Today’s readings are difficult to hear, especially the story from Maccabees. We might even wonder why this retelling of torture should be appropriate at Mass, even though the developing belief in resurrection is featured here. And we might bristle at the Gospel’s reminder of patriarchal priorities that see women as simple instruments, there to insure that men have heirs. Women themselves are rendered non-persons by the law these Sadducees are referring to—necessary to its objectives but otherwise simply property. Jesus doesn’t address that law, we might notice. The concept of resurrection is the issue here, for the Sadducees and for Jesus. The belief had been developing in Jewish tradition long before Jesus came on the scene. We inherited that belief and it was reinforced through Gospel accounts of Jesus’ own life, death and resurrection. The Church wants to remind us of this belief that is central to our tradition and our faith, and so we have these readings today.
But we can also listen to these stories through our own set of lenses, lenses set in frames that critique power dynamics in all their many forms, whether appearing in society, government, church or even the family. Such forces of oppression threaten our world in ways unimaginable to first century people living in the Middle East. Our issues are global now and our beliefs and experiences as human beings are all over the map. So it may be especially uncomfortable here, in church, to be reminded again of the devastating schemes played out against individuals, whether imposed by the brutal intentions of empire, enforced by social standards or instilled through religious rules and dogma. It probably isn’t what we come to church for! But here we are and, like a book that drops from a shelf and opens to a page in front of us, the annihilation of sacred personhood is something we are asked to look at today.
We are only two weeks away from the conclusion of the Amazon Synod where the majority of voting members were from the Amazon region itself and, though allowed to be present and even to speak, no women were allowed to vote on issues that threaten all humankind. This, too, is important to notice. Exclusionary tactics are part and parcel of the destructive manipulations evident in today’s readings. Synod members heard stories of killings and torture, stories of people driven from their land by mining companies, cattle ranchers, lumber interests, and giant corporations whose only interest is the extraction of Amazon’s vast resources for personal, corporate and national wealth and power. The indigenous populations attempting to defend their homeland, the forest itself, their people, language, beliefs and culture, had begged the church for help as the only institution with a global reach they are part of and can call on. In their attempts to defend their ancient traditions and beliefs from the exploitive interests of arrogant empires we see a reflection of the Scriptures we read today. The Maccabees, too, were fighting for their lives.
The Maccabean mirror reflects our own time as power players of today, including various governments and corporate entities, impose their will and values on territories they want to control. They recklessly and intentionally obliterate all opposition, by forcing people to deny their principles and beliefs in order to simply survive. Scripture scholar Sr. Mary McGlone says these readings today offer us “a moral reflection on the meaning of life. Jesus’ response is a proclamation,” she says, “that every life has intrinsic value” and no life “can ever be treated as the means to someone else’s goals.” The ultimate sacrifice the Maccabee family made is a profound statement, she says, that “faithfulness to God and integrity are more important than life itself.”
The Amazon and much of our world is filled with people proclaiming that same faithfulness, telling us with their lives that their inherent dignity is worth the risks they’re taking to escape violence, oppression, torture, starvation. Where do we stand as participants and as witnesses in these times of chaos? What should our response be to crimes against the earth, the children among us, and their future? What is Spirit asking of us as we see and hear the cries of a suffering planet and her people? Like many of you, I imagine, I ask myself questions like these fairly regularly, especially when some new horror pops up in the news. What can I—even should I—do to help? How do I stand up for my values? These are complex questions in a complicated world where the needs are all around us and yet our time, skill, resilience, ability and understanding are all so very limited. The “shoulds” are ever ready to attack, push, blame, and throw guilt at us for not doing what someone else or some super-imposed value system says we should be doing. Yet these pressuring voices, if allowed, can prevent us from hearing what the Divine within us is moving us toward or urging us to do. We are here at this moment in history for a reason. Each of us has work to do in the development of our own souls and in the development of the soul of humanity. Nothing is simple.
But listen again to what Paul is saying today. He tells us to keep our feet on the ground and a tight grip on the central teachings of the Gospel. We know these teachings: respect for all life, compassion, mercy, generosity, care for one another, for the poor, for all those at the margins. As we allow these teachings to grow in our heart we can feel Spirit leading us toward what is specifically ours to do. Those teachings then invigorate our work and put life into our speech while Christ gives us courage to ACT.
Pray, Paul says. Let Christ take you by the hand and lead you along the path of God’s love—a path that is uniquely yours. Listen closely. Allow yourself to be led. Great confidence is placed in you, he says, as you humbly absorb what you are given and put it into action. The values imbedded in Jesus’ life guide the way, so follow the leanings of your heart extending kindness and respect toward the earth and all you meet along your path. Take courage knowing you are not alone. We are all in this together, and there is a larger plan at work than we can know. It is God’s plan and, embedded as it is in each of us, it wisely leads the way.
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