November 6, 2022 WORD Reflection

WORD

"You accursed fiend, you are depriving us of this present life,

but the King of the world will raise us up to live again forever.

It is for his laws that we are dying." (From First Reading, 2 Maccabees 7:9)

OBSERVE

The context of this passage was the persecution of a Jewish mother and her sons who were being forced to eat pork which was against the Jewish laws.

There were many Jews who succumbed to this persecution but not the faithful ones including this family who was willing to die instead of transgressing God's commandment.

Their courage came from their confidence that the "King of the world will raise them up to live again forever."

For them the promise of eternal life is more valuable than this present life.

Nowadays, people are no longer interested with eternal life which they considered as something that will be automatically theirs after death.

For them, this world is everything while the eternal life is not worth dying for.

RESPOND

Lord, you have promised eternal life to those who follow your commandments.

Yet, we have fallen short due to our disbelief.

This world has become everything for us, we have made this world as our heaven.

While we willingly let go of our faith in exchange for whatever this world offers.

Ignite once more our desire for true happiness which this world cannot give. Amen.

DISCERN

Reflect on how you are thinking about eternal life. Is it something that you will receive not as something free, but as a reward to faithfulness?

In what ways are you exchanging your belief about eternal life to exigencies of the world?