That I should not lose anything of what he gave me

2 NOVEMBER (Jn 6,37-40)

The twofold resurrection, for life and death, is an already fully revealed truth in the Old Testament. Righteous and unrighteous, faithful to God andunbelievers to the truth will not have the same life in eternity. It will be of joy for those who have lived for the good. It will be instead of darkness and eternal sadness for those who were workers of iniquity.

You have defied me in word, says the Lord, yet you ask, “What have we spoken against you?” You have said, “It is vain to serve God, and what do we profit by keeping his command, And going about in penitential dress in awe of the Lord of hosts? Rather must we call the proud blessed; for indeed evildoers prosper, and even tempt God with impunity.” Then they who fear the Lord spoke with one another, and the Lord listened attentively; And a record book was written before him of those who fear the Lord and trust in his name. And they shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, my own special possession, on the day I take action. And I will have compassion on them, as a man has compassion on his son who serves him. Then you will again see the distinction between the just and the wicked; Between him who serves God, and him who does not serve him. For lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble, And the day that is coming will set them on fire, leaving them neither root nor branch, says the Lord of hosts. But for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays; And you will gambol like calves out of the stall 1) and tread down the wicked; They will become ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day I take action, says the Lord of hosts (Mal 3,13-21).  

When the first brother had died in this manner, they brought the second to be made sport of. After tearing off the skin and hair of his head, they asked him, “Will you eat the pork rather than have your body tortured limb by limb?” Answering in the language of his forefathers, he said, “Never!” So he too in turn suffered the same tortures as the first. At the point of death he said: “You accursed fiend, you are depriving us of this present life, but the King of the world will raise us up to live again forever. It is for his laws that we are dying.” After him the third suffered their cruel sport. He put out his tongue at once when told to do so, and bravely held out his hands, as he spoke these noble words: “It was from Heaven that I received these; for the sake of his laws I disdain them; from him I hope to receive them again.” Even the king and his attendants marveled at the young man’s courage, because he regarded his sufferings as nothing. After he had died, they tortured and maltreated the fourth brother in the same way. When he was near death, he said, “It is my choice to die at the hands of men with the God-given hope of being restored to life by him; but for you, there will be no resurrection to life” (2Mac 7,7-14).

Is it right that we ask ourselves: what does the Lord Jesus add to the old divine law of the resurrection? What is its specific role? What is the novelty that it is urgent that we put in our hearts? What is the perfect, the true, the heavenly and human relationship that the risen ones have with ChristJesus? Let us say from the outset that our Heavenly Father will resurrect the righteous in Christ, with Christ, through Christ, by immersing them in his resurrection. He will make them partakers of the immortal, spiritual and incorruptible body, of light and glory that is characteristic of his Only Son. Moreover, it is necessary to add that the righteous will be resurrected just like him because of his glorious resurrection. God, on earth and in the heavens, in time and eternity, gives us the gift of his Crucified and Risen Word.

But I told you that although you have seen (me), you do not believe. Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it (on) the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him (on) the last day.”

Whoever has borne the image of the Crucified Incarnate Word, will also bear the image of the Risen Incarnate Word. A single image, not two. Todayand in eternity forever in the image of the Only Son of the Father. Who wants to be tomorrow in the image of the Christ of glory must be today in the image of the Christ of ignominy. Today, he must take up the cross of faith, obedience, truth of the Gospel and bring it with infinite love, denying himself and walking behind Jesus for all the days of his life. Who today becomes the crucified body of Jesus, tomorrow will become his glorious body.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints make us be the body of Jesus.