As we enter into the final weeks of the church year, our attention is being drawn to the second coming of Christ and the themes of the “Last Things”: death, judgment, heaven, and hell. And this Sunday’s Gospel is an invitation for us to reflect on the promise of a resurrected life offered us by Jesus: our perfect union with God and the fullness of life forever.
In the end, our belief in the resurrection of the dead and the promise of life beyond death leads us to an encounter with the God who is the God “of the living.” Eternal life isn’t a mystery to be puzzled out or something that can be captured in books or in films. Rather, it is a promise and a gift that is based on our hope and confidence that God is at work in us even now and that we can experience this resurrection life today as we celebrate the joy, mercy, and peace that comes through our faithful relationship with God. We can be confident that what we experience here in grace will reach its fulfillment in the life to come.
