Daily Gospel Reflection
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November 23, 2024
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.
Having grown up in the quaint and small streets of South Bend, Indiana, I still get a culture shock whenever I step into a big city. From a constant sea of people to towering buildings, it makes sense that New York City is known as the city that never sleeps. Over these past few days, I have been lucky to explore New York City alongside my parents and sister as we prepare for the Shamrock Series game.
Being in a setting like New York City is a perfect place to reflect on the words of today’s gospel. In a city that is constantly buzzing, it is often easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of activity. Similar to being wrapped up in the constant activity of the Big Apple, the Sadducees seem to be stuck in the weeds of technicalities and details regarding their faith. But Jesus, ever wise and understanding, reminds us that while it is easy to get caught in the details and the busyness of our human world, God transcends our human understandings and traditions and is a God of love and salvation, seeing us all as simply, “children of God.”
As life continues to be a world of craziness, may we each take the time to pause and reflect on this gospel’s assertion of God’s redemptive love. Even with our human falterings, God will continue to provide love and grace, especially when we feel lost or caught due to human limitations.
While I continue to navigate our human world, and as I prepare to cheer on the Irish as they take on Army at Yankee Stadium, I will continue to keep Jesus’ words in my heart to try and block out the noise and focus on what is truly right and good. I pray that head coach Marcus Freeman does the same!
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
Clement I was the fourth pope to lead the Roman Church. Clement was a follower of St. Peter and potentially even St. Paul. Clement is famous for his letter to the Corinthians, the community which received two of Paul's most famous letters. Clement's letter is written in response to a schism in the community in Corinth but we know little else about this pope from historical records.
The legend of his martyrdom has been passed on throughout the centuries, however, chronicles an unusual path from papacy to execution. According to this ancient legend, the Roman populace rioted to have Christians expelled, and Clement, as the Bishop of Rome, was expelled to work in a marble quarry. There were many Christians who were forced to work there, and Clement encouraged and supported them.
The guards at the quarry noticed that he was converting many of his fellow workers to Christianity. Subsequently, Clement was ordered to be executed by drowning. An anchor was tied around his neck and Clement was thrown into the sea.
In the letter to the Corinthians, Clement writes:
"Beloved, how blessed and wonderful are God's gifts! There is life everlasting, joy in righteousness, truth in freedom, faith, confidence, and self-control in holiness. And these are the gifts that we can comprehend; what of all the others that are being prepared for those who look to him. Only the Creator, the Father of the ages, the all-holy, knows their grandeur and their loveliness."
Clement I is a patron saint of those who work on the water and of marble workers. Some of his relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on campus.
Pope St. Clement, pope and patron saint of those who work on the water—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Pope St. Clement I is in the public domain. Last accessed October 18, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
