1 June 2016 - are you not misled

[ Today's Readings ]

Jesus said to them, “Are you not misled
because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?

If the Sadducees knew the Scriptures they would be able to see that, he "is not God of the dead but of the living." They imagine limits on God and so do we. They say this not because they don't believe he is all powerful. But they believe he has created constraints for himself which he is powerless to bend.

Last of all the woman also died.
At the resurrection when they arise whose wife will she be?

If we know the Scriptures deeply enough they bear witness to the power of God. And knowing the power of God helps us to recognize and believe the truth of the Scriptures. It's a virtuous cycle. How do we avoid being misled? The Sadducees allow themselves to get lost in the details to justify their lack of faith and knowledge. What do we do instead?

For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. 

We have an unfair advantage when compared to the Sadducees. We have the gift of the Holy Spirit, given in Baptism, and strengthened in Confirmation. What we need to do is turn him loose in our lives. 

For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control.

God gives us a spirit of power wherein we more clearly recognize his own power because it is the source of our courage, our self-control, and our love. If we start to place limits on God and assume that each day can be no better than the one before it we need to stir up this spirit in our hearts.

We need to see what Jesus Christ is making manifest to the world.

the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began,
but now made manifest
through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus,
who destroyed death and brought life and immortality
to light through the Gospel

When we see this, the flames of the Spirit burn in our hearts and we are not ashamed of our testimony to the power of God.

for I know him in whom I have believed
and am confident that he is able to guard
what has been entrusted to me until that day.

Are we that confident? Since he is making this manifest, let's watch closely.

As the eyes of a maid
are on the hands of her mistress,
So are our eyes on the LORD, our God,
till he have pity on us. 

Three options for being unashamed: