Fr. Jeff’s Weekly Homily

November 11, 2007
Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

READING 1: 2 Maccabbees 7:1-2, 9-14
"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."

Psalm 17
Keep me as the apple of your eye, hide me in the shadow of your wings. But I in justice shall behold your face; on waking I shall be content in your presence.

READING 2: 2 Thessalonians 2: 16-3:5
for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful

GOSPEL: Luke 20
Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward.
Jesus said to them, "The children of this age marry and remarry; 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. They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God
because they are the ones who will rise. 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; and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive."

Parish Stewardship Video Sunday

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The Sadducees had a problem they didn’t want to face. They were the wealthiest and most privileged of all the Jews. But their wealth and privilege was at the Romans discretion. So, they were complicit in all the Roman cruelty and dominance of the Jewish people. Everyone knew they had put their wealth and privilege before God and their country. The notion of resurrection and heaven was threatening to them because they would be judged by God for having the wrong priorities. So Jesus was a reproach to them. Rather than work through their own sins, they projected all their discomfort onto Jesus. They hated him. We can see that in our country today, can’t we? Many who do not want to face judgment choose to belittle those of us who are not afraid. But the irony is that if they had turned toward Jesus instead of against him they would have found love, forgiveness and healing for whatever ailed them.

Today we share our parish video. It tells our story and I hope you enjoy it.

Fr. Jeff McGowan
Queen of Peace Catholic Community
Gainesville, Florida