Gospel Reflection 2021/2022

Reading 1

It happened that seven brothers with their mother were arrested

and tortured with whips and scourges by the king,

to force them to eat pork in violation of God's law.

One of the brothers, speaking for the others, said:

"What do you expect to achieve by questioning us?

We are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our ancestors."

At the point of death he said:

"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."

After him the third suffered their cruel sport.

He put out his tongue at once when told to do so,

and bravely held out his hands, as he spoke these noble words:

"It was from Heaven that I received these;

for the sake of his laws I disdain them;

from him I hope to receive them again."

Even the king and his attendants marveled at the young man's courage,

because he regarded his sufferings as nothing.

After he had died,

they tortured and maltreated the fourth brother in the same way.

When he was near death, he said,

"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."

Responsorial Psalm

R. (15b) Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.

Hear, O LORD, a just suit;

attend to my outcry;

hearken to my prayer from lips without deceit.

R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.

My steps have been steadfast in your paths,

my feet have not faltered.

I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;

incline your ear to me; hear my word.

R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.

Keep me as the apple of your eye,

hide me in the shadow of your wings.

But I in justice shall behold your face;

on waking I shall be content in your presence.

R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.

Reading 2

Brothers and sisters:

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father,

who has loved us and given us everlasting encouragement

and good hope through his grace,

encourage your hearts and strengthen them in every good deed

and word.

Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us,

so that the word of the Lord may speed forward and be glorified,

as it did among you,

and that we may be delivered from perverse and wicked people,

for not all have faith.

But the Lord is faithful;

he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.

We are confident of you in the Lord that what we instruct you,

you are doing and will continue to do.

May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God

and to the endurance of Christ.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus Christ is the firstborn of the dead;

to him be glory and power, forever and ever.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection,

came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying,

"Teacher, Moses wrote for us,

If someone's brother dies leaving a wife but no child,

his brother must take the wife

and raise up descendants for his brother.

Now there were seven brothers;

the first married a woman but died childless.

Then the second and the third married her,

and likewise all the seven died childless.

Finally the woman also died.

Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be?

For all seven had been married to her."

Jesus said to them,

"The children of this age marry and remarry;

but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age

and to the resurrection of the dead

neither marry nor are given in marriage.

They can no longer die,

for they are like angels;

and they are the children of God

because they are the ones who will rise.

That the dead will rise

even Moses made known in the passage about the bush,

when he called out 'Lord, '

the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob;

and he is not God of the dead, but of the living,

for to him all are alive."

解復活之疑

27 撒杜塞人不認復活的道理。他們中有幾個來問耶穌說： 28「師傅，梅瑟給我們寫了：若一個有妻子的人，沒有兒子，就死去，他兄弟就該娶他的妻子，為給他哥哥立後。 29從前有兄弟七人，行一的娶了妻，沒有兒子就死了； 30行二的，就娶了他，也沒有兒子就死了； 31行三的又娶了他，七個人都是一樣，都沒有兒子就死了。 32末後那婦人才死的。 33七個人既是都娶過他，在復活的時候，他可是他們那一個的妻子呢？」 34耶穌給他們說：「今世之人，也娶也嫁； 35但那堪當得來世，堪當從死人中復活的人，他們也不嫁，也不娶； 36因為他們不能再死；他們既是復活之子，就如同天神一樣，為天主之子。」

37「論死人復活，梅瑟在荊棘章上，也指示明白了：他稱呼主，是亞巴郎的天主，依撒格的天主，雅各伯的天主。 38但天主不是死人的天主，乃是活人的天主；因為他們在天主臺前，都是生活的。」 39經師當中，有幾個人，對耶穌說：「師傅，你說的好。」 40以後他們再也不敢盤問他什麼了。

基督的福音。