This morning I would like to meditate on two truths we
believe in as Christians—the resurrection and the second coming of Christ.
Before
beginning with the resurrection, I would like to start with bacon. Bacon is the best food ever. Period. I am amazed that you can give a pig good food or garbage and
it still makes bacon. We can eat
bacon today because Jesus fulfilled the Law and at one point declared all foods
clean. Yet the Israelites—and Jews to this day—did not eat flesh
from a pig. This was partly due to
hygiene—eating an animal that lived in its own filth was understood as
unhealthy—but above all to the Law.
You scholars of the book of Leviticus know that the pig was unclean
because it had cloven hooves but did not chew the cud.
The
seven brothers in 2 Maccabees gave their lives to follow the Law and not eat swine’s
flesh—bacon. (I don’t know if I
would have been as strong as them with freshly fried bacon). It may seem petty now that they died
for not eating a food, but they remained steadfast in living out the Law to the
full.
In
so doing, they represent the greatest understanding of the resurrection in all
the Old Testament.
Chronologically, 1 and 2 Maccabees are the last books of the Old
Testament, and it makes sense that the picture of life after death was growing
clearer. The first four brothers
in our reading today show remarkable faith in the afterlife: “…the King of the world will raise us
up to live again forever…It was from Heaven that I received [my tongue and
hands]; for
the sake of his laws I disdain them; from him I hope to receive them
again…It is my choice to die at the hands of men with the hope God gives of being
raised up by him.”
Jesus
speaks of the resurrection after being confronted by the Sadducees, “those who deny that there is a resurrection.” That’s why they’re sad, you see? (Get it?) But greater than Jesus’ teachings about
the resurrection, we know that he rose from the dead. Our Jewish brothers and sisters do not believe that Christ
rose from the dead, and it was this teaching that sparked a completely new
religion.
We
are blessed with our place in salvation history. We have the benefit of looking back at the most important
moments in the world—the incarnation (God became a man), Jesus’ death, Jesus’
resurrection and Jesus’ ascension into heaven. We believe such events happened because they did happen. The brothers in Maccabees didn’t have this luxury—they
didn’t know God would become a man, die, rise and go back to heaven. Even Jesus disciples failed to understand
that Jesus, having died on the cross, would rise again. We can see the big picture after the
fact, and for that we are blessed.
Yet
there is one more big event that is to happen—Jesus’ second coming. And here we are in a similar place as
the brothers or the disciples. We
have heard the teachings from Christ that he will come again but it hasn’t
happened yet. We do not know when,
how or where, but believe this truth.
At Mass today, we will profess our belief that Jesus, “will come again
in glory to judge the living and the dead.” We just heard in our Gospel acclamation, “Be watchful and
ready, for you do not know when the Son of God will appear.” In the Eucharistic prayer the priest
prays, “…we look forward to his second coming.” During the last few weeks of Ordinary Time the Church gives
us readings that focus on the end and one of the themes is indeed Christ’s
second coming.
A
great question on which to reflect is, “If Jesus Christ comes back to earth
today, would I be ready?” Being
honest with myself, I know there are things I would do differently in my life
if I knew Christ would visit me tonight as a man back on earth (though I hope
he waits until deer hunting is over).
I suspect you would as well.
While
we don’t know when Christ will appear again, we believe he will. He promised
resurrection and rose from the dead.
He promised to come again and he will. Are you ready?
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