First Reading Commentary
Souls are justified by the One
and Supreme Sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Many tears flow during funeral Masses.
Ideally, there’s a twofold reason for that: First, they should be tears
of joy as our faith tells us that our beloved one, our friend is in the Hands
of God. Secondly they are tears of
sorrow because we have lost a loved one and we don’t know when we’ll see our
beloved again. Perhaps the latter often
overtakes the former and it is for this reason that this Reading calls us
“foolish”. But the former offers great
words of comfort: “But they are in peace.”
The Benedictine monk Antoine Augustin
Calmet sees a reference to the martyrs in the verse: “For if before men,
indeed, they be punished,
yet is their hope full of immortality; chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,
because God tried them and found them worthy of Himself.”
If our hope for joy were
confined to this world, then the sadness we endure in the here and now would
likely grow beyond control. But no, the
faithful ones are the recipients of God’s grace, mercy and care.
Second Reading Commentary
Hope is always a pertinent word in the deaths of
the faithful; and this Reading tells us that “Hope does not disappoint.”
Most of us would like to believe that if the
circumstance presented itself, we would die for a loved one. But truthfully, how we would react in such a
situation is unknown until we actually face it.
Heroic acts are not uncommon to the human person but neither is
self-preservation. It is certainly an
avenue one hopes to never travel.
This whole topic would really take a turn
towards the bizarre or ridiculous if we start considering the possibility of
sacrificing our life for people who couldn’t care less or even hate us. Saint
Jerome
The Latin Vulgate asks the question: “For why
did Christ, when as yet we were weak, according to the time, die for the
ungodly?” The answer is easy to speak
but difficult to grasp and explain - God loves us.
Optional Second Reading Commentary
In our hustle-bustle, technological western
world, there’s an overall vibe when witnessing a baptism, that it is merely
just another religious ceremony and is nowhere near as exciting as
High-Definition Television or being able to send and receive emails through your
cell phone. The reality, however, is
that where there’s a baptism there is found the newest son or daughter of God’s
beloved family who has an eternal destiny.
And from that moment on, the newly baptized are called to a newness of
life; but unfortunately, rampant secularism detracts and distracts from the
seriousness of that newness.
As Saint Paul points out, we must think of
ourselves as dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus. The words “are you unaware” really set the
tone for the entire reading. You truly
get a - pounding on the table - “Don’t you get it?”- sense of zeal in this
letter from Saint Paul. The main point
here is: If Jesus Christ died but defeated death and was raised, then, He can’t
ever die again. Consequently, if our old,
sinful bodies died through the waters of baptism and rose to a new life, then
we must be faithful to that newness by never sinning again - or in reality,
making every effort not to sin. “If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him.”
Gospel Commentary
Both Saints Hilary and
Augustine teach us that in this Gospel passage Jesus recommends to us His
humility. And that those who come to
Jesus shall not be cast away but shall be incorporated with Him. Let us remember, however, that only a lively
faith and humility can truly come to Jesus.
