Daily Gospel Reflection
Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.
November 20, 2021
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 ‘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.”
Some of the scribes said in reply,
“Teacher, you have answered well.”
And they no longer dared to ask him anything.
A former student of mine recently passed away in a tragic accident. He was just 19 years old. A service was held on a Friday night in his home parish—the same church where this promising young man graduated high school just over a year ago. The church was packed with family, friends, and community members. We sang songs, offered prayers, and listened to the words of those who knew him best. In the dark of the night, the moments of silence, the long hugs, and dried tears, one thing was pervasive: suffering.
Suffering is universally felt. It is the most common struggle of our faith. How can an all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-loving God allow us to suffer? I have no answer to this question. However, in the church that night, I witnessed a child stand before hundreds of people and say that we should rejoice because her brother is in a better place. She said that her faith in God was supreme to all. If God called her brother home, she accepted God’s will.
I was stunned by her wisdom and serenity.
In today’s passage, Jesus explains to the Sadducees that when we are resurrected, our union with God is so strong that our earthly affairs no longer have meaning. The kingdom of God is so great, our relationships, our desires, and our pain are dwarfed into nothingness by the magnitude of God’s grace. It is a comforting reminder that the affairs of this world are passing and slight. Even our greatest moments of suffering, which can and should be fully felt, will eventually fade as we continue to be made one with God.
Prayer
O God of the living, you are the God of resurrection—the God who makes a way where there is no way, who makes a way through tombs that are closed. Jesus himself is the promise of the resurrection of the dead. You, Father, gave us the empty tomb, a silent rock that whispers to us a promise of life. It is the same promise you made from a bush burning in the desert: “I will deliver you.” You, God of the living, crush death and mend everything that is broken. Because of you, even death turns to life, and our fear turns to gladness. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Edmund Rich had a personal sanctity that faithfully guided his dealings with the most powerful people on earth. He was unafraid to speak the truth, whether to the king of England or the pope, and he was often at odds with both.
St. Edmund was born in 1180 and studied at Oxford and in Paris; he was the first Master of Arts at Oxford. He was known for a faithfulness that matched his diligent study. He taught art and mathematics until he received a vision from his deceased mother, who encouraged him to study theology.
After receiving his doctorate in theology, he was ordained a priest and went on to teach theology and hold significant posts in the university’s administration. He was the first to teach Aristotle at Oxford, and took great interest in his students, especially if they were poor or sick. Today's featured image shows a bronze statue of St. Edmund that stands at Oxford.
Edmund dedicated almost all of his income to the poor or to the Church–he often fell into need himself because of his generosity, and his superiors scolded him for not saving more for his own support.
He was known as an eloquent speaker and effective preacher–miracles and conversions accompanied his speaking. He was also an expert in spirituality and constantly encouraged the faithful to pray. Speaking on how we ought to pray, he said:
“A hundred thousand people are deceived by multiplying prayers. I would rather say five words devoutly with my heart, than 5,000 which my soul does not relish with affection and intelligence.”
He was known for his great self-discipline: under his clothes, he wore a sackcloth pressed close to his skin by metal plates, and he slept only a few hours at night in order to spend time in prayer and meditation. On one occasion, he was observed levitating, rapt in prayer.
In 1233 he was named Archbishop of Canterbury against his wishes. He advised King Henry III and presided at the king’s confirmation of the Magna Carta in 1237. Edmund was at the center of relations between Rome and England, and spoke truth to power on both sides. He admonished the king for having favorites in his court, and traveled to Rome to urge reforms in the Church.
Because he was so truthful and did not vary from what he saw as just and right, many people found him inconvenient. Political movements forced Edmund’s resignation in 1240, and he moved to France and became a monk. He died later that year, and miracles at his grave were reported soon after his burial. His relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Edmund Rich, you spoke truth to both the king and the pope—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Edmund Rich is in the public domain. Last accessed October 18, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
