November 20, 2021
Saturday for di Thirty-Third Week for Ordinary Time
Readings for Today
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“Even Moses make am clear say di dead go rise, for di passage about di bush, when e call di God of Abraham, di God of Isaac, and di God of Jacob ‘Lord’; and He no be God of di dead, but of di living, because for Him, all of dem dey alive.” Luke 20:37–38
Jesus give this answer to some Sadducees wey ask Am question about how di dead go rise. Di Sadducees no believe say di body go rise from death, but di Pharisees believe am. So, di Sadducees use one example wey people hardly ever hear of to ask Jesus about how di body go rise from death. Dem refer to di levirate law wey dey Deuteronomy 25:5ff, wey talk say if married man die before e get children, di man brother must marry im wife and give im brother descendants. So, di Sadducees describe one situation where seven brothers die, and each one after di other marry di same woman. Di question wey dem ask na, “Now, when di dead rise, whose wife di woman go be? Because all seven of dem marry her.” Jesus answer dem and explain say marriage na for this life, no be for di life wey go come when di dead rise. So, none of di brothers go dey married to her when dem rise.
Some husbands and wives dey find am hard to accept this teaching, because dem love their husband or wife and want make their marriage continue for Heaven and for di time of di final resurrection. For people wey feel like this, make una mind rest: di bonds of love wey we form for earth go remain and even grow stronger for Heaven. And when di end of di world come and all our bodies rise and join our souls again, those bonds of love go remain stronger pass ever before. But marriage, as we know am for earth, no go dey again. Di pure love of di new life wey dey come go take im place.
This teaching give us reason to think more deeply about di beautiful teaching of our Lord concerning how He go return in glory and, as we dey talk for di Creed, “di resurrection of di dead and di life of di world wey dey come.” We dey profess this belief every Sunday for Mass. But plenty people fit find am hard to understand. So wetin we really believe?
To put am simply, we believe say when we die, dem go “lay our body to rest,” but our soul go enter di moment of personal judgment. People wey remain in mortal sin go dey separated from God forever. But people wey die in a state of grace go live with God forever. Most people wey die go most likely still get some venial sins wey remain for their soul. So, Purgatory na di grace of final purification wey di person soul go experience when di person die. Purgatory na simply di love of God wey dey purify, wey dey remove every last sin and imperfection, and every attachment to sin, so that di soul wey don become pure fit see God face-to-face for Heaven. But e no end there. We also believe say for one definite time for di history of di world, Jesus go return to earth and transform am. Na this be His Final Judgment. For that time, every body go rise, and we go live forever as God intend make we live: body and soul joined as one. Those souls wey dey in mortal sin go also join their bodies again, but their body and soul go dey separated from God forever. We thank God say people wey dey in a state of grace and don pass through their final purification go rise from death and share in di new Heavens and new Earth forever, body and soul, as God intend.
Today, think deeply about this glorious teaching of our Lord wey you dey profess faith in every time you pray di Creed. To keep your eyes on Heaven and, especially, on di final and glorious state of resurrection wey you go live in for di new Heaven and Earth must become something wey you dey do every day. Di more we live with this holy expectation, di more we go use our life here and now as time to prepare for this final life. Gather treasure now as you dey look forward to this glorious day, and believe say na this eternity God dey call you to.
My Lord wey don rise from death, You dey reign now for Heaven, body and soul, as You dey await di final and glorious resurrection of all di dead. Make I always keep my eyes on this final goal of human life and do everything wey I fit do to prepare for this eternity of glory and love. Jesus, na You I trust.
Novena to Christ the King
November 12–20, 2021
More Reflections on the Gospel
Reflection Dem about God im Mercy
Meditations on Scripture for Ordinary Time
