REFLECTIONS TODAY
Scriptures see the human being as an embodied spirit. When a man dies, his body decays, but something of him exists: his psyche (translated as “life” or “soul”). There is death which is the end of existence on earth; there is also the “second death” which is the end of a person’s relationship with God due to the evil life one has lived. Jesus teaches that we should be afraid of this second death.
On account of the Gospel, the disciples will face difficulty, opposition and division, conflict and betrayal, and even death. Jesus does not promise to save them from suffering and death. But he assures them of God’s unfailing care. Just as God cares even for the least and most insignificant creatures, like the sparrows that are so common that they have very little commercial value, so does God have all our interests at heart. If God cares for these little birds, how much more will God care for Jesus’ disciples? No disciple need be afraid, then, for he can truly say, “God cares for me.” And this care covers not just life on this earth; it extends to the life beyond, preserving us from the “second death.”
Even if the person’s soul survives after death, he cannot escape the “second death” that is the punishment he incurs from the justice of God. His separation from God is the ultimate suffering, symbolized by being cast into Gehenna. He is thrown outside where there is wailing and grinding of teeth (Mt 13:42).
Gospel • Luke 12:1-7
At that time: So many people were crowding together that they were trampling one another underfoot. Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples, “Beware of the leaven—that is, the hypocrisy—of the Pharisees.
“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops. I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.
Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.”
Source: “365 Days with the Lord 2023.” E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.