The WORD in Other Words by Fr Gil Alejandria SVD (Philippines)
Monday 14th Week in Ordinary Time
Gn 28:10-22a, Mt 9:18-26
Why did Jesus raise the dead back to life? Was it just to show his power? Was it to give a preview of his own rising from the dead? Was it to give the dead a second chance to live, for their mission on earth was not yet accomplished? Or was it also meant to teach that death was not the end of everything? There is life after death, and it is attained only through God‘s grace and mercy.
Jesus has given a new understanding of life and death. We are no longer afraid of death because it is now like a door through which we have to pass to get to our ultimate destination: eternal life in the Kingdom of God.
Nowadays, advances in medicine have made possible the extension of our earthly life: death is kept at bay through modern health care. Sometimes questions are raised as to the necessity of extending the life of sick people as it can also mean the prolongation of their suffering, especially when they are well advanced in age. Death is inevitable. The people that Jesus raised back from the dead eventually died again.
The relevant question for us to reflect on might be whether our life is well worth prolonging. Are we doing enough good deeds now so that people around us would wish we could continue doing good? Do our lives elevate the lives of others to meaningful levels? If we die now, would Jesus raise us back to life for we have not yet accomplished our mission?
May our reflections on these questions inspire us to live our earthly life in such a way that we would be truly deserving to be raised to eternal life.
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