2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14 / 2 Thess 2:16 – 3:5 / Luke 20:27-38
It is a human desire to live to a ripe old age. So, what do we think is a ripe old age?
In the Bible, the Book of Psalms (90:10) has this to tell us: The lifespan of a man is 70 years, and 80 for those who are strong.
So, if our lifespan on earth is 70 or 80 years, would that be considered a short time or a long time?
If life is good and comfortable, if we are healthy and happy, then 80 years might seem a bit short. We would like to enjoy life a bit longer.
But if life is difficult and tough, and we are unhappy and stressed out, then 80 years might be enough.
Of course, it is not up to us to decide how long we would live. That is for God to decide.
But whether the life is short or long, we know that we live life in this world only once.
And how we live our life in this world is a preparation for life in the next world, which is our eternal life.
In the Bible, the Book of Wisdom says that the life of a person is not measured by the number of years, or how many grey hairs, but how faithful that person is to God.
In the 1st reading, the seven brothers had their lives cut short because they rather lose their lives than to lose their faith.
And their faith is that God will reward them for laying down their lives for Him, and so they faced death as they put their hope in God.
We know that we pass by this world only once, and we will not come back again to this world.
If we really believe that, then it really doesn't matter whether life is short or long.
Rather we will live the life that God wants us to live, and that is to do whatever good we can, to be kind and gentle and loving.
We will live by faith and good works, as we prepare ourselves for the eternal life that is to come.
In the gospel, the Sadducees, who do not believe in the resurrection or in eternal life, approached Jesus and presented Him with an imaginary case of seven brothers and woman whom each of them had married because of a particular stipulation in the law of Moses.
They tried to trap Jesus so that He would be unable to give an answer, and that would enable the Sadducees to reinforce their belief that there is no resurrection or eternal life.
But instead of getting entangled with a slippery question, Jesus gave a teaching about the God of life and love.
So, if we truly believe that we will rise to eternal life, then how we live life in this world begins to matter.
Because if we are not loving in this life, then what makes us think that we will be loving in the eternal life?
If we don't put God first in this life, then where will He be in the eternal life? Or actually where will we be in the eternal life?
The same would be for what Jesus taught us, about being kind and gentle, about compassion and forgiveness.
As we give in this life, so will we receive in the eternal life.
So, let us move away from anger and bitterness, from unforgiveness and revenge, from selfishness and greed.
We don't want to live a long life of sadness and sorrow.
We want to be happy in this life and eternally happy in the next.
Jesus came to give us life and life to the full, so that we will be able to love God and to love others in this life.
We believe in the God of life and love, and salvation means living a loving life.
So, what can we say about life on earth? It is this: It is not about adding days to our life, but adding life and love to our days.