When I was younger, I and even still to this day, I often loved picking up a good book and reading for hours. Now, this wasn’t necessarily just any type of book, but I had a particular hankering for the genre that we call “mystery.” Usually the premise was the same- there was a character, some sort of problem entered into this person’s view, and they spent some deal of time just pursuing an answer to whatever the problem was, whether it was a crime, something far less serious, or even a simple riddle.
When I read these books, though, it was an amazing battle. I always wanted to get to the end to find the solution, but I also knew part of the enjoyment of the book wasn’t in just getting to the end, but following the journey to the end, and figuring out how they did it. So, often times, that yielded me going through an entire mystery book, sometimes entirely, within the course of a day or so.
Whether or not you enjoy a good mystery, though, we are all on a journey of sorts. We aren’t just following one written by someone else, or one that we can necessarily step out of for a second, but we are in our very own story and journey. We know where we have been, we know where we are, but we may not have an entire view of where we are going. Yet, the beauty of our faith, if we so desire it, is to find out that we already have an end goal in mind- it is just keeping it in focus, and not getting hung up or distracted on the way there.
To illustrate exactly what I mean, we should start off with the second book of Maccabees. This book, coupled with the first, really seeks to give us a view of the Israelite community as it existed under persecution, and what occurred as the community sought to put an end to their affliction. As it happens, however, this moment is a particularly potent view of individuals undergoing persecution, and what their experience would have been like. In particular, we are told about this episode that involves seven brothers and their mother. They are treated in a very brutal way, and as that is happening, eventually they come to the point of choosing to violate the law or to choose death instead. We are told one of the brothers simply speaks to the king, and does not mince words in telling the king that they would rather die rather than violate God’s laws. So, the clear answer is there- and unfortunately, that is to choose death.
Even in the point of losing members of his body, he continues on, and persists in his conviction to follow his faith. So eventually, that brother dies, and another one takes his place- and still shows that he is convicted in the same way- that even death will not phase him. What is fascinating at the end of this passage, though, is that there is this very clear statement- “we have chosen to die at the hands of men, with the hope God gives of being raised up by him.” This all shows just how determined these individuals are to follow the laws that the Lord gave them, even in spite of death. They would follow to the end.
The second reading comes from Saint Paul and his second Letter to the Thessalonians. This reading continues on a similar trajectory as last week, trying to encourage those that area reading it on to continue to hold onto faith, and to be strengthened in every “good deed and word.” One thing really differentiates this reading, though, because Saint Paul really shows his cards when it comes to just how aware he is of the difficulty that may be encountered in trying to spread the Gospel. He does continue those of the church in Thessolonica to continue to hold fast to faith, but then he qualifies what sort of conditions he expects. Paul prays for them that they may be “delivered from perverse and wicked people” because not all have faith, as he notes. Therefore, he is looking for this faith to become a defense against the evil one, and to really help them in time of affliction- so that they can endure and run the race well. It isn’t just about having faith in the good times or around those who might accept it, but it is also about faith when others may not have it or may even be contradictory when it comes to faith.
The Gospel for this Sunday doesn’t center around a story, but more of a theological issue and debate. It was designed to move Jesus in the direction of one camp or another. The Sadducees were those who deny there is a resurrection, as we are told, but this goes deeper into this. They are asking a question about marriage that is designed from the beginning to try to trip up the one who is to answer it. If someone’s brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants. Say this happens seven times. Whose wife will she be in the resurrection? What is Jesus’s answer?
Jesus actually dodges the issue altogether, because He knows very well they have no proper perspective on what the actual issue is. The reality of the matter is that there isn’t an issue, but the Sadducees have created one in their minds. They have themselves convinced that Jesus is in a corner, and yet, He quite easily maneuvers away. How does He do this? What theological concept allows Jesus to move away very quickly?
He is aware of the end of the story.
Now, to be sure, the vocation to marriage is absolutely essential. Jesus isn’t saying that it isn’t at all. What He is saying, though, is that marriage has no need to exist beyond this life- because it has served it’s purpose. If it gets those who undergo it to the kingdom of Heaven, then, all of a sudden, it falls away. Jesus actually uses the moment to paint out the difference- because He divides the listeners into two groups: those who are of the world, and those who belong to God. Those who belong to the world are concerned with such issues. Those who are concerned with God are not so worried with this, but are rather worried about successfully arriving at the end.
That, perhaps, is the question we should consider now. Are we paying attention to the journey, and are we aware of our end, so that we can arrive at it? As we understand it, the end of what we are to attain as Christians and as Catholics is the kingdom of Heaven. That is it, purely and simply. We cannot set anything else to substitute for this goal and still be in line with what Jesus says. Yet, we have to have two fundamental things to make it where Jesus would like us to be: we have to have our end destination, which is hopefully set as heaven, and we also have to have an awareness of how we get there, and what our earthly journey is going to take.
If we go back to the first reading, notice, that entire family is going into a very difficult circumstance. They know that they could walk away with their life on that day. All they would have to do is simply violate the Lord’s commands, and they would be just fine. Yet, that is not what they choose to do, even though it is difficult at the time! Why? Because they want something even better. None of us would have likely faulted them too much for falling away underneath that strain. Yet, they stood strong, because they knew this was the way to get where they were going.
Second, no one ever said Christianity was going to be easy. Saint Paul was reminding those in Thessalonica that it would not be easy to follow the Gospel. We certainly should not expect it to be easy ourselves! We may have all sorts of wicked or evil people that seem to threaten us in a variety of ways. Yet, in all of those moments, do we still look to build up spiritual endurance and strength?
Finally, we should be aware of what has our attention! Jesus is rebuking the Sadducees because they have settled on a distraction. It is something that seems like a fun little riddle, yet it takes them so much further away from God while they play! So, the question for all of us, though, is are we willing to do whatever it takes to follow God now? Jesus is rebuking them because they aren’t following as well as they should- and they’ve lost sight of heaven as well. We have been told about the kingdom of Heaven, and we have been informed about the kingdom of God. We are without excuse but are told to continue to go and to seek God above all else.
Thus, brothers and sisters, we are on a journey. It may seem like a mystery book at times, and other times it may seem that it isn’t that at all. Yet, the reality remains that we need to follow this journey to the end, and eventually arrive at the kingdom of Heaven itself.
We should be headed towards heaven in everything we say and do. That is certainly no mystery.
