“Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.” — Epictetus.
In today’s Gospel, the Sadducees and Pharisees had gotten into an argument about the resurrection.
Sadducees, believing only in the Torah, were not open to the question of a resurrection, while the Pharisees were.
Seeing Jesus, they dragged him right into the middle of the argument, putting him in a tight pinch; for any answer he gave was surely to leave half of his audience squarely at odds with him.
Jesus dove right in. His clearest point appealed to the Torah as he focused immediately on Moses when he called out to “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”; and he added that “He is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”
“Resurrection” and “eternal life” are clearly about relationship with God.
Jesus always spoke of these things not as future but as “now.”
“He is God of the living” reveals “relationship,” and “being with” God.
It supersedes time. It goes beyond any and all boundaries. To limit God even by death is to put boundaries on the eternal one.
Whether the Sadducees agreed or did not agree was not so important as to recognize the case that Jesus made for God in all of his greatness.
This is beautifully proclaimed in the first reading from Maccabees when seven brothers are being put to death by the king.
There is no hesitation, no doubt, no question or remorse; the feelings and beliefs of all seven are summed up in the proclamation of one of the brothers: “You accursed fiend, you are depriving us of this present life, but the King of the world will raise us up to live again forever. It is for his laws that we are dying.”
Jesus, as usual, also hits the nail right on the head. He zeros in on the most important truth. He speaks not of a static idea of resurrection but the whole basis for why we can believe in it in the first place — it is all based on our relationship with this God.
He is eternal, and so is his love. He is alive, and in him we find life.
Eternity for him is best expressed in the moment, because to be with him or “lost” in him in the moment is life.
It is forever.
He truly is God “of the living, for to him all are alive.”
Father Perry D. Leiker is the 14th pastor of St. Bernard Catholic Church. Reach him at (323) 255-6142. Email Father Perry at perry.leiker@gmail.com. Follow Father Perry on Twitter: @MrDeano76.
