Daily Mass Reflections - 6/6
“Oh, what a tangled web we weave...when first we practice to deceive.” ~ Walter Scott
In today’s Gospel (Mark 12:18-27) it’s the Sadducees who take their turn at tripping up Jesus, conjuring up a fairly outlandish scenario and subsequent question pertaining to the sacrament of marriage after the resurrection, a concept that they didn’t even believe in to begin with.
It’s in Jesus’ response that we are once again reminded that He is, as always, focused on the eternal landscape as opposed to the details of our finite existence here in this world, the details which constrict and oftentimes distract us from understanding and growing in the truth.
God, Jesus goes on to say, is a God of the living, not of the dead. To be fully with God after death is a different way of being. We go through death so as to enter into a new life. As such, we do not merely come back to the equivalent of earthly living. As we are transformed by Love, there is continuity, yet radical difference.
In our 1st Reading (2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12) we look in on the early stages of Paul’s relationship with his dear friend Timothy. Paul encourages Timothy to proclaim the word fearlessly and in total confidence, for he has been fortified by the Holy Spirit in the virtues of bravery, love and self control (as have we).
In many respects, these letters are a symbolic passing of the scriptural flame in that Paul is now in the final moments of his time here on Earth and has begun to groom Timothy for his discipleship so they certainly make for a valuable read, a message not only meant for Timothy of course, but for us as well.
As always, I welcome your thoughts and prayer requests in the Comments Section below.
