Homily Twenty-Fourth Friday of Ordinary Time (Cor. 15:12-20) "Life is Stronger than Death"
Homily Twenty-Fourth Friday of Ordinary Time (Cor. 15:12-20) "Life is Stronger than Death"
Why did St. Paul feel that the resurrection was so important? He defends it in the passage we read today with fervor. Paul feels if Jesus’ story would have ended with his burial in the tomb then there would not be anything transforming about the Gospel.
Jesus resurrection showed that good is stronger than evil. The evil forces that conspired in the death of Christ were many. We think of the injustice of his death sentence. We also remember how the religious authorities maliciously planned Jesus’ arrest. If all Jesus’ enemies would have gotten away with their plots than that would have been a sad end, but good did triumph.
Jesus’ resurrection shows life is stronger than death. If death is the end of our existence, then that is a discouraging thing. Most Jews believed that this was the case. They believed that whatever rewards we got occurred in this world. The poor and the infirmed and the downtrodden never were lifted out of their struggles. Jesus resurrection promised an eternal reward for those who were suffered in this world.
Jesus’ resurrection also proclaims that love is stronger than hate. God loves us into existence. God’s love never ends. Because of this love, our life does not end. We can be confident of life after death.
Paul felt that Jesus’ life story was different than of any other religious figure. When we think of Mohamed for example, he died like any other man. Buddha also died. Jesus was unique in that he rose from the dead.
Reflection Questions:
- Is the resurrection of Jesus the main reason I follow him? What if there was no resurrection?
- In my life has good always triumphed over evil? Does this mean I have to take the long view?
Dear Parishioners,
“Well, they were going to die anyway.” Have we started to hear this regarding the Coronavirus? Most of the deaths in Rock Island County have occurred in nursing homes. I cringe when I hear this rationalization. It seems like we are saying if older folks must die so we can engage in our normal activities then so be it.
Is this a prolife position? What is the next step on this slippery slope? Maybe it is euthanasia. If the elderly people are just taking up space and ready to die, we might just want to help them along. Aren’t we saying that their lives have no value?
As Catholics we are to value all human life from its conception until its natural end.
May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints watch over you today.
Fr. Mark
P.S. Remember today is the seventh Friday of our nine Friday Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Please remember to do Penance today for the social sins of the world. We will be ringing our Church bell 200 times today which represents the 200,000 deaths from COVID 19 in our nation since the pandemic began.