(Optional
Memorial for Saint Januarius, Bishop and Martyr)
 |
| “Resurrection of Christ” by Gerard Seghers, c. 1620 |
Reading
1: 1 Corinthians 15:12-20
Brothers and sisters:
If Christ is preached as raised from the dead,
how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead?
If there is no resurrection of the dead,
then neither has Christ been raised.
And if Christ has not been raised, then empty too is our
preaching;
empty, too, your faith.
Then we are also false witnesses to God,
because we testified against God that he raised Christ,
whom he did not raise if in fact the dead are not raised.
For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised,
and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain;
you are still in your sins.
Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
If for this life only we have hoped in Christ,
we are the most pitiable people of all.
But now Christ has been raised from the dead,
the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
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Commentary on 1 Cor 15:12-20
St. Paul continues his apology on the resurrection from the dead
he began in 1
Corinthians 15:1-11. He uses a
circular argument to say if there is no resurrection then Christ did not rise
and your sins are still upon you. If
there is no resurrection then your faith is hollow, God’s very existence is
challenged, and there is no life beyond physical death. The circle is completed as he concludes this
section with “But now Christ has been
raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
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Responsorial
Psalm: Psalm 17:1bcd,
6-7, 8b and 15
R. (15b) Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will
be full.
Hear, O Lord, a just suit;
attend to my outcry;
hearken to my prayer from lips without deceit.
R. Lord, when
your glory appears, my joy will be full.
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my word.
Show your wondrous mercies,
O savior of those who flee
from their foes to refuge at your right hand.
R. Lord, when
your glory appears, my joy will be full.
Hide me in the shadow of your wings,
But I in justice shall behold your face;
on waking, I shall be content in your presence.
R. Lord, when
your glory appears, my joy will be full.
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Commentary on Ps 17:1bcd, 6-7, 8b and 15
Psalm 17 is an individual lament. The psalmist sings for God’s
help in distress, having been firm in faithfulness, the Lord is called upon for
justice. Faith in God’s salvation will follow those who keep firm to God’s
commands.
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Gospel: Luke 8:1-3
Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another,
preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God
Accompanying him were the Twelve
and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities,
Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,
Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza,
Susanna, and many others
who provided for them out of their resources.
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Commentary on Lk 8:1-3
“St. Luke
presents Jesus as an itinerant preacher traveling in the company of the Twelve
and of the Galilean women who are sustaining them out of their means. These
Galilean women will later accompany Jesus on his journey to Jerusalem and
become witnesses to his death (Luke 23:49) and resurrection (Luke 24:9-11, where Mary Magdalene and Joanna are specifically
mentioned; cf also Acts 1:14). The association of women with the ministry of
Jesus is most unusual in the light of the attitude of first-century Palestinian
Judaism toward women. The more common attitude is expressed in John 4:27, and early rabbinic documents caution against
speaking with women in public.”[4]
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Reflection:
We
are back to Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians and we cannot help but think
that that place must have been really in really bad shape, given the basic
level of instruction he needs to give them.
In this section he is addressing the fact that some of the new
Christians in Corinth are of a school of thought that does not believe in the resurrection of the body (Likely converts from the Sadducees). The temptation is to just gloss over this
reading, pointing out the very basic nature of Paul’s logic on the
subject. But, when one reviews the
literary references about the resurrection, we discover what St. Augustine says; "No doctrine of the Christian Faith is so
vehemently and so obstinately opposed as the doctrine of the resurrection of
the flesh" (In Ps. Ixxxviii, sermo ii, n. 5).
From
a logical and scientific perspective we can understand his statement. In retrospect we may have been too harsh in our
criticism of the Christians in Corinth.
When we examine our faith closely, looking especially at the Creed, we
find that there is a statement of belief; “And we look for (I look for) the
resurrection of the dead” What gets us into trouble is when we start to think,
as people do, about the mechanism of resurrection.
When the resurrection comes, if we are going
to be put back into our bodies, the body we are in, for eternity; are we so sure
that’s a good thing? When we come back
we want the body we had when we were 20, not one that is worn out. And what about people who have been born
handicapped, disfigured or have lost limbs?
Will they be forced to live their eternal lives in a state if
infirmity? See what I mean about getting
into the mechanism of resurrection. As a
doctrine of faith, we must accept that, while we believe in the resurrection of
the dead (by the way, that’s all of the dead, not just those receiving salvation.)
Let’s
get first to the logic of our dogmatic belief:
§
As
the soul has a natural propensity to the body, its perpetual separation from
the body would seem unnatural.
§
As
the body is the partner of the soul's crimes, and the companion of her virtues,
the justice of God seems to demand that the body be the sharer in the soul's
punishment and reward.
§
As
the soul separated from the body is naturally imperfect, the consummation of
its happiness, replete with every good, seems to demand the resurrection of the
body.[5]
§
Finally,
“in the resurrection God will give incorruptible life to our body, transformed
by reunion with our soul. Just as Christ is risen and lives for ever, so all of
us will rise at the last day.”[6]
Where
does that take us in our belief? We
believe that Jesus, the first fruits of the dead (as Paul says) was the pattern
for what may come. Yet, while he was
taken bodily to heaven, he was transformed.
While the stigmata were present, they did not cause him pain. When he entered the locked room, his
resurrected body was not stopped by the door and we did not hear about him
“climbing through a window”.
What
the resurrection of the dead means physically or even metaphysically is a
mystery. It must be taken on faith. But what is sure, what we believe is that, at
the return of the Lord, the dead will rise from their graves and stand before
the Judgment Seat of Christ. Those found
worthy will find eternal life in Heaven.
We need to work hard to make sure we are worthy of entry into the
Kingdom of God when that happens.
Pax
[1]
ALTRE
[2]
The picture is “Resurrection of Christ” by
Gerard Seghers, c. 1620
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4]
See NAB footnote on Luke 8:1-3
[5]
General Resurrection, The
Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XII, Copyright © 1911 by Robert Appleton Company,
Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight
[6]
CCC 1016
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