Thirty Second Sunday in Ordinary TimeWho is your God? Is he God of dead? or God of living?2 Mac 7:1-2,9-14
2 Thess 2:16-3:5
Lk 20:27-38 Good morning dear friends in Christ Jesus! How are you all?
Church is a unification of different peoples. So we see in our church there are children, youngsters, married people and unmarried people etc. so I ask you question will you answer me? ok. I begin the question with the youngsters? Could all the youngsters raise your hands? I like to see how many youngsters are here? My Question is that how many of you want to get married? I repeat how many youngsters want to get married? Kindly raise your hands? All those who wants to get married put up your hands?
Dear friends many of the youngsters are want to get married ok. If I ask the same question to the married people what will be their answer? Surely many will say please do not get married. If I ask the husbands they will say do not get married because you need to go for work every day and earn money for your wife and children. You cannot be free? You cannot enjoy? etc; is it not true? Ok. So don’t get married?
If I ask the same question to the wives here they too will say the same. Do not get married because the men do not care for the family? Women have to suffer a lot. She has to cook for the family, she has to go for the work, take care of the children, and plenty of works so do not get married. Is it not true?
So dear youngsters now you have to decide whether you want to get married or remain single? (If you are not getting married please come and join in the religious life ok).
Dear friends the first reading and the gospel speaks about the life of the married people. In the first reading we see that a family is a beautiful unit where we find courage, strength, boldness to face any kinds of trails and sufferings. For the sake of Commandments of God the whole family members gave up their life. According the commandments of Old Testaments the believers should not eat the profane or unholy things. But the king orders the family members to eat the pork meat. But the mother and the sons refuse to eat. Thus the furious king punishes them with severe sufferings yet the family members are ready to undergo the sufferings rather than to eat the profane things. Dear friends let us look at our own family situation and the situation of our country today?
What is necessary for our life? Could any one of you answer me? I quote a small example. See in our place each one of you calculate and tell me how many good hospitals do we have? Three or ten. At the same time you count and tell me how many Machee (Tasmach) shops do we have? Fifty or hundred or more than hundred. Which is necessary for our life? machees or hospitals? Ok now tell me how many school do we have? Very few schools are here but the machee shops are plenty. In every street you find these kind of shops. If you and your children are educated then it is good for your family and the country so schools are necessary. But if you drink alcohol you lose your life, you lose your health, at last you lose your family. If you have good hospitals many people will be benefited but if you have many machee shops all will be drunkard finally admitted in the hospitals.
Which is necessary for your life? You think and find out. Dear friends in the book of Sirach we read that chapter 19 the verses 1:3 « A workman who is a drunkard will not become rich; he who despises small things will fail little by little. Wine and women lead intelligent men astray,
and the man who consorts with harlots is very reckless. Decay and worms will inherit him, and the reckless soul will be snatched away»
To live in this hot climate you need machees shops but if you want to live for God, stop going to machees. In the first reading the whole family members were killed cruelly for the sake of God’s commandments. Today to whom you are going to live?
In the gospel reading Jesus tell us that only in this earth people will be married, only the earthily people needed enjoyment but once you die neither you get married nor you are given in a marriage. In heaven life is same for all. Dear friends now which life you want to live. Life of heaven or life of earth? Life of earth you need machees, marriages, enjoyment etc. but the life of heaven demands holiness of life.
So dear friends who is your God? Is he God of dead or God of living? Is he God of earth or God of heaven?
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