Homily — 32^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Fr. Timothy W. Castor

Today’s first reading, from the second book of Maccabees, is an excerpt of the much longer story of the martyrdom of seven brothers during the reign of the pagan general, Antiochus Epiphanies, some 300 years before Christ. It is a very moving story of firm faith and dedication to God and to his Law in the face of the most brutal persecution. In today’s Gospel, there is another story of seven brothers—this time, all had been the husband of the same woman in succession, and all had died.

Now, in putting these two readings together, what is the church trying to teach us? Is she saying that marriage is a kind of martyrdom? Probably not. It seems the primary message here is the truth of the resurrection. This truth was strongly affirmed in the testimonies of the third and fourth brothers which we heard in the first reading. But the truth of the resurrection had been challenged and even denied by certain schools of Jewish thought at the time of Christ. Jesus is trying to tell the Saducees that the life of heaven after our resurrection from the dead will be quite different from our life here and now. If we try to understand the resurrection life by applying to it the same categories with which we understand our present life, we will always end up with confused and mistaken ideas.

But perhaps there is another lesson we can draw from these readings. Our earthly life lasts but a very short time; the life to come lasts forever. The gifts we are given in this life—even those gifts which we count most precious most dear—are entrusted to us only temporarily. At death they must be relinquished, and we will be judged according to how we have made use of those gifts. In other words, the message today is a message of stewardship—how we put to use the gifts God gives us.

The Lord has given each one of us many gifts. Some of them tangible, most of them intangible. He calls each one of us to be a good steward, to cooperate with the graces he gives us, not by hoarding those gifts for our own selfish ends, but by sharing them generously with others.

The Diocese of Rapid City is once again launching its annual appeal. Our parish will, of course, be participating. It would be easy to write off this annual event as just another effort on the part of the Church to fleece its members and to squeeze more money out of us. But that would be a sad and cynical misinterpretation. Stewardship is an integral part of living our Christian calling. It is not an option. It is not just another fund-raiser. It is our response in faith and gratitude to the graces God lavishes upon us every day of our lives. In this sense, stewardship really is the very essence of our Christian life.

Soon, you should be receiving (if you haven’t already) a letter from the bishop along with a brochure on this year’s appeal. Please don’t ignore this mailing—learn how the money we give each year is used to benefit all the members of the diocese. Next week we’ll have the opportunity at Mass to make our pledge to the annual appeal. Often in our homilies we priests speak of generalities: vague suggestions of how one might live the Christian life. But the annual stewardship appeal gives us a very concrete opportunity to put our faith into practice. If faithful stewardship and tithing is already a part of your life, we thank you and we encourage you to continue to make that a vital part of living your baptismal commitment. But if it is not, then for the good of your soul and for the good of your brothers and sisters in Christ, do not let this opportunity pass you by. This life is very short, and the life to come is eternal. Take every opportunity you are given to make a difference this world which will endure forever as treasure in heaven.

© 2004, The Rev. Timothy W. Castor