Radio English-language translation is below:

Dear young people of Scholas Occurrentes gathered from so many nations of the world, I celebrate with you the end of this meeting. I want to stop there. I wish to dwell on this: the end.

What would become of this encounter if it did not have an end?

Perhaps it wouldn't even be an encounter. And what would become of this life if it did not also have its end?

I know some will say: “Father, don't put on a funeral face.” But let us think this through. I know from a good source that you kept the question of death burning throughout this entire experience. You played, thought, and created out of your differences.

Good! I celebrate and thank you for this. Because, you know what? The question of death is really a question about life. And keeping the question of death open, perhaps, is the greatest human responsibility towards the question of life.

Just as words are born out of silence and return to it, allowing us to hear their meanings, so it is with life. This may sound somewhat paradoxical, but... It is death that allows life to remain alive!

It is the end goal that allows a story to be written, a painting to be painted, two bodies to embraced. But watch out, the end goal is not found only at the end. Perhaps we should pay attention to each small purpose of everyday life. Not only at the end of the story – we never know when it ends – but at the end of each word, at the end of each silence, of each page that is being written. Only a life that is conscious of the fact that this exact instant will end works to make it eternal.

On the other hand, death reminds us that it is impossible to be, understand, and encompass everything. It comes as a slap in the face to our illusion of omnipotence. It teaches us throughout life to engage ourselves with mystery. This gives us confidence to jump into the void and to realize that we will not fall, that we will not sink, and that there is always Someone there to catch us. Both before and after the end.

The "not knowing" part of this question results in fragility that opens us to listening to and meeting other people. It is that rising above the commotion that calls us to create something, and urges us to come together to celebrate it.

Lastly, the question of death has driven different communities, peoples, and cultures to be formed throughout the ages and throughout all lands. These are stories that have fought in so many places to stay alive, while others were never born. That is why today, perhaps as never before, we should touch on this question.
The world is already formed, and everything is already explained. There is no room for open questions. Is that true? It is true, but it is also not true. That is our world. It is already fully-formed, and there is no place for unanswered questions. In a world that worships autonomy, self-sufficiency, and self-realization, there seems to be no place for the other. Our world of plans and infinite acceleration – always speeding up – does not allow for interruptions. So the worldly culture that enslaves also tries to put us to sleep so we forget what it means to stop at last.

But the very oblivion of death is also its beginning. And a culture that forgets death begins to die within. He who forgets death has already begun to die.

That is why I thank you so much! Because you have had the courage to confront this question and to pass – with your own bodies – through the three deaths that, by emptying us, fill us with life! The ‘death’ of every instant. The death of the ego. The death of one world gives way to a new one.

Remember, if death is not to have the last word, it is because in life we learned to die for one another.

Finally, I would like to thank especially World ORT and each one of the people and institutions that made possible this activity in which the culture of encounter has become tangible.
I ask each of you please, each in his own way, each according to his own convictions: don't forget to pray for me. Thank you.

31 October 2019

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-10/pope-francis-scholas-occurrentes-meaning-of-death.html?fbclid=IwAR1TptN6aYpIP5WnOxmA9wjo13yHuUNwjCENanlUsFi67FT8j3aEC1wgaes








.