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Readings for November 7, 2010 Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Don’t close your mind to God

The Sadducees were members of a religious group whose beliefs differed from Jesus’ teachings. For instance they didn’t believe in the Resurrection or in Angels. But in this week’s Gospel. They didn’t listen to him and rethink their positions; instead, they made an argument that mocked His beliefs.
That’s too common in our society. People don’t listen to one another; instead, they attack or belittle one another. It’s an easy style to adopt. You don’t have to think if you can shout down or mock your opponent. But that’s how you miss God’s wisdom. This week’s Gospel reminds us that sometimes God challenges our positions on things like religion, school and family. That challenge will likely come through friends, pastors, teachers and family members. The Spirit calls us to keep our minds open, especially to people with whom we disagree.

• When you disagree with someone, avoid the temptation to close your mind or respond with sarcasm or personal attacks. Think. Ask God to help you consider opposing opinions closely.

• Don’t let pride get in the way. God calls us to full life, but we miss out—like the Sadducees did—when were not open to the spiritual and intellectual changes that life brings.

What makes it tough for you to keep your mind open when you disagree with someone?

Reading 1 2 Maccabees7:1-2, 9-14

1 It happened that seven brothers with their mother were arrested and tortured with whips and scourges by the king, to force them to eat pork in violation of God's law. 2 One of the brothers, speaking for the others, said: "What do you expect to achieve by questioning us? We are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our ancestors." 9 At the point of death he said: "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."10 After him the third suffered their cruel sport. He put out his tongue at once when told to do so, and bravely held out his hands, 11 as he spoke these noble words: "It was from Heaven that I received these; for the sake of his laws I disdain them; from him I hope to receive them again." 12 Even the king and his attendants marveled at the young man's courage, because he regarded his sufferings as nothing. 13 After he had died, they tortured and maltreated the fourth brother in the same way. 14 When he was near death, he said, "It is my choice to die at the hands of men with the hope God gives of being raised up by him; but for you, there will be no resurrection to life."

Reading 2 2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5

16 Brothers and sisters: May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting encouragement and good hope through his grace, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen them in every good deed and word. 3:1 Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us, so that the word of the Lord may speed forward and be glorified, as it did among you, 2 and that we may be delivered from perverse and wicked people, for not all have faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. 4 We are confident of you in the Lord that what we instruct you, you are doing and will continue to do. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ.

Gospel Luke 20:27-38

27 Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to Jesus, 28 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. 29 Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman but died childless. 30 Then the second 31 and the third married her, and likewise all the seven died childless. 32 Finally the woman also died. 33 Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had been married to her." 34 Jesus said to them, "The children of this age marry and remarry; 35 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. 36 They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and theyare the children of God because they are the ones who will rise. 37 That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called out 'Lord, ' the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; 38 and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive."
Discussion Questions

1. Paint the scene in this Gospel: What kind of a threat do you think Jesus posed to the Sadducees? Why do you think they wanted to trip Him up? What kind of an answer do you think they thought they'd get from Him?

2. What is your biggest question about what heaven will be like? Complete the following statement: Heaven would be really cool if it had __________.

3. Pretend for a minute that you are a defense attorney: How would you defend the teaching of the bodily resurrection to a non-believer?

Everyone thought Jen’s mom was the nicest person in the world. She would always take the time to talk, to help neighbors with problems and projects, to entertain all the children on the block.
“Want anything to eat?” Jen’s mom would ask her friends, as she held out a plate of cookies.
“Thanks!” Jen’s friends said as they wolfed down the treats.
“Your mom’s the best,” one neighbor remarked.
“Yeah,” another agreed, “we like to come to your house, Jen.”
“Have you ever noticed there is someone always visiting?” a third added.
One day, Jen’s mom got sick. She had to be rushed to the hospital and have an operation. That was a dark week in the neighborhood because everyone felt the loss of Jen’s mom. “She gave so much love,” someone said. “It was like she lived for other people,” another person said.
The people on Jen’s block decided to help her family. It was their way to say “thank you” and return the love they had received. When Jen’s mom returned home from the hospital, she was overwhelmed with the flowers and cards and goodies and meals. The house was totally cleaned inside; outside the lawn was trimmed and the fence was painted. This was all done by neighbors who cared.
When people do nice things for us, they share a little of their life with us. When people love us they share life with us. We have a God like Jen’s mom; he loves us so much, he lives for us. And he wants us to live for him so much that we will never die. He gave his word to us on that.
Closing Question: God loves us so much, he gives us his life. How can we share that life with others?