Sunday Gospel Reflection (Nov 17, 2024)

Death and our inheritance

We have reached our annual apocalyptic period of Mass readings as we get closer to the end of the liturgical year. The first reading is the classic apocalyptic reading from Daniel. St. Michael is mentioned just before the allusive Old Testament reference in which Christians will see a prophecy of the resurrection of the dead. This is one of the reasons St. Michael is associated with the judgment of souls (he is often depicted holding scales opposite his sword). It is both the good and the bad who are raised on this day. Jesus will refer to the work of the angels and the eschaton in the Gospel reference later. These parties are described as a way to reassure the faithful during the exile. 

While the main thrust of the Gospel reading fascinates us because of all the talk about the end of the world, it should primarily concern us because of its universality. While not every generation will experience the infamous end of days, each of us will experience our own end of days. This is when we will meet St. Michael and the Son of Man. With whom will we be counted among?

I believe it is the Psalm that ties the first reading and Gospel together here. The ironic language used in the Psalm is that while so much of the reading concerns death, the refrain is all about “inheritance,” which is typically associated with those who still remain. However, at our death, we will have an inheritance. The “wise” as Daniel 12:3 describes, “shall live forever” because that is the essence of the “Lord,” who is life itself, and he is their “inheritance” (Psalm 16:5). It is our inheritance by adoption, through baptism, when we become sons and daughters in the Son.