Catholic For Life
  • Home
  • Homily
  • Mass Reading
  • Pro-Life
  • News
    • Catholic Events
  • Reflections
    • Videos
    • Morning Inspirational messages
    • Saints
    • Night inspirational messages
    • Quotes
  • Prayers
  • About Us
  • Donate
No Result
View All Result
Catholic For Life
  • Home
  • Homily
  • Mass Reading
  • Pro-Life
  • News
    • Catholic Events
  • Reflections
    • Videos
    • Morning Inspirational messages
    • Saints
    • Night inspirational messages
    • Quotes
  • Prayers
  • About Us
  • Donate
No Result
View All Result
Catholic For Life
No Result
View All Result

HOMILY FOR HOLY SATURDAY, YEAR A,B,C (no.2)

Catholic For Life by Catholic For Life
April 14, 2017
in Homily
Reading Time: 5 mins read
0

HOMILY FOR HOLY SATURDAY, YEAR A,B,C (no.2)

Easter: POWER OF RESURRECTION

By: Fr. Gerald M. Musa

HOMILY FOR HOLY SATURDAY: The Apostle Peter testified to the resurrection of Jesus saying: “They put him to death by hanging him on a tree. This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible…after he rose from the dead” (Acts 10:39-41). Easter is a celebration of resurrection and an opportunity to reflect on the power of a new life. We all can imitate the curiosity of the Apostle Paul who expresses an innate desire “To know Christ and the power of his resurrection” (Philippians 3:10).
Sometimes we assume we understand the mysteries of death and resurrection. We only come to realise how much we know when little children pose some basic questions to us related to death and resurrection. What answer can I give to a child who asks: “What is the meaning of death?” or how would I explain a similar question: ‘Where did granddad go after his death?” or another curious question: “Do dead people wake up from sleep?” or even this frequently asked question: “Where is heaven?”

In simple ways we can explain that rising from the dead is like waking up from sleep. In order to make the explanation of heaven less complex, we simply point to the skies as the location where heaven is. Conversely, we point to the ground, to explain that hell is the depth of the earth. For a child, simple answers like these could suffice and put a wedge to other curious questions. However, for an adult deeper explanation is required which gives a true picture of heaven and hell as a state of relationship or exclusion from God.

GOD OF THE LIVING: In Scriptures we read about the sharp differences between the Pharisees and Sadducees. One of the areas of disagreement between these two groups was on the question of resurrection. The Sadducees did not believe in anything outside the Pentateuch (the five books of Moses). In these books they could not see any allusion to the belief in the resurrection. The Pharisees on the other hand believed in the resurrection and the angels. On one occasion, the Sadducees brought forward a question to Jesus about a woman who married seven brothers serially. They said:
“Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?” (Matthew 22:24-28).

There was a dishonest motive behind their question. It was a mischievous attempt to make him contradict the scriptures and lose his esteem among his followers. They were shocked when Jesus exposed their ignorance of the scriptures. In giving them an answer He quoted from one of the books of Moses (Exodus 3:6), which implicitly speaks about the resurrection. He said to them:
“When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?’ He is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Matthew 22:30-32).

The God of the living means that even though Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are no more in the world, they are alive with God and have only returned to their maker. These words of Jesus remind us that life is a gift forever. Jesus seized the opportunity to educate his detractors about life hereafter. Their questions manifest how they used worldly standards to interpret spiritual matters. He let them understand that there is no procreation after resurrection. Procreation is only necessary for mortals in the world for the reproduction of their own kind. After the life in the world, the necessity for reproduction ceases because those who have resurrected are equal to the angels and can no longer die.

The story of the seven brothers in the book of Maccabees provides for us another background for belief in the resurrection among the Jews. These brothers and their mother suffered martyrdom during the period of the persecution of the Jews under Antiochus Epiphanes who wanted the Jews to worship the pagan gods of the Greeks and to give up their religious convictions by partaking in the pagan rituals. The entire family was wiped out because they stood firm for their belief. They would rather die than give up the faith in the one true God. What is educative about the event of their torture was their expression of belief in the resurrection, which further strengthened their determination to lay down their lives. The mother reminded the children of the hope of resurrection when she said: “The King of the world will raise us up to live again forever’ (2 Macc. 7:9). Job expresses this same conviction about life after death: ‘I know that my redeemer lives and though after my skin worms destroy my body, yet in my flesh I shall see God (Job 19:25-26).

RESURRECTION AND LIFE
Even though some of the sections of the Jews believed in the resurrection, they had no clear understanding on the nature of the resurrection. Jesus came to clarify this very important aspect by his death and resurrection. Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus who assures all who believe in him that they would also experience the process of dying and rising. Jesus rightly declares himself as the way, the truth and life (John 14:6). What is more, he openly told his disciples: ‘I am the resurrection and the life: he that believes in me, though he was dead, yet he will live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.’ (John 11:25-26)
To believe in the resurrection of the body and in the life to come is an expression of faith.

Some early Christians asked questions regarding the nature of resurrection. St. Paul responded to these questions with the following words:
How can some of you say that the dead will not be raised to life? If that is true it means that Christ has not been raised; and if Christ had not been raised from death then we have nothing to preach and you have nothing to believe.’ (1 Corinthians 15:12-14).

Other similar questions, which worried the people, were: ‘how can the dead be raised to life? What kind of body will they have? Paul answered:
“When you sow a seed in the ground, it does not sprout to life unless it dies. And what you sow is bare seed, perhaps a grain of wheat or some other grain, not the full-bodied plant that will later grow…This is how it will be when the dead are raised to life. When the body is buried; when raised, it will be immortal. When buried, it is ugly and weak; when raised it will be beautiful and strong. When buried, it is a physical body, when raised it will be a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:35-37, 42-44).

On Easter Sunday we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ; we anticipate our resurrection: we celebrate the grace of rising from our many falls; we celebrate our rising from sickness to good health; we also celebrate our rising from despair to a blessed hope. St. John Paul II advises, “Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.”

I wish you a Happy Easter as you celebrate life and rise to new life.

Tags: Catholic For Life HOMILYCatholic HOMILY FOR HOLY SATURDAYCatholicforlife HOMILYFr. Gerald MusaHoly Saturday Easter HOMILYHOLY SATURDAY HOMILYHOMILY FOR HOLY SATURDAY Year aHOMILY FOR HOLY SATURDAY Year bHOMILY FOR HOLY SATURDAY Year cHOMILY Of HOLY SATURDAYPope's HOMILY FOR HOLY SATURDAYPOWER OF RESURRECTIONResurrection massVIGIL mass HOMILY
Previous Post

Reading for Holy Saturday(Easter Vigil). Liturgical Colour: violet/Vigil: white

Next Post

Reading for Tuesday within the Octave of Easter. Liturgical Colour: white

Related Posts

YEAR A: HOMILY FOR THE MOST HOLY TRINITY 2023

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY YEAR A. (5)

by Catholic For Life
June 3, 2023
0

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY YEAR A. THEME: THE MOST HOLY TRINITY: MODEL FOR UNITY THROUGH...

YEAR A: HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY. (4)

by Catholic For Life
June 3, 2023
0

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY. THEME: GOD OF LOVE AND PEACE. BY: Benedict Agbo (Rev Fr)...

YEAR A: HOMILY FOR THE MOST HOLY TRINITY 2023

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY. (3)

by Catholic For Life
June 3, 2023
0

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY. THEME: GLORY BE TO THE FATHER, AND TO THE SON, AND...

YEAR B: HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY (1)

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF HOLY TRINITY. (2)

by Catholic For Life
June 3, 2023
0

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF HOLY TRINITY. THEME: God is Community! BY: Fr. Justus Oruma (a) The Blessed Trinity is...

Next Post
Reading for Thursday, Third Week in Ordinary Time Year A

Reading for Tuesday within the Octave of Easter. Liturgical Colour: white

Reading for Thursday, Third Week in Ordinary Time Year A

Reading for Wednesday within the Octave of Easter. Liturgical Colour: white

CLICK TO BUY THIS

The Art of Oratory

Homily

YEAR A: HOMILY FOR THE MOST HOLY TRINITY 2023

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY YEAR A. (5)

June 3, 2023
YEAR A: HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY. (4)

June 3, 2023
YEAR A: HOMILY FOR THE MOST HOLY TRINITY 2023

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY. (3)

June 3, 2023
YEAR B: HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY (1)

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF HOLY TRINITY. (2)

June 3, 2023
YEAR B: HOMILY FOR THE TRINITY SUNDAY (2)

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY. (1)

June 2, 2023
CATHOLIC HOMILIES: SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY (YEAR A)

SOLEMNITY: HOMILY FOR THE MOST HOLY TRINITY (YEAR A)

June 1, 2023

Prayer

Nine days Novena to Sacred Heart of Jesus

Nine days Novena to Sacred Heart of Jesus

June 1, 2023
PRAYERS TO ST. PHILOMENA

PRAYERS TO ST. PHILOMENA

June 1, 2023
NOVENA TO ROSA MYSTICA (DAY ONE – DAY NINE)

NOVENA TO ROSA MYSTICA (DAY ONE – DAY NINE)

June 1, 2023
O Come To The Throne Of Grace LYRICS

O Come To The Throne Of Grace LYRICS

June 1, 2023

Articles 

HOMILY FOR HOLY THURSDAY

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF HOLY THURSDAY?

April 6, 2023
HOMILY FOR THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD  (MASS DURING THE DAY AT CHRISTMAS) (3)

WAS JESUS BORN ON DECEMBER 25? WHY DO YOU CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS.

December 24, 2022
CATHOLIC KNIGHTHOOD: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

CATHOLIC KNIGHTHOOD: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

September 30, 2022

Kneeling or Bowing Before Images

September 15, 2022

News

Nicaragua: Bishop Alvarez sentenced to 26 years’ imprisonment

Nicaragua: Bishop Alvarez sentenced to 26 years’ imprisonment

February 15, 2023
Breaking News: Pope Francis Creates Catholic Diocese of Aguleri, Appoints Bishop Isizoh as the first Bishop.

Breaking News: Pope Francis Creates Catholic Diocese of Aguleri, Appoints Bishop Isizoh as the first Bishop.

February 12, 2023
Pope grieving for victims of quakes in Turkey and Syria

Pope grieving for victims of quakes in Turkey and Syria

February 7, 2023

“God accompanies people with same-sex attraction”, Pope Francis

February 6, 2023

Mass Reading

Reading for Thursday, Third Week in Ordinary Time Year A

CATHOLIC MASS READING FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY (YEAR A)

June 1, 2023
Reading for Thursday, Third Week in Ordinary Time Year A

CATHOLIC MASS READING FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF PENTECOST SUNDAY

May 24, 2023
Reading for Thursday, Third Week in Ordinary Time Year A

MASS READING FOR PENTECOST SUNDAY (YEAR A)

May 24, 2023

CLICK TO BUY THIS

Flashbacks of Turmoil

Reflections

REFLECTION FOR THURSDAY OF 7TH WEEK OF EASTER. (1)

May 25, 2023
YEAR A: HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE 25TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (1)

HOMILY FOR SATURDAY OF 6TH WEEK OF EASTER. (1)

May 20, 2023
REFLECTION/ HOMILY FOR THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD

REFLECTION/ HOMILY FOR THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD

May 16, 2023
  • Home
  • Homily
  • Mass Reading
  • Pro-Life
  • News
  • Reflections
  • Prayers
  • About Us
  • Donate
Call us: +1 234 JEG THEME

© 2023 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Homily
  • Mass Reading
  • Pro-Life
  • News
    • Catholic Events
  • Reflections
    • Videos
    • Morning Inspirational messages
    • Saints
    • Night inspirational messages
    • Quotes
  • Prayers
  • About Us
  • Donate

© 2023 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.