32nd Sunday Year C - Homily 1

Homily 1 - 2007

What’s new? Even in Jesus’ time, some believed in resurrection, some didn’t. Sir Kerry Packer didn’t believe in God; he certainly didn’t believe in life after death. I gather that what mattered for him was that his media empire continue. Not altogether unlike the Sadducees. They were wealthy, and their interests centred on the continuation of their bloodline and of their property. Kerry was not alone. A lot of other people don’t believe either in God or in life after death.

Jesus was different. He believed in God. He also believed that God was passionately interested in how we live; indeed, that God made us in God’s own image, and that the God, in whose image we are made, is love. So he believed, too, that human life is all about loving, so, about respecting, relating and caring – so, about living justly, compassionately, in harmony, peacefully, in freedom.

But as Jesus lived his life, he saw that God’s way of love was not the usual pattern of life in the world. In fact, that those who chose to love justly, compassionately, caringly, and non-violently were often themselves exploited, oppressed, ridiculed, and trod on. To get on in the world, you had to look after yourself. The common good of all had to give way to self-interest, to family honour, to family interest, and, in more recent times, to national interest.

Fortunately, Jesus did not fall for that temptation. Jesus was totally convinced of resurrection. It was the only way in which God’s way could make sense. Because he believed in resurrection, he could unshakeably continue to live lovingly, even though he knew he would be killed for it.

Each of us has chosen to follow Jesus. Though none of us has seen the resurrected Jesus, we believe that he lives on. We believe in our own resurrection because, like Jesus, we know that it’s the only context in which God’s way of loving makes sense. We know in our bones that human life is all about loving. We’re made for something far better than “the law of the jungle”. If Jesus’ way is not true, then life doesn’t make sense.

Jesus did not speak of on-going life after death in terms of “souls”. Being Jewish, he spoke of resurrection. He thought in terms of real persons, whole persons. He saw risen life as an extension, and intensifying, of earthly life.

What we do with ourselves here in this life remains with us in the next stage of the adventure - enhanced, forgiven, healed – but “us”. In John’s Gospel, (and probably Luke’s) the risen Jesus still carried, and could still show, his scars.

Life after death will simply enable the total triumph of love. There we shall be empowered to say to each other, indeed, to everyone without exception: I forgive you. Thank you. I am sorry, profoundly sorry. I love you. I rejoice with you. Let’s rejoice together – in each other, and in God..

We shall continue to explore the mystery of unconditional love – accepting it, offering it. We shall have eternity to explore the infinite mystery of God, who is simply sheer, incandescent, personal love. The details escape us, but the underlying love-saturated reality is certain.