Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time Reflection 2019
November 10, 2019
“It is my choice to die at the hands of mortals with the hope that God will restore me to life; but for you, there will be no resurrection to life” (2 Maccabees 7:14).
Ever since I was young I have been fascinated by the stories of the saints. I loved learning about their different stories and the ways in which the Lord worked in their lives to bring about a greater good to the earthly world. However, I was often left feeling terrified at stories such as St. Barbara or St. Maria Goretti which ended in their martyrdom. I would wonder what good could possibly come from these morbid deaths.
Today’s first reading left me with that familiar feeling. In the first reading we hear about seven sons and their mother who were tortured and killed because of their faith in God. The king who executed these brothers repeatedly tried to show his power over them and sway them to turn away from God. However no brother faltered, which left the king only feeling more furious. But it was the quote from the fourth brother that really stuck with me, “It is my choice to die at the hands of mortals with the hope that God will restore me to life; but for you, there will be no resurrection to life” (2 Maccabees 7:14). The more I went back to this verse the more I viewed it in the spiritual sense rather than the literal.
In a way, I believe that God calls every one of us as Christians to die at the hands of mortals so that we can be restored to life by Him. No, I do not mean that God calls all of us to physically die for His cause, but rather to die to the things of this world that are keeping us from fully loving and giving ourselves to Him. Has your work become your religion? Do you view your spouse or significant other as an idol? I invite you to reflect on whatever it is in your life that may be holding you back from a deep and authentic relationship with God.
The happiness we seek from earthly things is fleeting. The only one who can eternally satisfy us is Him. And it starts by dying to the distractions of this world and placing our total trust in our Lord.