27th Sunday of Ordinary Time [B]

 


27TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [B]


Jesus presents it as a requirement: you will need to become like a child if you want to have a place in the Kingdom of Heaven (see Mk. 10:14-16). Are you interested in Heaven? I am. My guess is that you are as well. Therefore, now might be an appropriate time to reflect upon the long-lost days of your childhood. Think about all of those childhood attachments. For example, did you have a teddy bear? Speaking for myself, I can say that I did not have a teddy bear. I did however have a stuffed Snoopy. And I cherished that stuffed Snoopy—at least for a while. At some point I lost track of that stuffed animal. It’s possible that he ended up at Goodwill. Or he came apart at the seams and had to be thrown away. The point is that he was cherished, but only for a period of time. As far as bonds go, it definitely was meaningful. It was both meaningful and likewise…temporary. 


The Lord would like to establish a bond with each and every one of us. What kind of a bond? Is it going to be the kind of bond that a child has with a stuffed bear? No, we have something far more substantial being outlined for us in this selection from Hebrews (2:9-11). The bond being pursued by the Lord can be described as an everlasting bond, a bond that will outlast all other bonds. It will outlast the bond a child has with a toy. And for that matter, it will even outlast the bond that exists between a husband and a wife. Note that we are hearing something about the subject of marriage, both in Genesis two and in Mark ten. Eve is brought before Adam, and according to Jesus this sets into motion a pattern through which brides and grooms will unite in a matrimonial bond. They commit themselves to a bond that will remain in effect until death causes a state of separation. 


It’s impossible to overlook the inevitability of death. Death will find you, just as it will find me. Does it complete the picture? There was a time when death actually reigned supreme (see Romans 5:14). It dominated, up until the arrival of that original Good Friday. The Divine Plan includes an arrangement through which Jesus will be able to taste death (Heb. 2:9). Jesus assumes our humanity, setting the stage so that he can have an encounter with the grave. The result is that a transformation has taken place. The grave no longer needs to be understood as a destination. Rather, it now can be seen as a passageway, a stage within a wider journey, a chapter within a wider story. 


Your bond with the Lord is a bond that endures. You’re not like the stuffed bear, cherished for a limited amount of time. Or like the stuffed Snoopy, appreciated on strictly a temporary basis. On the contrary, you are being cherished through the course of this earthly life—and furthermore you will continue to be cherished when you transcend these boundaries, beginning your new way of life. In other words, this bond does not terminate at the time of death. Granted, we are still on track to taste the reality of death. You will taste death, but you will taste so much more. Primarily, what you should be anticipating is your ultimate taste of GLORY. It’s all owing to the fact that your bond with the Lord is being revealed as, thankfully, an everlasting bond. 

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