20260919 EVADING THE ISSUE
19 September 2026, Saturday, 24th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
1 Corinthians 15:35-37,42-49 |
The resurrected body is heavenly by nature
Someone may ask, ‘How are dead people raised, and what sort of body do they have when they come back?’ They are stupid questions. Whatever you sow in the ground has to die before it is given new life and the thing that you sow is not what is going to come; you sow a bare grain, say of wheat or something like that. It is the same with the resurrection of the dead: the thing that is sown is perishable but what is raised is imperishable; the thing that is sown is contemptible but what is raised is glorious; the thing that is sown is weak but what is raised is powerful; when it is sown it embodies the soul, when it is raised it embodies the spirit.
If the soul has its own embodiment, so does the spirit have its own embodiment. The first man, Adam, as scripture says, became a living soul; but the last Adam has become a life-giving spirit. That is, first the one with the soul, not the spirit, and after that, the one with the spirit. The first man, being from the earth, is earthly by nature; the second man is from heaven. As this earthly man was, so are we on earth; and as the heavenly man is, so are we in heaven. And we, who have been modelled on the earthly man, will be modelled on the heavenly man.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 55(56):10-14 |
I shall walk in the presence of God in the light of the living.
My foes will be put to flight
on the day that I call to you.
This I know, that God is on my side.
I shall walk in the presence of God in the light of the living.
In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not fear;
what can mortal man do to me?
I shall walk in the presence of God in the light of the living.
I am bound by the vows I have made you.
O God, I will offer you praise
for you have rescued my soul from death,
you kept my feet from stumbling
that I may walk in the presence of God
and enjoy the light of the living.
I shall walk in the presence of God in the light of the living.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps118:18 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Open my eyes, O Lord, that I may consider
the wonders of your law.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 8:4-15 |
The parable of the sower
With a large crowd gathering and people from every town finding their way to him, Jesus used this parable:
‘A sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell on the edge of the path and was trampled on; and the birds of the air ate it up. Some seed fell on rock, and when it came up it withered away, having no moisture. Some seed fell amongst thorns and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some seed fell into rich soil and grew and produced its crop a hundredfold.’ Saying this he cried, ‘Listen, anyone who has ears to hear!’
His disciples asked him what this parable might mean, and he said, ‘The mysteries of the kingdom of God are revealed to you; for the rest there are only parables, so that
they may see but not perceive,
listen but not understand.
‘This, then, is what the parable means: the seed is the word of God. Those on the edge of the path are people who have heard it, and then the devil comes and carries away the word from their hearts in case they should believe and be saved. Those on the rock are people who, when they first hear it, welcome the word with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of trial they give up. As for the part that fell into thorns, this is people who have heard, but as they go on their way they are choked by the worries and riches and pleasures of life and do not reach maturity. As for the part in the rich soil, this is people with a noble and generous heart who have heard the word and take it to themselves and yield a harvest through their perseverance.’
EVADING THE ISSUE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 COR 15:35-37, 42-49; LUKE 8:4-15]
In the first reading, some people asked St. Paul, “How are the dead raised, and what sort of body will they have when they come back?”St. Paul’s answer was clear: “They are stupid questions. Whatever you sow in the ground has to die before it is given new life, and the thing that you sow is not what is going to come; you sow a bare grain, say of wheat or something like that. It is the same with the resurrection of the dead: the thing that is sown is contemptible, but what is raised is glorious; the thing that is sown is weak, but what is raised is powerful; when it is sown it embodies the soul, when it is raised it embodies the spirit.”
St. Paul considers such questions foolish because the answer is straightforward. The resurrected body is not identical to our earthly body; we will not have the exact same features or face as we do on earth. Instead, it is like the transformation of a seed into a seedling, and eventually into a full-grown tree. While there is continuity between the seed and the tree, the two are almost indistinguishable. Similarly, the resurrected body retains a connection to our earthly body, yet because the Spirit transfigures it, we will be transformed like the Risen Lord. This explains why not all the disciples could see the Risen Lord, and why those who did took time to recognise His presence.
What remains of the person beyond this physical continuity is their personality, state of mind, virtues, or vices. Vatican II speaks about the future of creation: “We do not know the time for the consummation of the earth and of humanity, nor do we know how all things will be transformed. As deformed by sin, the shape of this world will pass away; but we are taught that God is preparing a new dwelling place and a new earth where justice will abide, and whose blessedness will answer and surpass all the longings for peace which spring up in the human heart. Then, with death overcome, the sons of God will be raised up in Christ, and what was sown in weakness and corruption will be invested with incorruptibility. Enduring with charity and its fruits, all that creation which God made on man’s account will be unchained from the bondage of vanity. For after we have obeyed the Lord, and in His Spirit nurtured on earth the values of human dignity, brotherhood and freedom, and indeed all the good fruits of our nature and enterprise, we will find them again, but freed of stain, burnished and transfigured, when Christ hands over to the Father: ‘a kingdom eternal and universal, a kingdom of truth and life, of holiness and grace, of justice, love and peace.’ On this earth that Kingdom is already present in mystery. When the Lord returns it will be brought into full flower.” (Gaudium et spes, 39)
So the real question to ask is not what the physical body will look like, but what kind of spirit we will have when the body embodies that spirit. Happiness in life is not determined by whether we are tall or short, fat or thin, but by whether our inner mind and soul are at peace, full of love, and bearing the fruits of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Gal 5:22-23). Heaven and hell are not so much physical locations as they are states of being within a person. Heaven designates a state of life with God, while hell describes a person who is closed off, living entirely for and within themselves, alienated from others, and effectively excommunicating everyone else from their life. Incidentally, not only are the good raised to life on the last day, but the evil as well: “those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” (Jn 5:29). In other words, will our resurrected state reflect a life-giving spirit or one consumed by self-interest? Are we content to remain like Adam, a living soul, or to become like the last Adam, a life-giving spirit?
To achieve this, we must allow our hearts and minds to be transformed now rather than repeating the mistake of the crowds who failed to let the Word of God take root. Jesus said, “The mysteries of the kingdom of God are revealed to you; for the rest there are only parables, so that they may see but not perceive, listen but not understand.” The religious leaders rejected Jesus’ message out of pride and fear of losing their status, while the common people failed to understand because they were preoccupied with their own expectations of a political Messiah.
We must remain receptive to the Word of God so that we, like the psalmist, can walk in the presence of God in the light of the living: “In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not fear; what can mortal man do to me? I am bound by the vows I have made you. O God, I will offer you praise for you have rescued my soul from death, you kept my feet from stumbling that I may walk in the presence of God and enjoy the light of the living.” Walking in the light of the Lord requires that His Word take flesh in us just as Jesus took flesh in His incarnation; indeed, we must put on Christ.
St. Paul instructed the Colossians: “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.” (Col 3:12-16)
Ultimately, we must examine how responsive we have been to the Word of God graciously given to us in Christ Jesus and determine what kind of soil we represent. Are we like the pathway, hearing the Word but allowing distractions or the devil to sweep it away due to inattention? How often has the Word of God come to us through the Scriptures, our friends, personal and societal events in life, but we were deaf to the message and warnings from God! Or perhaps, we are like the rocky ground, receiving the Word during retreats or seminars but failing to deepen our faith or follow through, leaving our relationship with God to wither over time. Most of us resemble the thorny ground, receiving the Word with initial zeal but quickly allowing career pressures, financial anxieties, and worldly concerns to choke out our spiritual life and lead to burnout.
How blessed are those who are truly receptive to the Word of God! For beyond merely welcoming the Word, they discipline themselves in deepening their understanding of the Word of God and applying it in their lives, letting it yield an abundant harvest. “This is people with a noble and generous heart who have heard the word and take it to themselves and yield a harvest through their perseverance.” Indeed, let us not receive the Word of God in vain. As St. Paul says, “As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!” (2 Cor 6:1f) So let us model ourselves after Christ, the heavenly man who leads us to fullness of life so that as we die in Him, we shall rise with Him.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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