Wisdom 16:26-28
26 Then the children you love learned that it is not crops of whatever kind which nourish humankind, but your word that sustains those who trust you.
27 That food which resisted fire, simply melted in the warmth of a fleeting sunbeam, 28 teaching us that we must rise before the sun to give thanks and pray to you at dawn. 29 The hope of the ungrateful will melt like winter frost and flow away like water that is not being used.
It is Your mighty Word that sustains all life. God spoke and everything that is came into being. The Breath of God is the breath of life and we are dependant on this breath. Take it away and we will perish. It is to You that we owe grateful thanks for it is You who uphold us, preserve us and give us all we need of things both spiritual and temporal. For all that You do each day for me and mine Beloved, I offer You a heart and a life filled with praise, love and gratitude.
2Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14
1 It happened also that seven brothers were arrested with their mother. The king had them scourged and flogged to force them to eat the flesh of a pig which was prohibited by the Law.
2 One of them, speaking in behalf of all, said, “What do you want to find out from us? We are prepared to die right now rather than break the law of our ancestors.”
9 At the moment of his last breath, he said, “Murderer, you now dismiss us from life, but the King of the world will raise us up. He will give us eternal life since we die for his laws.”
10 After this, they punished the third. He stuck his tongue out when asked to, bravely stretched forth his hands, 11 and even had the courage to say: “I have received these limbs from God, but for love of his laws I now consider them as nothing. For I hope to recover them from God.” 12 The king and his court were touched by the courage of this young man, so unconcerned about his own sufferings.
13 When this one was dead, they subjected the fourth to the same torture. 14 At the point of death, he cried out, “I would rather die at the hands of mortals, and wait for the promises of God who will raise us up; you, however, shall have no part in the resurrection of life.”
Ever since this Scripture account of the seven brothers has been read, I am certain that many have reacted to it. Many who have been persecuted for their faith must have been encouraged by this account of faith and courage. The faith of the mother of these seven sons is truly impressive. In these days mothers molly coddle their children and give them a watered down version of the faith. They give their kids everything else but what is necessary for spiritual growth. Things which could destroy rather than give life. How proud this mother was when she saw each son die. Mama Mary too saw You die my Beloved, but she knew that it was necessary. We have to lose our life to gain it and yet we are such spiritual cowards. So aftraid to test our faith in case it fails us and yet we know that true faith is always triumphant.
Thessalonians 2:16----3:5
16 when they prevent us from speaking to the pagans and trying to save them. By doing so they are heaping up their sins, but now Judgment is coming upon them.
17 We are for a time deprived of your presence, but not in our heart, and we eagerly long to see you. 18 For we have wanted to visit you, and I, Paul, more than once; but Satan prevented us. 19 In fact, who but you are our hope and our joy? Who but you will be our glorious crown before Jesus, our Lord, when he returns? 20 Yes, indeed, you are our glory and our joy.
Paul’s concern
3 • 1 As I could no longer bear it, I decided to go alone to Athens, 2 and send you Timothy, our brother and co-worker of God in the Gospel of Christ. I wanted him to encourage you in the faith and strengthen you 3 so that none of you might turn back because of the trials you are now enduring. You know that such is our destiny. 4 I warned you of this when I was there: “We shall have to face persecution”; and so it was, as you have seen. 5 Therefore I could not stand it any longer and sent Timothy to appraise your faith and see if the Tempter had tempted you and made our work useless.
Beloved, St. Paul had a fire in his belly and it burned constantly. He could not rest because of this flaming desire to spread the Good News. His joy and satisfaction came from leading more and more people to knowledge of You. It was his food and drink and he was prepared to suffer any hardship as he travelled tirelessly to make You known and loved. What about me? Am I timid, wary, afraid, ready to to withdraw in the face of the slightest opposition? In the end will I stand all alone before You my God having kept my faith hidden, untested, untried because I was afraid to risk my life despite all Your promises?
Luke 20:27-38
27 Then some Sadducees arrived. These people claim that there is no resurrection 28 and they asked Jesus this question, “Master, in the Scripture Moses told us: ‘If anyone dies leaving a wife but no children, his brother must take the wife, and the child to be born will be regarded as the child of the deceased man.’ 29 Now, there were seven brothers; the first married a wife, but he died without children; 30 and the second 31 and the third took the wife; in fact all seven died leaving no children. 32 Last of all the woman died. 33 On the day of the resurrection, to which of them will the woman be wife? For the seven had her as wife.”
34 And Jesus replied, “Taking husband or wife is proper to people of this world, 35 but for those who are considered worthy of the world to come and of resurrection from the dead, there is no more marriage. 36 Besides, they cannot die for they are like the angels. They too are sons and daughters of God because they are born of the resurrection.
37 Yes, the dead will be raised, and even Moses implied it in the passage about the burning bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. 38 For he is God of the living and not of the dead, and for him all are alive.”
What we shall be in the hereafter only God knows, what we do know is that You will share Your glory with us. Beloved, to be taken up into You as part of Your Body and sharing in Your inheritance, is the promise You make to us. You give us everything we need in this life to make it possible for us to live eternally with You in the life to come. Help me to use every oportunity and every grace You make available to me in the Sacraments to reach my goal.
Psalm 17:5-6, 8, 15
5 Hold firm my steps upon your path,
that my feet may not stumble.
6 I call on you, you will answer me, O God; incline your ear and hear my word.
8 Keep me as the apple of your eye;
under the shadow of your wings hide me,
15 As for me, righteous in your sight,
I shall see your face and, awakening,
gaze my fill on your likeness.
Help me Lord, I need You to hold my hand every step of the way in my journey to You. Should You let go I will fall and be lost. Keep me as the apple of Your eye. Watch over me, strengthen me in times of temptation. Pour out Your graces on me as I feed on You in the Eucharist, nourish me as I read Your Word. May the light of Your Presence in me help me to light the way for those who walk with me. My goal Beloved is to spend eternity with You. When I close my eyes here on earth, grant that I will open them to gaze on the wonder and beauty of Your awesome Presence Amen.
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