Daily Readings - Sat Nov 22 2025
1 Maccabees
1And king Antiochus was traveling through the upper regions, and he heard that the city of Elymais in Persia was very noble and abundant in silver and gold2and that the temple in it was very opulent, and that there were, in that place, coverings of gold, and breastplates and shields, which Alexander, the son of Philip, king of Macedonia, who reigned first in Greece, had left behind3So he came and sought to seize the city and to pillage it. And he was not able, because this plan became known to those who were in the city4And they rose up in battle, and he fled away from there, and he departed with great sadness, and he returned into Babylon5And someone arrived to report to him in Persia, that those who were in the land of Judah were forced to flee the camp6and that Lysias went forth with a particularly strong army, and he was forced to flee before the face of the Jews, and that they were strengthened by the weapons, and resources, and many spoils which they seized from the camps they demolished7and that they had destroyed the abomination, which he had established on the altar that was in Jerusalem, and that the sanctuary, just as before, had been encircled with high walls, along with Bethzur, his city8And it happened that, when the king heard these words, he was terrified and very moved. And he fell down on his bed, and he fell into feebleness out of grief. For it had not happened to him as he had intended9And he was in that place through many days. For a great grief was renewed in him, and he concluded that he would die10And he called all his friends, and he said to them: "Sleep has withdrawn from my eyes, and I am declining, and my heart has collapsed out of anxiety11And I said in my heart: How much trouble has come to me, and what floods of sorrow there are, where I am now! I used to be cheerful and beloved in my power12Truly, now, I remember the evils that I did in Jerusalem, from which place I also took away all the spoils of gold and silver that were in it, and I sent to carry away the inhabitants of Judah without cause13Therefore, I know that it is because of this that these evils have found me. And behold, I perish with great sorrow in a foreign land.
Luke
27Now some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, approached him. And they questioned him28saying: "Teacher, Moses wrote for us: If any man’s brother will have died, having a wife, and if he does not have any children, then his brother should take her as his wife, and he should raise up offspring for his brother29And so there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and he died without sons30And the next one married her, and he also died without a son31And the third married her, and similarly all seven, and none of them left behind any offspring, and they each died32Last of all, the woman also died33In the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be? For certainly all seven had her as a wife.34And so, Jesus said to them: "The children of this age marry and are given in marriage35Yet truly, those who shall be held worthy of that age, and of the resurrection from the dead, will neither be married, nor take wives36For they can no longer die. For they are equal to the Angels, and they are children of God, since they are children of the resurrection37For in truth, the dead do rise again, as Moses also showed beside the bush, when he called the Lord: ‘The God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.38And so he is not the God of the dead, but of the living. For all are alive to him.39Then some of the scribes, in response, said to him, "Teacher, you have spoken well.40And they no longer dared to question him about anything
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two very different narratives, yet both invite us to reflect on the nature of human ambition, the consequences of our choices, and the ultimate hope that lies beyond this life. The first reading from 1 Maccabees tells the story of King Antiochus, who, having failed in his attempt to plunder a temple in Persia, is overwhelmed by grief and regret. His once-proud spirit is broken as he confronts the reality of his own mortality and the evil deeds he has committed. This passage serves as a cautionary tale about the fleeting nature of earthly power and the inevitable consequences of sin.
The Gospel reading from Luke shifts our focus from the temporal to the eternal. Jesus engages in a debate with the Sadducees, who deny the resurrection of the dead. Using a hypothetical scenario about a woman who marries seven brothers in succession, the Sadducees attempt to discredit the idea of an afterlife. Jesus, however, turns their question on its head. He explains that life in the resurrection is fundamentally different from life in this world. There will be no marriage or earthly relationships, for the resurrected will live in a state akin to the angels, free from death and decay. Jesus grounds this teaching in the Scriptures, reminding his listeners that God is the God of the living, not the dead.
These readings invite us to reflect on the ultimate purpose of our lives. The story of Antiochus warns us against allowing ambition and greed to dominate our hearts, for such pursuits ultimately lead to emptiness and regret. Jesus, on the other hand, offers us hope. He reminds us that our true fulfillment is not found in the things of this world but in the eternal life that awaits us. As we navigate the challenges of daily life, let us keep our eyes fixed on the horizon of eternity. May we strive to live in such a way that we are prepared to meet God face to face, trusting in his promise of resurrection and eternal life.