Saturday, November 24, 2018

33rd Week, Ordinary Time, Saturday, 24-11-18

Apocalypse 11:4-12 / Luke 20:27-40

When we talk about death and the after-life and heaven, we are obviously talking about matters  that are beyond human comprehension.

But at the same time, we also try to use human understanding and experience to describe the after-life and heaven.

So we will use terms like eternal rest, eternal joy and happiness, the heavenly banquet, in order to have an idea of what it is like.

But one of the most difficult topics to discuss is about relationships in the after-life.

What will happen to family relationships and spousal relationships and friendships in the after-life?

It is truly intriguing and we can speculate and wonder about the question that the Sadducees posed to Jesus.

But if we are going to speculate on that question and try to formulate possible answers, then we may have missed the point.

The important point is that in the after-life in heaven, everything is focused on God. Nothing else matters.

God is the God of life, for in God all are alive, and it is from Him that all will continue to draw life, even in the after-life.

Even on earth, it is the God of life that unites us together with His love.

So our relationships must be rooted in God who gives us the fullness of life and love.

Only in God will we be fully alive and our relationships will also be loving and life-giving.