Life can bring us some devastating blows and painful burdens. Many people have at one time or another reached their limit and longed to have their life end. Even death sometimes seems a more attractive option than continued misery and suffering. But God is greater than any human suffering and God is infinitely merciful. Tobit could not stand his blindness any longer and Sarah was overwhelmed by the death of seven consecutive husbands on her wedding night. Both longed for death to give them relief, but both ultimately turned to God. Tobit had his sight restored and Sarah was rescued by Tobias and finally married to him. In the end, they praised God for the mercy and compassion they had been shown. It is a reminder to us not to give up or to surrender to darkness and negativity. Human pain and misery is not God's will, and God is always present to grant us courage, hope, and healing.

The Sadducees tried to trap Jesus with a trick question about a woman married to seven different brothers. He replied that they knew neither the Scriptures nor the power of God - their question showed ignorance and a lack of religious imagination. Life in God's Kingdom is not just a continuation of our earthly life. We need to open our minds and hearts to something far greater - eternal life is greater than we can ever imagine and we should not think of it in earthly terms. Perhaps we can allow God to surprise and challenge us in answering our religious questions.