1. 2Tm 1: 1-3.6-12
2. Gospel: Mk 12:18-27
"THE QUESTION OF RESURRECTION"
We are told a story of the young artist who was fond of finding fault with others. He could immediately detect weakness in people. It happened that one night he had a dream. He saw himself in a barren road, struggling beneath a heavy burden. He cried out in pain as he tried to support it. He complained out loud." What is this weight that I must carry? And why must I carry it?" From nowhere he seemed to hear: " It is the weight of the faults which you have found in others. Why do you complain? You were the one who discovered them, so shouldn't they belong to you now?
Who were the Sadducees? These were a priestly and aristocratic class among the Jews. Together with the Pharisees they held much control of the Jewish people. Both were all-out to protect at all costs their power, prestige and financial security. The Sadducees, unlike the Pharisees, were more religiously conservative. They rejected religious traditions and accepted only the written commandments. They did not believe in the existence of angels, in immortality and in life after death. Obviously Jesus' teaching about the resurrection was a clear and serious threat to their power and financial gains. But clearly, their questioning of Jesus was ill-conceived.
In our daily lives, there are instances when, like the Sadducees we too love to trap people with wrong motives as well as ill-conceived questions, aimed to embarrass them! Isn't it that we Christians also suffer from some pre-conceived biases and that lead to fault-finding? It is said that " a man winnows his neighbor's faults like chaff, but hides his own even as a dishonest gambler hides a losing throw," ( Dhammapala). Let us pray that may the power of the Lord free us from these attitudes and spares of the heavy weight carried by that young artist in the story.
Hakuna maoni:
Chapisha Maoni