2nd Week after Holy Cross

1Corinthians 15:19-34 Christ the Firstfruits/Practical Arguments
A Reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians. Father, give
your blessing. Pause for the blessing, then read:
Brothers and Sisters:
If for this life only we have hoped in Christ,
we are of all people most to be pitied.
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead,
the first fruits of those who have died.
For since death came through a human being,
the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being;
for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ.
But each in his own order:
Christ the first fruits,
then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
Then comes the end,
when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father,
after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power.
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.”
But when it says,
“All things are put in subjection,”
it is plain that this does not include
the one who put all things in subjection under him.
When all things are subjected to him,
475
then the Son himself will also be subjected
to the one who put all things in subjection under him,
so that God may be all in all.
Otherwise,
what will those people do who receive baptism
on behalf of the dead?
If the dead are not raised at all,
why are people baptized on their behalf?
And why are we putting ourselves in danger every hour?
I die every day!
That is as certain, brothers and sisters,
as my boasting of you —
a boast that I make in Christ Jesus our Lord.
If with merely human hopes
I fought with wild animals at Ephesus,
what would I have gained by it?
If the dead are not raised,
“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”
Come to a sober and right mind, and sin no more;
for some people have no knowledge of God.
I say this to your shame.
Praise be to God always!

Matthew 24:1-14 The Destruction of the Temple Foretold/
The Beginning of Calamities
Let us be attentive to the Gospel of Life and Salvation of our Lord Jesus
Christ as recorded by the apostle Matthew.
The Apostle Matthew writes:
As Jesus came out of the temple and was going away,
his disciples came to point out to him
the buildings of the temple.
Then he asked them,
“You see all these, do you not?
Truly I tell you,
not one stone will be left here upon another;
all will be thrown down.”
When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives,
the disciples came to him privately, saying,
“Tell us, when will this be,
and what will be the sign of your coming
and of the end of the age?”
Jesus answered them,
“Beware that no one leads you astray.
For many will come in my name, saying,
‘I am the Messiah!’
and they will lead many astray.
And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars;
see that you are not alarmed;
for this must take place,
but the end is not yet.
For nation will rise against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom,
and there will be famines
and earthquakes in various places:
all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.
Then they will hand you over to be tortured a
nd will put you to death,
and you will be hated by all nations
because of my name.”
“Then many will fall away,
and they will betray one another
and hate one another.
And many false prophets will arise
and lead many astray.
And because of the increase of lawlessness,
the love of many will grow cold.
But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
And this good news of the kingdom
will be proclaimed throughout the world,
as a testimony to all the nations;
and then the end will come.”
This is the truth. Peace be with you.

Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
O Lord,
may we glorify the day of your glorious resurrection from
the dead,
in joyful praise and with spiritual hymns.
Teach us to perform works of justice,
strengthen our hearts in virtue,
and we shall glorify you in purity and holiness,
as we praise your Father and your living and Holy Spirit,
now and forever.
Amen.

The ideas of baptism on behalf of the dead and the subjegation of the Son are technically, theologically and logically difficult concepts. Likewise, the idea of “the end” is complex. The link between all of them is that they are directed at the future and what is next. The story has a happy ending. Christ will come again, the resurrection of the body will happen, all will be subjected to God, and God will be all in all. Now the baptism on behalf of the dead, mentioned by Paul as a testament to the Corinthians of their unwitting attestation to the resurrection of the body, is a ritualor concept into which we have little insight. No one can prove what it looked like then or even if Paul was commending the practice. The subjection of the Son is not a statement about some distinction between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, but rather about the unity of God. This is a statement more about the glorification of the Church’s understanding and experience of God when God reveals all, rather than any change in God Himself.