2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12 / Mark 12:18-27
To say that we are a people of faith is certainly not a light statement.
By and large, most of us live ordinary lives and we can also say that we only have an ordinary faith.
We
don't work spectacular signs and wonders, and even as Christians, our
lives and our faith changes like the weather and we are subjected to
unpredictability.
Yet at the very core of our faith, we
believe in eternity. We believe that there is something more to this
present world, that there is another world.
But here is
where the difference sets in. This present world is not going to be the
same as that in the next world; it is not a continuation.
In
the gospel, the Sadducees talk about the next world as if it was just a
continuation of this world, and that was where Jesus pointed out how
wrong they were.
And how different are we from the assumptions of the Sadducees?
If they thought that this world continues into the next, then our thinking would be that this world would never end for us.
Because
we live like as if we won't die! But if we really believe that our
lives are passing on and finally one day our lives will come to an end,
then we would certainly live differently.
We certainly
wouldn't let greed or selfishness or riches or wealth or status or
achievements or possessions distract us because we know that these will
all eventually pass away.
But we believe in a living God who wants to give us life to the full in this world and eternal life in the next.
If that is our faith in God, then let that faith be shown in our lives.