9TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
St. Norbert, bishop
Psalter: Week 1 / (Green/White)
Ps 123:1b-2ab, 2cdef
To you, O Lord, I lift up my eyes.
1st Reading: 2 Tim 1:1-3, 6-12*
From Paul, apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God, for the sake of his promise of eternal life, in Christ Jesus, to my dear son Timothy. … I give thanks to God, whom I serve with a clear conscience, the way my ancestors did, as I remember you constantly, day and night, in my prayers.
For this reason, I invite you to fan into a flame the gift of God you received, through the laying on of my hands. For God did not confer on us a spirit of fearfulness, but of strength, love and good judgment. (…) He saved us and called us — a calling which proceeds from his holiness. This did not depend on our merits, but on his generosity and his own initiative. (…) For its sake, I now suffer this trial, but I am not ashamed, for I know in whom I have believed, and I am convinced, that he is capable of taking care of all I have entrusted to him until that day.
Gospel: Mk 12:18-27
The Sadducees also came to Jesus. Since they claim that there is no resurrection, they questioned him in this way, “Master, in the Scriptures, Moses gave us this law: If anyone dies and leaves a wife but no children, his brother must take the woman, and, with her, have a baby, who will be considered the child of his deceased brother. Now, there were seven brothers. The first married a wife, but he died without leaving any children. The second took the wife, and he also died, leaving no children. The same thing happened to the third. In fact, all seven brothers died, leaving no children. Last of all, the woman died. Now, in the resurrection, to which of them will she be wife? For all seven brothers had her as wife.”
Jesus replied, “Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God? When they rise from the dead, men and women do not marry, but are like the angels in heaven.
Now, about the resurrection of the dead, have you never had thoughts about the burning bush in the book of Moses? God said to Moses: I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. He is the God, not of the dead, but of the living. You are totally wrong.”
Reflections
When they rise from the dead, men and women do not marry, but are like the angels in heaven
The Sadducees present to Jesus a hypothetical situation of a woman who is widowed seven times by seven brothers. They were not really interested in finding out whose wife she would be in the afterlife; they were intent in debunking Jesus’ teaching about the resurrection. The Sadducees, the priests of Israel during Jesus’ time, ironically, did not believe in spirits and the resurrection. For them, our lives ended with our death.
How puny our minds are. God’s plans for us transcend our thinking and imaginings. God will not allow death to have the last word. God desires eternal communion with us.
Daily Reflection 2018
Bible Diary ® is a product of Claretian Publications, a division of Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc. (CCFI) which is a pastoral endeavor of the Claretian Missionaries in the Philippines that brings the Word of God to people from all walks of life. CCFI aims to promote integral evangelization and renewed spirituality that is geared towards empowerment and total liberation in response to the needs and challenges of the Church today.
CCFI is a member of Claret Publishing Group, a consortium of the publishing houses of the Claretian Missionaries all over the world: Bangalore, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Chennai, Colombo, Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Madrid, Macao, Manila, Owerry, São Paolo, Varsaw , Yaoundé.
Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL
With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
Copyright © 2O17
Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.
U.P. P.O. Box 4, Diliman,
1101 Quezon City, Philippines
Tel.: (63-2) 921-3984
Fax: (6352) 921-7429
Email: ccfi@claretianpublicationscom
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: www.claretianph.com
