What Does the Life to Come Look Like? It is NOT Just a Better Earthly Living!

What Does the Life to Come Look Like? . . .

T oday, there is a parallelism between the first reading (not included within this audio) and the Gospel.

The first reading from the Book of Maccabees, is similar to the Gospel in that it involves seven brothers. The Maccabees story of the seven brothers is a remarkable story. One brother after another, placed before the king to do something against his religion . . . against God . . . refuses and are then tortured and killed. Seven brothers die for the sake of their faith. All are martyrs.

The Gospel is also about seven (hypothetical) brothers who also die. In this story, seven brothers die one after another. Each marries the wife of his brother. All have no children. This is a hypothetical as the Pharisees pose a question to Jesus. The commonality between these two situations involving seven brothers is the resurrection, and what that means.

The Church’s liturgical year is coming to an end in just a few weeks. It also reminds us that our life will also have an end . . . in the future. We are all reminded in early November to pray for the departed. We gather in our faith in the Resurrection, to pray for our deceased loved ones. It is wonderful that we take time today to also reflect on the Resurrection with the readings today.

. . . It is NOT Just a Better Earthly Living!

In the first reading of the brothers, they all say the same thing. You, O king, will torture me in this world. You will make things difficult for me, and even end my life . . . in this world. But this world, is not the great world. Each of the brothers say . . . I am living not merely for the continuation of my life in this world. I am living toward a life that will be given back to me in the world to come. You, O king, cannot rob me of that. And, I will not set that aside, for anything in this world. Hear more within the Homily.

Their faith in the Resurrection allows the brothers to make their testimony and willing give their lives for something greater. Not all of God’s people believed in the resurrection. The Jewish group, the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection.

The hypothetical about the seven brothers in the Gospel hides something to the reader. What is the resurrection and the life to come? The life we look for and the resurrection is NOT looking for this life only better! We DO NOT look for a mere earthly paradise. It is not what we know, reproduced in a better form.

Jesus, in the Gospel, takes the idea off the table. He takes the idea that Heaven is merely a better extension of earthly living off the table. The life to come, the life of those that have risen in Glory, IS NOT a mere copy or improving of this world.

The Life to Come is Radically Different

The life to come is radically different. It will be radically better. So much radically better that we cannot truly imagine it! We are not built to accurately imagine heaven.

Jesus says when our deceased loved ones enter into Glory, it is so much better than an extension of earthly living.

Listen more to this Homily. Reflect on this Meditation Media.