Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-141 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5Luke 20:27-38

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In regard to the liturgy of the Holy
Mass, there is no more of a dangerous thought than the one that advances the
notion that we should bring what belongs to the world into the liturgy. We seem
to be more interested in bringing the world into the liturgy, than bringing the
liturgy into the world. We seem to be more interested in using the finite
things of the world to change the liturgy, than using the infinite things of the
liturgy to change the world. This peculiar notion is how we found gay masses
and clown masses and ethic masses and the so-called ‘liturgical inculturation’
of the mass.

Truly, not far deep down into our souls, I believe we are afraid and scared. We are afraid and scared that the liturgy might actually perform what it proposes; that is, making us like Christ Jesus. Being like Christ Jesus; actually being compelled to be love, to be sacrifice, and to be a Eucharistic People is scary to the natural human heart. It sounds like a hard life. So hard that it sounds much easier to just kill Christ Jesus by conforming Him to the world. Far easier it is to be an assassin of Christ than it is to be like Christ. This is why there are those who work day and night to destroy everything that is good and true about the Holy Mass. They may hate themselves and they may hate us, but ultimately, they are just afraid and scared of what the liturgy is proposing.

The readings for this 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – C Cycle comes to remind us today that God is calling us out of the wilderness and deserts of the world where only death is wished upon and easily found, and into a reborn and resurrected life with Him.

The First Reading from Second Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14, concerns the martyrdom of the seven brothers and their mother who “were arrested and tortured with whips and scourges by the king, to force them to eat pork in violation of God’s law.” One of the brothers, “acting as their spokesman, said, “What do you expect to achieve by questioning us? We are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our ancestors.” Thereafter, each of the brothers and finally their mother received a more gruesome torture and death than the next, but one after the other spoke more eloquently and more passionately about why they were choosing obedience to God over the dictates of the world. When the fourth brother was near death after being maltreated and tortured, “he said, “It is my choice to die at the hands of men with the hope God gives of being raised up by him; but for you, there will be no resurrection to life.” It is true, if there is no resurrection, then there is nothing in this life that is worth dying for. If there is no resurrection, then everything is just vanity.

Most likely, while the Apostle Saint Paul was still in the city of Corinth, he was occasioned to receive a report from Timothy about the Church in Thessalonica where Timothy had been sent in Paul’s stead. There are good things to report about what is going with the Thessalonians, but also the community there had some questions and concerns about the fate of those who died. There seems to be some confusion going about because of small false teachers they had received; thinking that they were associated with Apostolic Church. In this portion of the letter, found in Second Thessalonians 2:16 – 3:5, the Apostle asks for prayers for the People of God; for their delivery and endurance till the end against the wicked and perverse false teachers who were seeking the destroy their faith. As it was then, it is today. There are those who come dressed as sheep and shepherds but are nothing but wolves that are seeking to slaughter and scatter the flock of Christ Jesus.