DAILY- HOMILY

Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came
forward and put this question to Jesus, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote
for us, If someone's brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his
brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother.
Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman but died
childless. Then the second and the third married her, and likewise
all the seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. Now at
the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had
been married to her." 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."

REFLECTION
When it was still the practice to read the intentions before the
start of the Mass, the office secretaries used to abbreviate the
intentions such "SR" for speedy recovery. One day, the Mass
commentator read among the intentions for the departed, "for the
speedy recovery of Mr. Anonas." The priest, who had just conducted
the funeral service of Mr. Anonas a few days before, said that it
would take a special miracle for him to recover.

It turned out that since Mr. Anonas was the senior, there was "Sr."
after his name. And although he was placed with the names of the
departed, the commentator automatically read the "Sr" as "for speedy
recovery." Some people say that the RIP for the dead means "Return If
Possible."

Today's liturgy invites us to reflect on death and the afterlife.
For an atheist, there is no afterlife. Death is the end of
everything. No matter how wealthy or healthy you are, how powerful,
how famous, how many friends you have, when death comes, disaster!
Everything is wiped away. We fall into nothingness. So, carpe diem –
enjoy as much pleasure as you can each day, while you are still
kicking!

Most religions believe in afterlife, but they differ in their ideas
of the next life. Some religions believe in reincarnation, that we
keep on coming back in some other persons or animals. It's just a
recycling process.

Some believe in a place for the dead. Some call it Hades, or Sheol
or "somewhere down there." And because death is such a mystery, and
we have not experienced what the next life is like, we tend to
project our experiences of this life to the life of the dear
departed. Thus the American Indians believe that the dead are in
the "Happy Hunting Ground." Some Orientals practice offering what
brings happiness and joy in this life to the departed. Thus they
offer delicious food, burn gold and silver painted paper for their
allowances, burn paper houses, and automobiles (with a driver), or a
helicopter, for the enjoyment of the dead. In some culture, they
even cremate a living wife with her dead husband.

In speaking of resurrection and of life after death, the Sadducees
had used as a starting point their own earthly experience. This was
a mistake. In the next life everything is different, and no
comparison is possible.

For the Christian, death is a passage, a transition to a more perfect
life, a life with God. Fr. Mark Link tells a story of the twins.
One day, a mother conceived twins. One child was a girl, the other a
boy. Months passed and they developed. As they grew they sang for
joy, "Isn't it great to be alive!" Together they explored their
mother's womb. When they found their mother's life cord, they
shouted for joy, "How great is our mother's love, that she shares her
life with us!"

Soon the twins began to change drastically. "What does this mean?"
Asked the boy.

"It means that our life in the womb is coming to an end." Said the
girl.

"But I don't want to leave the womb," said the boy, "I want to stay
here forever."

"We have no choice," said the girl. "But maybe there is life after
birth."

"How can there be?" asked the boy. "We will shed our mother's cord,
and how is life possible without it? Besides, there's evidence in
the womb that others were here before us, and none of them ever came
back to tell us that there is life after birth. No, this is the end."

And so the boy fell into despair saying, "If life in the womb ends in
death, what's its purpose? What's its meaning? Maybe we don't even
have a mother. Maybe we made her up just to feel good."

"But we must have a mother," said the girl, "How else did we get
here? How else do we stay alive?"

And so the last days in the womb were filled with deep questioning
and fear. Finally, the moment of birth arrived. When the twins
opened their eyes, they cried for joy. What they saw exceeded their
wildest dreams.

Just as the twins wondered about life after birth and what it was
like, so we sometimes wonder about life after death and what it is
like. And just as life after birth exceeded the dreams of the twins,
so life after death will exceed our dreams. In the words of St.
Paul, "Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much as
dawned on (the human heart) what God has prepared for those who love
(God)." (1 Cur 2:9)

Perhaps to illustrate the meaning of this passage from St. Paul is to
imagine yourself describing a modern home with its air-conditioned
room, and TV, DVD player, computer, telephone, etc. to a cave man.
No matter how hard you try, the cave man will not understand what you
are talking about. Try to describe your travel by airlines, and air
con bus to him. It will not make sense to him. It is beyond his
experience in life.

If you try to explain a modern kitchen with its refrigerator, mixer
and blender, electric and microwave oven, to a cave woman, she would
not make sense of what you're talking about. Likewise, for someone
to describe what God has prepared for those who love Him, we would
not comprehend what he's talking about. We just know that God will
give us what would be the best for us, because He is all-wise. And
He loves us dearly.

This gives us a whole new perspective of looking at death. The late
Fr. William Klement, S.J., in his own funeral homily wrote: "We might
describe death in this way. You are on the seashore, and a ship is
leaving. It's carrying a dear friend. He's leaving your shore and
going to another. And as you watch the ship pull out, your heart is
full of sadness, because your friend is now leaving you. And it is
goodbye – God be with you!

As it disappears over the horizon, it is a sad goodbye. But at the
same time to those on the other shore, as it appears on the horizon,
the ship is just the same. It holds the same passengers as the time
it left you at the shore. But as it comes over the horizon and
becomes closer, more visible, there's great anticipation for those
waiting on the shore. They're waiting say their welcome, welcome.

The Father is waiting there, the Father is waiting for His prodigal
son to come home, and his loving brother, Jesus, who loved him so
much that he gave up his life for him. And the Holy Spirit, the
Spirit of love, and there his Mother, Mary, Jesus' mother and mine.
And as the ship arrives, there is a great shout. "Welcome home."
And Jesus says, "Come, beloved of my Father, enter into the Kingdom
prepared for you from the beginning of the world!" Relatives and
friends, too, who have gone before, are waiting there with their
welcome, and all the Saints, whom we have known in history and have
loved and prayed to. They too, join in the "Hail," in the "Welcome."

Death a sorrowful thing? A fearful thing? Could anything be more
joyful on the shores of heaven, when one has crossed over the sea to
the other end?

Let's conclude by quoting again the words of St. Paul concerning
heaven. They are a beautiful summery of our faith and our hope
concerning life after death.

St. Paul wrote:

"What eye has not seen, and
Ear has not heard,
And what has not entered the human heart,
What God has prepared for those who love Him."
This God has revealed to us through the Spirit.