In today’s Gospel reading, the Pharisees try to trap Jesus and ask him to explain another minutia of the Law. He erases their question as no longer valid and then adds, rather profoundly, “God is the God of the living, not of the dead.”

The mission given to Jesus by the Father was to announce the Kingdom. A central quality of this Kingdom was life, new life, and abundant life. Throughout the Gospels, the concept of life often rises to the top. “I come to give you life and to have it abundantly.” “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood, you will have no life in you.”

It was not only in his preaching and teaching that Jesus made manifest the Kingdom. His healing ministry was also profound. Whether it was the blind man, a person possessed by demons, the lame, the lepers, or raising the dead, the hundreds brought to him his touch brought wholeness and vitality. The grace of redemption and new life superseded the effects of our original sin. The propagation of this Kingdom, inherent in the person of the God-man, was given as a mission for all his followers. They were to be life-givers, hope-givers, and love-givers to all who are alienated, displaced, ignored, those who suffer from the effects of war and climate change, the refugees, the addicted, the homeless, and all who are hopeless and helpless.

The Eucharist is the food that gives us the courage and the energy to meet the challenges of making the reality of the Kingdom present in our little corner of the world. Jesus was broken and poured out for us, and he tells us at the Last Supper, “Do this in memory of me.”

Let Us Pray:

Lord Jesus, you are the God of the living, and we are living to make your kingdom a reality daily. Give us an abundance of grace so that we may be bright beacons of life to all who need our help and love. Amen.