First Reading
2Mac 7,1-2.9-14
There were seven brothers who were arrested with their mother. The king had them
scourged and flogged to force them to eat the flesh of a pig which was prohibited by
the Law. One of them, speaking in behalf of all, said, "What do you want to find out
from us? We are prepared to die right now rather than break the law of our ancestors."
At the moment of his last breath, he said, "Murderer, you now dismiss us from life, but
the King of the world will raise us up. He will give us eternal life since we die for his
laws." After this, they punished the third. He stuck his tongue out when asked to,
bravely stretched forth his hands, and even had the courage to say: "I have received
these limbs from God, but for love of his laws I now consider them as nothing. For I
hope to recover them from God." The king and his court were touched by the courage
of this young man, so unconcerned about his own sufferings. When this one was dead,
they subjected the fourth to the same torture. At the point of death, he cried out, "I
would rather die at the hands of men, and wait for the promises of God who will raise
us up; you, however, shall have no part in the resurrection of life."
Responsorial Psalm
Hear a just cause, O Lord,listen to my complaint.
Give heed to my prayer
for there is no deceit on my lips.
Hold firm my steps upon your path,
that my feet may not stumble.
I call on you, you will answer me,
O God; incline your ear and hear my word.
Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled at his fury.
As for me, righteous in your sight,
I shall see your face and, awakening,
gaze my fill on your likeness.
Second Reading
2Thes 2,16-3,5
May Christ Jesus our Lord who has loved us, may God our Father, who in his mercy
gives us everlasting comfort and true hope, strengthen you. May he encourage your
hearts and make you steadfast in every good work and word. Finally, brothers and
sisters, pray for us that the Word of God may finish the race and be crowned as it was
with you. May God guard us from wicked and evil people, since not everyone has
faith. The Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and keep you safe from the Evil
One. Besides, we have in the Lord this confidence that you are doing and will continue
to do what we order you. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to
perseverance for the sake of Christ.
Gospel
Lk 20,27-38
Then some Sadducees arrived. These people claim that there is no resurrection and
they asked Jesus this question, "Master, in the Scripture Moses told us: 'If anyone dies
leaving a wife but no children, his brother must take the wife, and the child to be born
will be regarded as the child of the deceased man.' Now, there were seven brothers;
the first married a wife, but he died without children; and the second and the third
took the wife; in fact all seven died leaving no children. Last of all the woman died.
On the day of the resurrection, to which of them will the woman be wife? For the
seven had her as wife." And Jesus replied, "Taking husband or wife is proper to people
of this world, but for those who are considered worthy of the world to come and of
resurrection from the dead, there is no more marriage. Besides, they cannot die for
they are like the angels. They too are sons and daughters of God because they are born
of the resurrection. Yes, the dead will be raised, and even Moses implied it in the
passage about the burning bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, the God
of Isaac and the God of Jacob. For he is God of the living and not of the dead, and for
him all are alive."