DAILY- HOMILY

NOVEMBER 20, 2010
SATURDAY 33RD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II

REVELATION 11:4-12
These are the two olive trees and the two lamps in attendance on the
Lord of the world. Fire comes from their mouths and consumes their
enemies if anyone tries to harm them; and anyone who tries to harm
them will certainly be killed in this way. They have the power to lock
up the sky so that it does not rain as long as they are prophesying;
they have the power to turn water into blood and strike the whole
world with any plague as often as they like. When they have completed
their witnessing, the beast that comes out of the Abyss is going to
make war on them and overcome them and kill them. Their corpses lie in
the main street of the great city known by the symbolic names Sodom
and Egypt, in which their Lord was crucified. People of every race,
tribe, language and nation stare at their corpses, for three-and-a-
half days, not letting them be buried, and the people of the world are
glad about it and celebrate the event by giving presents to each
other, because these two prophets have been a plague to the people of
the world.' After the three-and-a-half days, God breathed life into
them and they stood up on their feet, and everybody who saw it happen
was terrified; then I heard a loud voice from heaven say to them,
'Come up here,' and while their enemies were watching, they went up to
heaven in a cloud.

LUKE 20:27-40
Some Sadducees -- those who argue that there is no resurrection --
approached him and they put this question to him, 'Master, Moses
prescribed for us, if a man's married brother dies childless, the man
must marry the widow to raise up children for his brother. Well then,
there were seven brothers; the first, having married a wife, died
childless. The second and then the third married the widow. And the
same with all seven, they died leaving no children. Finally the woman
herself died. Now, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be, since
she had been married to all seven?' Jesus replied, 'The children of
this world take wives and husbands, but those who are judged worthy of
a place in the other world and in the resurrection from the dead do
not marry because they can no longer die, for they are the same as the
angels, and being children of the resurrection they are children of
God. And Moses himself implies that the dead rise again, in the
passage about the bush where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, the
God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is God, not of the dead, but
of the living; for to him everyone is alive.' Some scribes then spoke
up. They said, 'Well put, Master.' They did not dare to ask him any
more questions.

REFLECTION
In the gospel reading, Jesus is challenged by an ultraconservative
group of Jews, the Sadducees, who base all their beliefs on a literal
interpretation of the Law of Moses and who deny any life after death.
The Sandducees pose a ridiculous problem about a woman having seven
husbands to prove their point that there is no resurrection.

But Jesus turns the tables on them and quotes their own scriptures to
claim that the dead do rise to life. Jesus refers to the passage where
God reveals himself to Moses at the burning bush as the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. In other words, "God
is not the God of the dead but of the living. All are alive for him."

We don't get a satisfying answer from the scriptures to the question:
"How can a good God allow such terrible evils like the slaughter of
the seven sons or the deaths caused by natural calamities like floods,
fires and earthquakes?" But we do get an affirmation of our faith in
an afterlife. No matter how terrifying death may be, life will be
restored. A new heaven, and a new earth will appear.

Christian hope does not allow us to despair. Regardless of how close
death may be, we can't allow ourselves to be discouraged. As long as
we are alive, our quest for peace should reflect Christian optimism,
not pessimism. Our efforts to build God's kingdom should demonstrate
an appreciation of the temporal order, not its abandonment. Today is
the only day that matters, not the day after. With Christian faith and
hope we are strong enough to survive any today, and if need be, any
day after.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Msgr. Timothy O'Donovan
- Vicky Fabella
- Susan
… for good health:
- Daisy M. Barilla, Haresh H. Mirchanani, Dennis Mercado, Loui B. Oca,
Tracy Pdl. Lucero, Chambie Soriano, Jona Laranang, Anniel Leonardo,
Thelma Ramoran, Tintin Abling, Vilma Haboc, Beth Noel Malate, Monica
Jason Balibay, Noel Lopez Benny Panganiban
- Marciavee Cossette
- Lydia, Kevin Francis Christian, Kwai, Pamela, Darlita, Keempee and
Godofredo Pe
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Dr. Leonardo L. Co and Dr. Dan Lagunzad
Eternal rest grant unto them and may perpetual light shine upon them.
May they and all the dearly departed rest in peace.
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Bryan S. Saludares
- Birthday: Rosalia Nable
- In Memoriam (+): Charles Kang Lim (Oct 17, 1960-Nov 20, 1997)+
… for world peace and reconciliation.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers
and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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