Today’s Reading Sunday November 10, 2019 http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/111019.cfm
A number of years ago there was a science class of 7th or 8th graders. The teacher held up a picture and told the students to write down exactly what they saw. After a bit the teacher asked the students what they saw… One student got up and responded seeing an old lady hunched over wearing a sweater. Quite a number of students shook their head in disbelief. No no she is a younger lady wearing a nice hat with a feather in it and a pretty dress… One of the other classmates embarrassedly slid their answer into their folder while the rest of the class argued back and forth whether it was a young woman or an older woman.
I would imagine we have all had experiences like this and know that the picture that the teacher held up included both of these within the same picture It was all just a matter of the student’s perspective which one they saw.
We see the issue of perspective arising during our Gospel reading today. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection or angels etc. Their position in asking the question was to trip up Jesus. Make Him say something that was obviously wrong or improper.
Cherry Picking in the New Testament
Notice that they go straight to the Torah and ask Jesus about something in scripture… Have you ever had anyone come up to you and claim something from the Bible and then make an accusation or make a conclusion that doesn’t quite sit right?
How about this one… there is one mediator between God and man and that is Jesus Christ… therefore you shouldn’t pray to Mary…. Or they may use that same scripture passage to argue against Confession to a priest. That is what happens when you stick to one particular line or one particular perspective. Just 2 lines earlier in the same letter it asks everyone to pray to and for everyone. We are so very lucky because throughout the 3 years that you come to Mass… did you know that you get to hear pretty much the entire Bible?
Think about it… we hear today an old Testament reading from Maccabees, a Reading from Paul’s letter from 2 Thessalonians, One of the Psalms and this Gospel reading. Peppered throughout the Mass are passages from the Old and New Testament particularly in the Eucharistic celebration.
A God of the living
So these Sadducees “cherry-pick” from the Scriptures and want Jesus to comment. But instead of Jesus just focusing on one particular passage and teaching that… Jesus takes a step back and teaches everyone that indeed based upon the Bible basic… God is not a God of the dead but he is the God of the living…and that includes each of us!
We are not going to worry about the petty things that drive us here on earth. We are going to be focused on being God like We are going to be a realm vastly different than what we experience on Earth. What exactly is that? We will find that out ourselves. There are ideas there are theories. But we get occasional glimpses that is all.
But Jesus knows all…He is God after all. I would take his word for things. He is the author of the entire Universe. He knows the infinite, He knows that for each and every puzzle there are numerous if not an infinite number of answers. His perspective is everywhere and everything.
Another Perspective
Remember in the story I was telling before about the one student who quietly slipped their answer into their notebook… Well he wrote down on the paper that he saw lines, some straight some squiggly. He wrote they say dark areas and light areas…. He was embarrassed because he had seen both the young woman and the old lady upon first glance… but then he wrote down what the teacher told him… to write down what they saw. He was too embarrassed to speak up and say what that perspective was… Don’t be afraid of your perspective. Fill yourself full of knowledge If your questions are about car maintenance, ask a mechanic their expertise. If your question is about building things… ask the expertise of an Engineer… if your question is about Thermal nuclear fusion… (thinking) well there is probably someone who knows about that.
Now if you have a question on life, on death, Heaven, Hell… ask the experts. Ask our priests, our Deacons, our Nuns. None of us know everything. But we have had some of the greatest teachers and learners over our 2000-year history. You hear Scripture each and every week if not even more often. You get the general story God loves each and every one of you and He wants each of us with Him. He gave us a way to be with Him in the Eucharist. He gave all that he could give to be with us and wants us to be part of Him and Him to be parts of us.
By learning the Catechism, by learning the Liturgy, by learning all that He is trying to teach us… we open our hearts and minds and give ample room to join together and find all of the love we have for God!