32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
 November, 2022

First Reading:  2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 7,9-14
Psalm #17 R I shall be satisfied, Lord, when I awake and behold your likeness
Second Reading:  2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5
Gospel Verse: Jesus Christ is the firstborn of the dead; too him be glory and dominion for ever & ever.
Gospel:  Luke 20:27-38
Theme:  Jesus and the Sadducees

Commentary Jane Prini

I am guessing that you know what a riddle is.  It is a word puzzle or a question that makes you think. Sometimes they are funny. I’m sure you have heard this one. “Why did the chicken cross the road?”  The answer is, “To get to the other side.” 

Here are a couple more.
Q: Mary's father has 4 children; three are named Nana, Nene, and Nina. What is the fourth child's name?  A: Mary! 
Q: What is full of holes but can still hold water? A: A sponge! 

Riddles have been shared since the time of Jesus, maybe even longer than that. Our gospel today tells of a time when a group of Jewish priests, the Sadducees, tried to trick or test Jesus with a riddle. Sadducees did not believe in life after death. They asked him to answer this riddle. “The law of Moses says that if a man dies, leaving a wife but no children that his brother should marry the window and have a child who will carry on the brother’s name. Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children. So the second brother married the widow, but he also dies. This continued until all seven brothers had married the woman. Finally. the woman also dies. So tell us, whose wife will she be after the resurrection since all seven were married to her?”

Jesus, has a wise answer that shows us how much God loves us. Jesus said, "Marriage is for people here on earth. But in the age to come, those who are raised from the dead will not marry or be married. Not only that, but they will never die again, because they are like Angels and are sons and daughters of God, being children of the resurrection.” (Luke 20:36). He goes on further to explain that God is “now not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all of them are alive.” 

Jesus is reminding us that our life after death is different than our life here. That because we are children of God, we expect that eternity will be different, but he does not say how it will be so. Yet, we know that Jesus did promise us that if we love him and trust in him, we will live forever in heaven with him. Doesn’t this make our choices, right now, matter even more? How we choose to behave today, how we love one another and take care of one another, will show that we believe in Jesus. It is sad when I hear of people today who don’t believe there is a resurrection and eternal life in Heaven. 

Oh, that reminds me of another riddle. Q. Why were the people in today’s gospel called Sadducees?  A. Since they didn’t believe in the resurrection or the happiness of heaven, they were “Sad, you see!”

Discussion starters: (Choose one or more of these after reading today’s scripture readings)

1. Jesus was being tricked with a riddle from people who denies the resurrection of the dead. Share your thoughts on the resurrection. What might that be like?
2. How does knowing that we are children of God change the way you act with others each day?
3. The gospel says that “all are alive" to God. The Church teaches us to pray for our dead and that they can pray for us. Make a list of family and friends who have passed away and throughout the month of November, pray for their souls as a family. (see activities, next page)

Prayer for Families: Heavenly Father, we are happy that you have promised us eternal life in heaven. Thank you that heaven is going to be amazing! Though our Lord, Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever, Amen

CLICK, READ MORE FOR FAMILY RESOURCES, Colouring Page, Cross Word Puzzle and Word Search
 

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