The Lord of the Living - Mercy Meditation for Sunday, Nov. 6th, 2016

 

“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.” 

~2 Mc 7:14

Today’s readings include the horrific story of seven brothers and their mother, brutally tortured and maimed one by one and finally put to death for refusing to disobey the Law of God. Each had to watch the deaths of their beloved family members before them. How is it possible that they did not renounce their faith to save themselves? Such courage in the face of death can only come from God. These young men and their mother knew this world with its cruelty would not have the last word. They trusted and believed that God in His mercy would raise them up eternally.

We Christians have even more reason to believe in the Resurrection than these brothers did. We have the full revelation of Jesus Christ, who suffered and died and rose from the dead to show us the way and give us hope. But are we, who live in this peaceful place and time ready to stand the test? We may think it couldn’t happen here, but it can; in fact, it already has.  It was reported that the victims of the school shooting in Roseburg, Oregon last year were asked by the shooter, one by one, if they were Christian. And somehow, these young people had the courage to say “yes” to Christ even with a gun to their head, even as they saw their classmates executed one by one. These martyrs for their faith surely live eternally with Christ.

Christians are the most persecuted religion in the world today. Worldwide, countless men, women, and children are suffering martyrdom even today for their faith Jesus Christ. Are we prepared to stand with them even in the face of death? Remember that Jesus said “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” (Mt 10:28)  Our hope is in Jesus Christ, who is the Resurrection and the Life.