Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 78
Lectionary: 78
Thus says the LORD:
Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings,
who seeks his strength in flesh,
whose heart turns away from the LORD.
He is like a barren bush in the desert
that enjoys no change of season,
but stands in a lava waste,
a salt and empty earth.
Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
whose hope is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted beside the waters
that stretches out its roots to the stream:
it fears not the heat when it comes;
its leaves stay green;
in the year of drought it shows no distress,
but still bears fruit.
Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings,
who seeks his strength in flesh,
whose heart turns away from the LORD.
He is like a barren bush in the desert
that enjoys no change of season,
but stands in a lava waste,
a salt and empty earth.
Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
whose hope is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted beside the waters
that stretches out its roots to the stream:
it fears not the heat when it comes;
its leaves stay green;
in the year of drought it shows no distress,
but still bears fruit.
Responsorial
Psalm PS 1:1-2, 3, 4 AND 6
R. (40:5a) Blessed
are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked,
nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
but delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
that yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked,
nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
but delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
that yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Reading 21 COR 15:12, 16-20
Brothers and sisters:
If Christ is preached as raised from the dead,
how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead?
If the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised,
and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain;
you are still in your sins.
Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
If for this life only we have hoped in Christ,
we are the most pitiable people of all.
But now Christ has been raised from the dead,
the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
If Christ is preached as raised from the dead,
how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead?
If the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised,
and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain;
you are still in your sins.
Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
If for this life only we have hoped in Christ,
we are the most pitiable people of all.
But now Christ has been raised from the dead,
the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
AlleluiaLK 6:23AB
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Rejoice and be glad;
your reward will be great in heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Rejoice and be glad;
your reward will be great in heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 6:17, 20-26
Jesus came down with the twelve
and stood on a stretch of level ground
with a great crowd of his disciples
and a large number of the people
from all Judea and Jerusalem
and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon.
And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for the kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who are now hungry,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
and when they exclude and insult you,
and denounce your name as evil
on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!
Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.
For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way.
But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
Woe to you who are filled now,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you,
for their ancestors treated the false
prophets in this way.”
and stood on a stretch of level ground
with a great crowd of his disciples
and a large number of the people
from all Judea and Jerusalem
and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon.
And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for the kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who are now hungry,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
and when they exclude and insult you,
and denounce your name as evil
on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!
Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.
For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way.
But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
Woe to you who are filled now,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you,
for their ancestors treated the false
prophets in this way.”
Meditation:
"Blessed are you poor - yours is the kingdom of God"
When
you encounter misfortune, grief, or tragic loss, how do you respond? With fear
or faith? With passive resignation or with patient hope and trust in God? We
know from experience that no one can escape all of the inevitable trials of
life - pain, suffering, sickness, and death. When Jesus began to teach his
disciples he gave them a "way of happiness" that transcends every
difficulty and trouble that can weigh us down with grief and despair. Jesus
began his sermon on the mount by addressing the issue of where true happiness
can be found. The word beatitude literally means happiness or blessedness.
Jesus' way of happiness, however, demands a transformation from within - a
conversion of heart and mind which can only come about through the gift and
working of the Holy Spirit.
True
happiness can only be fulfilled in God
How can one possibly find happiness in poverty, hunger, mourning, and persecution? If we want to be filled with the joy and happiness of heaven, then we must empty ourselves of all that would shut God out of our hearts. Poverty of spirit finds ample room and joy in possessing God alone as the greatest treasure possible. Hunger of the spirit seeks nourishment and strength in God's word and Spirit. Sorrow and mourning over wasted life and sin leads to joyful freedom from the burden of guilt and oppression.
How can one possibly find happiness in poverty, hunger, mourning, and persecution? If we want to be filled with the joy and happiness of heaven, then we must empty ourselves of all that would shut God out of our hearts. Poverty of spirit finds ample room and joy in possessing God alone as the greatest treasure possible. Hunger of the spirit seeks nourishment and strength in God's word and Spirit. Sorrow and mourning over wasted life and sin leads to joyful freedom from the burden of guilt and oppression.
The
beatitudes strengthen us in virtue and excellence
Ambrose (339-397 A.D), an early church father and bishop of Milan, links the beatitudes with the four cardinal virtues which strengthen us in living a life of moral excellence. He writes: "Let us see how St. Luke encompassed the eight blessings in the four. We know that there are four cardinal virtues: temperance, justice, prudence and fortitude. One who is poor in spirit is not greedy. One who weeps is not proud but is submissive and tranquil. One who mourns is humble. One who is just does not deny what he knows is given jointly to all for us. One who is merciful gives away his own goods. One who bestows his own goods does not seek another's, nor does he contrive a trap for his neighbor. These virtues are interwoven and interlinked, so that one who has one may be seen to have several, and a single virtue befits the saints. Where virtue abounds, the reward too abounds... Thus temperance has purity of heart and spirit, justice has compassion, patience has peace, and endurance has gentleness." (EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 5.62–63, 68).
No one can live without joy
God reveals to the humble of heart the true source of abundant life and happiness. Jesus promises his disciples that the joys of heaven will more than compensate for the troubles and hardships they can expect in this world. Thomas Aquinas said: "No person can live without joy. That is why someone deprived of spiritual joy goes after carnal pleasures." Do you know the joy and happiness of hungering and thirsting for God alone?
Ambrose (339-397 A.D), an early church father and bishop of Milan, links the beatitudes with the four cardinal virtues which strengthen us in living a life of moral excellence. He writes: "Let us see how St. Luke encompassed the eight blessings in the four. We know that there are four cardinal virtues: temperance, justice, prudence and fortitude. One who is poor in spirit is not greedy. One who weeps is not proud but is submissive and tranquil. One who mourns is humble. One who is just does not deny what he knows is given jointly to all for us. One who is merciful gives away his own goods. One who bestows his own goods does not seek another's, nor does he contrive a trap for his neighbor. These virtues are interwoven and interlinked, so that one who has one may be seen to have several, and a single virtue befits the saints. Where virtue abounds, the reward too abounds... Thus temperance has purity of heart and spirit, justice has compassion, patience has peace, and endurance has gentleness." (EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 5.62–63, 68).
No one can live without joy
God reveals to the humble of heart the true source of abundant life and happiness. Jesus promises his disciples that the joys of heaven will more than compensate for the troubles and hardships they can expect in this world. Thomas Aquinas said: "No person can live without joy. That is why someone deprived of spiritual joy goes after carnal pleasures." Do you know the joy and happiness of hungering and thirsting for God alone?
"Lord
Jesus, increase my hunger for you and show me the way that leads to everlasting
happiness and peace. May I desire you above all else and find perfect joy in
doing your will."
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: Jesus, though rich, became poor for us,
by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.
"'Blessed,'
it says, 'are the poor.' Not all the poor are blessed, for poverty is neutral.
The poor can be either good or evil, unless, perhaps, the blessed pauper is to
be understood as he whom the prophet described, saying, 'A righteous poor man
is better than a rich liar' (Proverbs 19:22). Blessed is the poor man who
cried and whom the Lord heard (Psalm 34:6). Blessed is the man poor in offense.
Blessed is the man poor in vices. Blessed is the poor man in whom the prince of
this world (John 14:30) finds nothing. Blessed is the poor man who is
like that poor Man who, although he was rich, became poor for our sake (2
Corinthians 8:9). Matthew fully revealed this when he said, 'Blessed are the
poor in spirit' (Matthew 5:3). One poor in spirit is not puffed up, is not
exalted in the mind of his own flesh. This beatitude is first, when I have laid
aside every sin, and I have taken off all malice, and I am content with
simplicity, destitute of evils. All that remains is that I regulate my conduct.
For what good does it do me to lack worldly goods, unless I am meek and
gentle?" (excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE
5.53-54)
6th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle C
Note: Where a Scripture text is underlined in the body of this discussion, it is recommended that the reader look up and read that passage.
1st Reading - Jeremiah 17:5-8
Jeremiah began his office of prophet 116 years after Isaiah began his, and about 620 years before the birth of Jesus the Christ. Jeremiah lived through one of the most troubled periods of the ancient Near East as he witnessed the fall of a great empire (Assyria) and the rising of one even greater (Babylon). In the midst of this turmoil, the kingdom of Judah, then in the hands of deplorable kings, came to its downfall by resisting this overwhelming force of history.
The last decades of Judah’s history required a continual flow of light from Yahweh’s messengers; in addition to Jeremiah, the prophets Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Nahum, and Ezekiel delivered the word of God.
The two predominant themes of Jeremiah’s message are to precisely define true Yahwehism, and to proclaim the imminent wars as punishments of Judah’s aberrations. Today’s reading falls into the category of true Yahwehism and is a wisdom saying on true justice.
5 Thus says the LORD: Cursed is the man
The literary form used throughout this reading compares blessings and curses. We must always be mindful that there are blessings associated with fidelity to our covenant relationship with God, and curses associated with infidelity.
who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from the LORD.
The curse is to follow human beings; the blessing is to follow the Lord.
6 He is like a barren bush in the desert that enjoys no change of season, But stands in a lava waste, a salt and empty earth. 7 Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD. 8 He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: It fears not the heat when it comes, its leaves stay green; In the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit.
The comparison here is with the “barren bush in the desert” of verse 6. The idea of the just man being like a green tree because his strength is in God is well known in wisdom literature (Psalm 52:10; Proverbs 3:18; 11:13; Sirach 24:13ff). The opposition between the trust in God and trust in man is also well known in wisdom literature (Psalm 39:5; 117:8-9; 145:3ff). The intent of this saying is to put across the real heart of true religion – God is man’s sole refuge.
The closest parallel to this reading is Psalm 1 (our responsorial psalm) where the same comparisons are used.
Responsorial Psalm
Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed is the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked, nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent, but delights in the law of the LORD and meditates on his law day and night.
Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree planted near running water, that yields its fruit in due season, and whose leaves never fade. Whatever he does, prospers.
Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so the wicked, not so; they are like chaff which the wind drives away. For the LORD watches over the way of the just, but the way of the wicked vanishes.
Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
2nd Reading - 1 Corinthians 15:12,16-20
Today’s second reading continues the teaching we heard last week on the resurrection of the dead. Last week we heard the creed of the Church: Christ died for us, He was buried, He rose on the third day.
Christ’s resurrection is the crowning event of salvation history and man’s victory over sin, Satan, and death. As Adam brought death, Christ brings resurrection from the dead.
The Christian is incorporated into Christ by baptism and shares in His risen life. This final fruit of redemption in Christ will be realized for the Christian at the Lord’s parousia when the dead rise in their glorified bodies.
12 But if Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead? 16 For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised,
Saint Paul draws a conclusion concerning a specific individual, Christ. The sense of the Corinthian claim must be that there is no such thing as resurrection from the dead; it was not part of God’s plan for humanity.
“How grave an offense it is not to believe in the resurrection of the dead. If we do not rise again, Christ died in vain and did not rise again. For if He did not rise for us, He did not rise at all, because there is no reason why He should rise for Himself.” [Saint Ambrose (A.D. 378), The Death of His Brother Satyrus 2,103]
17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain;
If Christ had not risen, then their faith is based on a falsehood. The apostles would be false witnesses and their preaching valueless.
you are still in your sins.
The sin of Adam and the sin of the golden calf has not been forgiven and there is no possibility of having individual sins forgiven and forgotten.
“If Christ did not rise again, neither was He slain, and if He was not slain, our sins have not been taken away. If our sins have not been taken away, we are still in them, and our entire faith is meaningless.” [Saint John Chrysostom (ca. A.D. 392), Homilies on the First Epistle to the Corinthians 39,4]
18 Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
If there is no resurrection, then death is final.
19 If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable people of all.
If there is no resurrection, Christians have false faith and are fools.
20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead,
The faith of Christians is not based on a false premise.
the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
What was done for Christ can be done for others, and God’s goodness indicates that it will. The first fruits, like the firstborn, were offered to God and set the example of God’s pleasure in all that followed.
Gospel - Luke 6:17, 20-26
Last week we heard Simon’s call to be a follower of Jesus; with all the implications of being a follower which, in Luke’s gospel is absolute renouncement. Simon, James and John left everything on the seashore to follow Jesus.
After recruiting Simon, James and John, Jesus continued His ministry in Galilee:
healing a leper and a paralytic, enraging the Pharisees and scribes by forgiving the person’s sins – something only God can do. He then recruited Levi (Matthew), the tax collector, as a follower; further arousing the ire of the Pharisees and scribes by socializing with “sinners.” To this Jesus responded “It is not the healthy who needs a doctor, but the sick.” The Pharisees then questioned why Jesus’ disciples didn’t fast and pray as did their own disciples as well as those of John the Baptist. They also observed the disciples gathering wheat to eat on the Sabbath.
The Pharisees and scribes were now looking for a reason to accuse Jesus and observed Him heal a man with a withered hand; again on the Sabbath. Work on the Sabbath is forbidden and certainly gathering wheat and healing are forms of work.
Jesus then went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also designated apostles: Simon, his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot. He then came down the mountain with them and delivered the sermon on the plain which is our reading for today.
The parallel gospel to this time period is Matthew 5 through 7 which is called the Sermon on the Mount. This portion of the sermon is called the “beatitudes (blessings) and curses.”
17 [Jesus] came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground. A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people
Not just disciples, but many others as well.
from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon.
Judea and Jerusalem are by the Dead Sea, Tyre and Sidon are on the Mediterranean seacoast north of the Sea of Galilee. Apparently, these places are mentioned to show that Jesus had followers (and curious) from far and wide.
20 And raising his eyes
This is an action which denotes a solemn occasion (John 16:23; 18:13).
toward his disciples he said: ABlessed are you
This is a form of joyful outburst or congratulation. It is different from the liturgical expression of blessing, praise or thanksgiving.
who are poor,
Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount uses the third person “the poor.” The poor here are those who are the lowly ones and depend desperately upon Yahweh for help. While Matthew writes of “the poor in spirit... who hunger for justice,” Luke writes more simply of “you poor... who hunger... who are weeping.” Luke makes great demands and expects strong simplicity of the followers of Jesus.
for the kingdom of God is yours. 21 Blessed are you who are now hungry,
Famine for word of God
for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping,
Are concerned for their salvation
for you will laugh. 22 Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you,
When you are persecuted because you are a follower of Jesus. Remember, persecution is a reward of discipleship.
and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man.
Son of Man is a title which only Jesus applies to Himself. It calls to mind the Old Testament prophets (those who speak God’s words) such as Ezekiel (2:1) and Daniel (7:13). For Jesus it has become a messianic title occurring 82 times in 78 verses in the synoptic gospels (Revised Standard Version).
23 Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way.
The eight beatitudes which Saint Matthew gives (Matthew 5:3-12) are summed up in four by Saint Luke. Saint Luke also gives us four opposite woes (curses), to go with the beatitudes while Saint Matthew has none. These woes cast Jesus as a prophet because the prophet’s job was to pronounce the blessings and curses as he reminded the people of God’s covenant and the obligations involved in keeping it.
24 But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
Luke uses a technical term for someone who has undertaken a debt. Woe or bankruptcy upon each man who does not acknowledge that he owes every comfort to Jesus.
25 But woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep. 26 Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.
Notice here that Jesus is not addressing a social class but condemning four things:
1) Avarice and attachment to worldly things.
2) Excessive care of the body, gluttony.
3) Empty-headed joy and general self-indulgence.
4) Flattery and disordered desire for human glory.
These are four very common vices which the Christian needs to be on guard against.
Note: Where a Scripture text is underlined in the body of this discussion, it is recommended that the reader look up and read that passage.
1st Reading - Jeremiah 17:5-8
Jeremiah began his office of prophet 116 years after Isaiah began his, and about 620 years before the birth of Jesus the Christ. Jeremiah lived through one of the most troubled periods of the ancient Near East as he witnessed the fall of a great empire (Assyria) and the rising of one even greater (Babylon). In the midst of this turmoil, the kingdom of Judah, then in the hands of deplorable kings, came to its downfall by resisting this overwhelming force of history.
The last decades of Judah’s history required a continual flow of light from Yahweh’s messengers; in addition to Jeremiah, the prophets Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Nahum, and Ezekiel delivered the word of God.
The two predominant themes of Jeremiah’s message are to precisely define true Yahwehism, and to proclaim the imminent wars as punishments of Judah’s aberrations. Today’s reading falls into the category of true Yahwehism and is a wisdom saying on true justice.
5 Thus says the LORD: Cursed is the man
The literary form used throughout this reading compares blessings and curses. We must always be mindful that there are blessings associated with fidelity to our covenant relationship with God, and curses associated with infidelity.
who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from the LORD.
The curse is to follow human beings; the blessing is to follow the Lord.
6 He is like a barren bush in the desert that enjoys no change of season, But stands in a lava waste, a salt and empty earth. 7 Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD. 8 He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: It fears not the heat when it comes, its leaves stay green; In the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit.
The comparison here is with the “barren bush in the desert” of verse 6. The idea of the just man being like a green tree because his strength is in God is well known in wisdom literature (Psalm 52:10; Proverbs 3:18; 11:13; Sirach 24:13ff). The opposition between the trust in God and trust in man is also well known in wisdom literature (Psalm 39:5; 117:8-9; 145:3ff). The intent of this saying is to put across the real heart of true religion – God is man’s sole refuge.
The closest parallel to this reading is Psalm 1 (our responsorial psalm) where the same comparisons are used.
Responsorial Psalm
Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed is the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked, nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent, but delights in the law of the LORD and meditates on his law day and night.
Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree planted near running water, that yields its fruit in due season, and whose leaves never fade. Whatever he does, prospers.
Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so the wicked, not so; they are like chaff which the wind drives away. For the LORD watches over the way of the just, but the way of the wicked vanishes.
Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
2nd Reading - 1 Corinthians 15:12,16-20
Today’s second reading continues the teaching we heard last week on the resurrection of the dead. Last week we heard the creed of the Church: Christ died for us, He was buried, He rose on the third day.
Christ’s resurrection is the crowning event of salvation history and man’s victory over sin, Satan, and death. As Adam brought death, Christ brings resurrection from the dead.
The Christian is incorporated into Christ by baptism and shares in His risen life. This final fruit of redemption in Christ will be realized for the Christian at the Lord’s parousia when the dead rise in their glorified bodies.
12 But if Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead? 16 For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised,
Saint Paul draws a conclusion concerning a specific individual, Christ. The sense of the Corinthian claim must be that there is no such thing as resurrection from the dead; it was not part of God’s plan for humanity.
“How grave an offense it is not to believe in the resurrection of the dead. If we do not rise again, Christ died in vain and did not rise again. For if He did not rise for us, He did not rise at all, because there is no reason why He should rise for Himself.” [Saint Ambrose (A.D. 378), The Death of His Brother Satyrus 2,103]
17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain;
If Christ had not risen, then their faith is based on a falsehood. The apostles would be false witnesses and their preaching valueless.
you are still in your sins.
The sin of Adam and the sin of the golden calf has not been forgiven and there is no possibility of having individual sins forgiven and forgotten.
“If Christ did not rise again, neither was He slain, and if He was not slain, our sins have not been taken away. If our sins have not been taken away, we are still in them, and our entire faith is meaningless.” [Saint John Chrysostom (ca. A.D. 392), Homilies on the First Epistle to the Corinthians 39,4]
18 Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
If there is no resurrection, then death is final.
19 If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable people of all.
If there is no resurrection, Christians have false faith and are fools.
20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead,
The faith of Christians is not based on a false premise.
the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
What was done for Christ can be done for others, and God’s goodness indicates that it will. The first fruits, like the firstborn, were offered to God and set the example of God’s pleasure in all that followed.
Gospel - Luke 6:17, 20-26
Last week we heard Simon’s call to be a follower of Jesus; with all the implications of being a follower which, in Luke’s gospel is absolute renouncement. Simon, James and John left everything on the seashore to follow Jesus.
After recruiting Simon, James and John, Jesus continued His ministry in Galilee:
healing a leper and a paralytic, enraging the Pharisees and scribes by forgiving the person’s sins – something only God can do. He then recruited Levi (Matthew), the tax collector, as a follower; further arousing the ire of the Pharisees and scribes by socializing with “sinners.” To this Jesus responded “It is not the healthy who needs a doctor, but the sick.” The Pharisees then questioned why Jesus’ disciples didn’t fast and pray as did their own disciples as well as those of John the Baptist. They also observed the disciples gathering wheat to eat on the Sabbath.
The Pharisees and scribes were now looking for a reason to accuse Jesus and observed Him heal a man with a withered hand; again on the Sabbath. Work on the Sabbath is forbidden and certainly gathering wheat and healing are forms of work.
Jesus then went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also designated apostles: Simon, his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot. He then came down the mountain with them and delivered the sermon on the plain which is our reading for today.
The parallel gospel to this time period is Matthew 5 through 7 which is called the Sermon on the Mount. This portion of the sermon is called the “beatitudes (blessings) and curses.”
17 [Jesus] came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground. A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people
Not just disciples, but many others as well.
from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon.
Judea and Jerusalem are by the Dead Sea, Tyre and Sidon are on the Mediterranean seacoast north of the Sea of Galilee. Apparently, these places are mentioned to show that Jesus had followers (and curious) from far and wide.
20 And raising his eyes
This is an action which denotes a solemn occasion (John 16:23; 18:13).
toward his disciples he said: ABlessed are you
This is a form of joyful outburst or congratulation. It is different from the liturgical expression of blessing, praise or thanksgiving.
who are poor,
Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount uses the third person “the poor.” The poor here are those who are the lowly ones and depend desperately upon Yahweh for help. While Matthew writes of “the poor in spirit... who hunger for justice,” Luke writes more simply of “you poor... who hunger... who are weeping.” Luke makes great demands and expects strong simplicity of the followers of Jesus.
for the kingdom of God is yours. 21 Blessed are you who are now hungry,
Famine for word of God
for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping,
Are concerned for their salvation
for you will laugh. 22 Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you,
When you are persecuted because you are a follower of Jesus. Remember, persecution is a reward of discipleship.
and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man.
Son of Man is a title which only Jesus applies to Himself. It calls to mind the Old Testament prophets (those who speak God’s words) such as Ezekiel (2:1) and Daniel (7:13). For Jesus it has become a messianic title occurring 82 times in 78 verses in the synoptic gospels (Revised Standard Version).
23 Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way.
The eight beatitudes which Saint Matthew gives (Matthew 5:3-12) are summed up in four by Saint Luke. Saint Luke also gives us four opposite woes (curses), to go with the beatitudes while Saint Matthew has none. These woes cast Jesus as a prophet because the prophet’s job was to pronounce the blessings and curses as he reminded the people of God’s covenant and the obligations involved in keeping it.
24 But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
Luke uses a technical term for someone who has undertaken a debt. Woe or bankruptcy upon each man who does not acknowledge that he owes every comfort to Jesus.
25 But woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep. 26 Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.
Notice here that Jesus is not addressing a social class but condemning four things:
1) Avarice and attachment to worldly things.
2) Excessive care of the body, gluttony.
3) Empty-headed joy and general self-indulgence.
4) Flattery and disordered desire for human glory.
These are four very common vices which the Christian needs to be on guard against.
St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, Picayune, MS http://www.scborromeo.org
Sunday 17 February 2019
Week II Psalter. 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Jeremiah 17:5-8. Psalm 1:1-4. 1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20. Luke
6:17, 20-26.
Happy are they who hope in the Lord – Psalm 1:1-4.
‘Blessed are you who are poor.’
When Jesus introduces the Beatitudes he draws distinctions under
the headings of ‘poor’ and ‘rich’. The poor are hungry now and they weep now.
Their reward is in the after-life at peace in the presence of God. Their hunger
will be satisfied and their weeping will be replaced with laughter. The rich on
the other hand are not hungry now, they laugh now. At another time in another
place, they will go hungry and they will mourn and weep.
The mission of Jesus and his disciples was especially concerned
with the poor. When on mission, they themselves experienced poverty. Lord, we
pray for the grace that we will draw close to the poor, forgotten, despised and
demonised.
Seven Founders of the Servite Order
Saint of the Day for February 17
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| Seven Founders of the Order of Servites | Rosselli Matteo |
The Story of the Seven Founders of the Servite Order
Can you imagine seven prominent men of Boston or Denver banding
together, leaving their homes and professions, and going into solitude for a
life directly given to God? That is what happened in the cultured and
prosperous city of Florence in the middle of the 13th century. The city was
torn with political strife as well as the heresy of the Cathari, who believed
that physical reality was inherently evil. Morals were low and religion seemed
meaningless.
In 1240, seven noblemen of Florence mutually decided to withdraw
from the city to a solitary place for prayer and direct service of God. Their
initial difficulty was providing for their dependents, since two were still
married and two were widowers.
Their aim was to lead a life of penance and prayer, but they
soon found themselves disturbed by constant visitors from Florence. They next
withdrew to the deserted slopes of Monte Senario.
In 1244, under the direction of Saint Peter of Verona, O.P.,
this small group adopted a religious habit similar to the Dominican habit,
choosing to live under the Rule of St. Augustine and adopting the name of the
Servants of Mary. The new Order took a form more like that of the mendicant
friars than that of the older monastic Orders.
Members of the community came to the United States from Austria
in 1852 and settled in New York and later in Philadelphia. The two American
provinces developed from the foundation made by Father Austin Morini in 1870 in
Wisconsin.
Community members combined monastic life and active ministry. In
the monastery, they led a life of prayer, work and silence while in the active
apostolate they engaged in parochial work, teaching, preaching, and other
ministerial activities.
Reflection
The time in which the seven Servite founders lived is very
easily comparable to the situation in which we find ourselves today. It is “the
best of times and the worst of times,” as Dickens once wrote. Some, perhaps
many, feel called to a countercultural life, even in religion. All of us are
faced in a new and urgent way with the challenge to make our lives decisively
centered in Christ
LECTIO: 6TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (C)
Lectio Divina:
Sunday, February 17, 2019
“Blessed are you who are poor!
Alas for you who are rich!”
The light of the Gospel changes our way of looking.
Luke 6:17, 20-26
Alas for you who are rich!”
The light of the Gospel changes our way of looking.
Luke 6:17, 20-26
1. OPENING PRAYER
Lord Jesus, send Your Spirit to help us to read the scriptures
with the same mind that You read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In
the light of the Word, written in the bible, You helped them to discover the
presence of God in the disturbing events of Your sentence and death. Thus, the
cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life
and of resurrection.
Create silence in us so that we may listen to Your voice in creation and in the scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the poor and suffering. May Your word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, may experience the force of Your resurrection and witness to others that You are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace. We ask this of You, Jesus, Son of Mary, who revealed the Father to us and sent us Your Spirit. Amen.
Create silence in us so that we may listen to Your voice in creation and in the scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the poor and suffering. May Your word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, may experience the force of Your resurrection and witness to others that You are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace. We ask this of You, Jesus, Son of Mary, who revealed the Father to us and sent us Your Spirit. Amen.
2. READING
a) A key to the reading:
In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus declares blessed those who are
poor, those who weep, those who are hungry and who are persecuted. And He
declares bound to unhappiness the rich, those who laugh, who are satisfied, or
who are praised by all. Of what does the happiness consist which Jesus
attributes to the poor, to the hungry, to those who weep, to those who are
persecuted? Is it happiness? The words of Jesus contrast with the daily
experience of our life. The common ideal of happiness is quite different from
the happiness that Jesus speaks about. And you, in your heart, do you think
that a person who is poor and hungry is really happy?
Keeping in mind these questions, which result from our daily experience, read the text of this Sunday’s Gospel. Read it attentively, perhaps without trying to understand it all. Allow the word of Jesus to enter into you. Keep silent. During the reading try to be attentive to two things: (i) to the social category of people who say they are happy, as well as those who are threatened by unhappiness; (ii) to people whom you know and who are part of the group of your friends and who could be part of one or another of these social categories.
The text of this Sunday’s Gospel omits verses 18 and 19. We take the liberty to include them in the brief comment that follows, because they explain a bit better the public, those to whom the word of Jesus is addressed.
Keeping in mind these questions, which result from our daily experience, read the text of this Sunday’s Gospel. Read it attentively, perhaps without trying to understand it all. Allow the word of Jesus to enter into you. Keep silent. During the reading try to be attentive to two things: (i) to the social category of people who say they are happy, as well as those who are threatened by unhappiness; (ii) to people whom you know and who are part of the group of your friends and who could be part of one or another of these social categories.
The text of this Sunday’s Gospel omits verses 18 and 19. We take the liberty to include them in the brief comment that follows, because they explain a bit better the public, those to whom the word of Jesus is addressed.
b) A division of the text to help in the reading:
Luke 6:17: Places the action of Jesus in time
Luke 6:18-19: The crowd seeking Jesus
Luke 6:20-23: The four beatitudes
Luke 6: 24-26: The four threats
Luke 6:18-19: The crowd seeking Jesus
Luke 6:20-23: The four beatitudes
Luke 6: 24-26: The four threats
c) Text:
Jesus came down with the twelve and stood on a stretch of level
ground with a great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people
from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon
came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and even
those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured. Everyone in the crowd
sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all.
And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you
who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now
weeping, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when
they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the
Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be
great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way. But
woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who
are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will
grieve and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors
treated the false prophets in this way.”
3. A MOMENT OF PRAYERFUL SILENCE
so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.
4. SOME QUESTIONS
to help us in our personal reflection.
a) Which is the point that you liked best or that struck you the
most? Why?
b) Who constituted the great crowd around Jesus? From where did they come and what were they seeking?
c) What are the social categories of the people who are declared happy (Lk 6:20-23)? What is the promise that each one of them receives from Jesus? How are these promises to be understood?
d) When saying “Blessed are the poor”, would Jesus be trying to say that the poor should continue to live in their poverty?
e) What are the social categories of the people who are threatened by unhappiness? (Lk 6:24-26)? What are the threats for each one of them? How is this threat to be understood?
f) Do I look at life and at people as Jesus does?
b) Who constituted the great crowd around Jesus? From where did they come and what were they seeking?
c) What are the social categories of the people who are declared happy (Lk 6:20-23)? What is the promise that each one of them receives from Jesus? How are these promises to be understood?
d) When saying “Blessed are the poor”, would Jesus be trying to say that the poor should continue to live in their poverty?
e) What are the social categories of the people who are threatened by unhappiness? (Lk 6:24-26)? What are the threats for each one of them? How is this threat to be understood?
f) Do I look at life and at people as Jesus does?
5. FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO DEEPEN MORE ON THE THEME
a) Context of the time and that of today:
Luke presents the teaching of Jesus in a progressive revelation.
First, up to verse 6:16, Luke says many times that Jesus taught, but says
nothing on the content of the teaching (Lk 4:15,31-32,44; 5:1,3,15,17; 6:6).
Now, after informing us that Jesus saw a great multitude desirous of opening
themselves to the Word of God, Luke presents the first sermon. The sermon is
not long, but it is significant. The one who reads it unprepared will almost
be afraid. It seems to be a sort of shock therapy!
The first part of the sermon (Lk 6:20-38) begins with a provocative contrast: “Blessed you who are poor!” “Alas to you who are rich!” (Lk 6:36-38). The second part (6:39-49) says that nobody can consider himself superior to others (Lk 6:39-42); the good tree bears good fruit, the bad tree bears bad fruit (Lk 6:43-45). Certainly, a person is not helped by hiding behind beautiful words and prayers. What matters is to put the word into practice (Lk 6:46-49).
The first part of the sermon (Lk 6:20-38) begins with a provocative contrast: “Blessed you who are poor!” “Alas to you who are rich!” (Lk 6:36-38). The second part (6:39-49) says that nobody can consider himself superior to others (Lk 6:39-42); the good tree bears good fruit, the bad tree bears bad fruit (Lk 6:43-45). Certainly, a person is not helped by hiding behind beautiful words and prayers. What matters is to put the word into practice (Lk 6:46-49).
b) Commentary on the text:
Luke 6:17: Places the action of Jesus in time and space.
Jesus has spent the night in prayer (Lk 6:12) and has chosen the twelve to whom He has given the name of apostles (Lk 6:13-16). Now He goes down from the mountain together with the twelve. Having reached level ground, He finds two groups of people: a numerous group of disciples and an immense crowd of people who had come there from all of Judea, Jerusalem, Tyre, and Sidon.
Jesus has spent the night in prayer (Lk 6:12) and has chosen the twelve to whom He has given the name of apostles (Lk 6:13-16). Now He goes down from the mountain together with the twelve. Having reached level ground, He finds two groups of people: a numerous group of disciples and an immense crowd of people who had come there from all of Judea, Jerusalem, Tyre, and Sidon.
Luke 6:18-19: The crowds who seek Jesus.
The crowds feel disoriented and abandoned and seek Jesus for two reasons: they want to listen to His word and they want to be cured of their illnesses. Many people were cured, who had been possessed by the evil spirits. The people try to touch Jesus because they are aware that there is a force in Him which does good and cures people. Jesus accepts all those who seek Him. Among these crowds there are also some Jews and foreigners. This is one of the favorite themes of Luke!
The crowds feel disoriented and abandoned and seek Jesus for two reasons: they want to listen to His word and they want to be cured of their illnesses. Many people were cured, who had been possessed by the evil spirits. The people try to touch Jesus because they are aware that there is a force in Him which does good and cures people. Jesus accepts all those who seek Him. Among these crowds there are also some Jews and foreigners. This is one of the favorite themes of Luke!
Luke 6:20-23 The four Beatitudes
*Luke 6:20: Blessed are you who are poor!
Fixing His eyes on His disciples, Jesus declared, “Blessed are you who are poor, because the Kingdom of God is yours!” This first Beatitude identifies the social category of the disciples of Jesus. They are poor! Jesus guarantees for them: “Yours is the Kingdom of Heaven!” It is not a promise concerning the future. The verb is in the present. The Kingdom is already theirs. Even being poor, they are already happy. The Kingdom is not a good future. It already exists in the midst of the poor.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus makes the meaning clear and says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit!” (Mt 5:3). The poor are those who have the Spirit of Jesus, because there are also the poor who have the spirit and the mentality of the rich. The disciples of Jesus are poor and have the mentality of the poor. They also, like Jesus, do not want to accumulate, but accept their poverty and like Jesus, struggle for a more just living together where there will be a fraternal spirit and the sharing of goods, without discrimination.
Fixing His eyes on His disciples, Jesus declared, “Blessed are you who are poor, because the Kingdom of God is yours!” This first Beatitude identifies the social category of the disciples of Jesus. They are poor! Jesus guarantees for them: “Yours is the Kingdom of Heaven!” It is not a promise concerning the future. The verb is in the present. The Kingdom is already theirs. Even being poor, they are already happy. The Kingdom is not a good future. It already exists in the midst of the poor.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus makes the meaning clear and says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit!” (Mt 5:3). The poor are those who have the Spirit of Jesus, because there are also the poor who have the spirit and the mentality of the rich. The disciples of Jesus are poor and have the mentality of the poor. They also, like Jesus, do not want to accumulate, but accept their poverty and like Jesus, struggle for a more just living together where there will be a fraternal spirit and the sharing of goods, without discrimination.
* Luke 6:21: Blessed are you, who are now hungry, blessed are
you who now weep!
In the second and third Beatitude Jesus says, “Blessed are you who are now hungry, because you shall have your fill! Blessed are you who now weep, because you shall laugh!” The first part of these declarations is in the present, the second part in the future. What we now live and suffer is not definitive. What is definitive will be the Kingdom which we are constructing today with the force of the Spirit of Jesus. To construct the Kingdom presupposes suffering and persecution, but one thing is certain: the Kingdom will arrive and “you shall have your fill and shall laugh!” The Kingdom is at the same time a present and a future reality. The second Beatitude evokes the Canticle of Mary: “He has filled the starving with good things” (Lk 1:53). The third one evokes the prophet Ezekiel who speaks of those who “grieve and lament over all the loathsome practices” carried out in the city of Jerusalem (Ezek 9:4; cf. Ps 119: 136).
In the second and third Beatitude Jesus says, “Blessed are you who are now hungry, because you shall have your fill! Blessed are you who now weep, because you shall laugh!” The first part of these declarations is in the present, the second part in the future. What we now live and suffer is not definitive. What is definitive will be the Kingdom which we are constructing today with the force of the Spirit of Jesus. To construct the Kingdom presupposes suffering and persecution, but one thing is certain: the Kingdom will arrive and “you shall have your fill and shall laugh!” The Kingdom is at the same time a present and a future reality. The second Beatitude evokes the Canticle of Mary: “He has filled the starving with good things” (Lk 1:53). The third one evokes the prophet Ezekiel who speaks of those who “grieve and lament over all the loathsome practices” carried out in the city of Jerusalem (Ezek 9:4; cf. Ps 119: 136).
* Luke 6:23: Blessed are you, when people hate you…!
The fourth Beatitude refers to the future: “Blessed are you when people will hate you and will denounce your name as criminal, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice when that day comes and dance for joy, for your reward will be great in Heaven. This was the way the prophets were treated!” With these words of Jesus, Luke points out that the future announced by Jesus is about to arrive,and these people are on the right path.
The fourth Beatitude refers to the future: “Blessed are you when people will hate you and will denounce your name as criminal, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice when that day comes and dance for joy, for your reward will be great in Heaven. This was the way the prophets were treated!” With these words of Jesus, Luke points out that the future announced by Jesus is about to arrive,and these people are on the right path.
Luke 6:24-26: The four threats.
After the four Beatitudes on behalf of the poor and the excluded, follow the four threats against the rich, those who are filled, those who laugh or who are praised by everyone. The four threats have the same literary form as the four Beatitudes. The first one is in the present. The second and third one have a part in the present and a part in the future. The fourth one refers completely to the future. These four threats are found in the Gospel of Luke and not in Matthew. Luke is more radical in denouncing injustice.
After the four Beatitudes on behalf of the poor and the excluded, follow the four threats against the rich, those who are filled, those who laugh or who are praised by everyone. The four threats have the same literary form as the four Beatitudes. The first one is in the present. The second and third one have a part in the present and a part in the future. The fourth one refers completely to the future. These four threats are found in the Gospel of Luke and not in Matthew. Luke is more radical in denouncing injustice.
* Luke 6:24: Alas for you who are rich!
Before Jesus, on that level ground, there are only poor and sick people who have come from all parts (Lk 6:17,19). But before them, Jesus says, “Alas for you who are rich!” In transmitting these words of Jesus, Luke is thinking of the communities of his time, toward the end of the first century. There were rich and poor, there was discrimination against the poor on the part of the rich, discrimination which also affected the structure of the Roman Empire (cf. Jas 2:1-9; 5: 1-6; Rev 3:15-17). Jesus harshly and directly criticizes the rich: “You rich, you have already had your consolation!” It is good to remember what Jesus says at another moment concerning the rich! He does not believe very much in their conversion (Lk 18:24-25). But when the disciples are frightened, He says that nothing is impossible for God (Lk 18:26-27).
Before Jesus, on that level ground, there are only poor and sick people who have come from all parts (Lk 6:17,19). But before them, Jesus says, “Alas for you who are rich!” In transmitting these words of Jesus, Luke is thinking of the communities of his time, toward the end of the first century. There were rich and poor, there was discrimination against the poor on the part of the rich, discrimination which also affected the structure of the Roman Empire (cf. Jas 2:1-9; 5: 1-6; Rev 3:15-17). Jesus harshly and directly criticizes the rich: “You rich, you have already had your consolation!” It is good to remember what Jesus says at another moment concerning the rich! He does not believe very much in their conversion (Lk 18:24-25). But when the disciples are frightened, He says that nothing is impossible for God (Lk 18:26-27).
* Luke 6:25: Alas for you who now laugh because you will be
afflicted and will weep!
“Alas for you who have now been filled, because you will be hungry! Alas for you who now laugh, because you will be afflicted and will weep!” These two threats indicate that for Jesus poverty is nothing fatal, and much less the fruit of prejudices, but rather the fruit of an unjust enrichment on the part of others. Here also, it is good to recall the words of the Canticle of Mary: “You sent the rich away empty handed!” (Lk 1:53).
“Alas for you who have now been filled, because you will be hungry! Alas for you who now laugh, because you will be afflicted and will weep!” These two threats indicate that for Jesus poverty is nothing fatal, and much less the fruit of prejudices, but rather the fruit of an unjust enrichment on the part of others. Here also, it is good to recall the words of the Canticle of Mary: “You sent the rich away empty handed!” (Lk 1:53).
* Alas for you when everyone speaks well of you!
“Alas for you when everyone speaks well of you; in fact, their fathers did the same with the false prophets!” This fourth threat refers to the Jews, that is, the sons of those who in the past praised the false prophets. In quoting these words of Jesus, Luke thinks about some converted Jews of his time who used their prestige and their authority to criticize the openness toward the gentiles (cf. Acts 15:1,5).
“Alas for you when everyone speaks well of you; in fact, their fathers did the same with the false prophets!” This fourth threat refers to the Jews, that is, the sons of those who in the past praised the false prophets. In quoting these words of Jesus, Luke thinks about some converted Jews of his time who used their prestige and their authority to criticize the openness toward the gentiles (cf. Acts 15:1,5).
c) Extending the information:
The Beatitudes in Luke
The two affirmations “Blessed are you who are poor!” and “Alas
for you who are rich!” urge those who listen to make a choice, an option on
behalf of the poor. In the Old Testament, several times God places the people
before the choice of the blessing or the curse. The people are free to choose:
“I place you before life and death, blessing and curse; choose, therefore, life
so that you and your descendants may live” (Deut 30:19). It is not God who
condemns. It is the people who choose life or death, it depends on their
position before God and of others. These moments of choice are moments
of the visit of God to His people (Gen 21:1; 50:24-25; Ex 3:16;
32:34; Jer 29:10; Ps 59:6; Ps 65:10; Ps 80:15; Ps 106:4). Luke is the only
evangelist who uses this image of God’s visit (Lk 1:68,78; 7:16; 19:44). For
Luke, Jesus is the visit of God who places the crowds before the choice of
blessing or the curse: “Blessed are you who are poor!” and “Alas for you who
are rich!” But the people do not recognize God’s visit (Lk 19:44).
The message of Luke for the converted pagans
The Beatitudes and the threats form part of a sermon. The first
part of the sermon is addressed to the disciples (Lk 6:20). The second part is
addressed to “You who listen to Me” (Lk 1:27), that is to those immense crowds
of the poor and the sick, who had come from all parts (Lk 6:17-19). The words
which Jesus addressed to this crowd are demanding and difficult: “love your
enemies” (Lk 6:27), “blessed are those who curse you” (Lk 6:28), “to those who
slap you on one cheek, present the other cheek” (Lk 6:29), to anyone who takes
your cloak from you, do not refuse your tunic” (Lk 6:29). Taken literally,
these words may benefit the rich, because the harder choice is always for the
poor. And these words seem to say the opposite of the message of the Beatitudes
and of the threats which Jesus had communicated before to His disciples.
But they cannot be taken literally. Not even Jesus took
them like that. When the soldier slaps Him in the face, He does not offer the
other cheek; rather, He reacts firmly: “If there is some offense in what I
said, point it out; but if not, why do you strike Me?” (Jn 18:22-23). Then how
can we understand these words? Two sentences help to understand what these
words want to teach. The first sentence: “Treat others as you would like people
to treat you!” (Lk 6:31). The second sentence: “Be compassionate just
as your Father is compassionate!” (Lk 6:36). Jesus does not simply want to
change something, because that would change nothing. He wants to change the
system. The new way which Jesus wants to construct comes from the new
experience that Jesus has: the Father full of tenderness who accepts everyone!
The words of threat against the rich cannot be an occasion of revenge on the
part of the poor. Jesus commands them to have the contrary attitude: “Love your
enemies!” True love cannot depend on what I receive from the other. Love should
want the good of the other independently from what the other does for me. God’s
love for us is like this.
The sermon on the mountain, the sermon on the level ground
In the Gospel of Luke Jesus comes down from the mountain and
stops on level ground to give a sermon (Lk 6:17). This is why some call it the
“sermon on the plain”. In the Gospel of Matthew, this same sermon is given on
the mountain (Mt 5:1) and is called the “sermon on the mount”. Because Matthew
seeks to present Jesus as the new legislator, the new Moses. It was on the mountain
where Moses received the Law (Ex 19:3-6; 31:18; 34:1-2). And it is on the
mountain that we receive the new law of Jesus.
6. PRAYER OF PSALM 34 (33)
“Gratitude which comes from a diverse way of looking at things”
I will bless Yahweh at all times,
His praise continually on my lips.
I will praise Yahweh from my heart;
let the humble hear and rejoice.
Proclaim with me the greatness of Yahweh,
let us acclaim His name together.
I seek Yahweh and He answers me,
frees me from all my fears.
His praise continually on my lips.
I will praise Yahweh from my heart;
let the humble hear and rejoice.
Proclaim with me the greatness of Yahweh,
let us acclaim His name together.
I seek Yahweh and He answers me,
frees me from all my fears.
Fix your gaze on Yahweh and your face will grow bright,
you will never hang your head in shame.
A pauper calls out and Yahweh hears,
saves him from all his troubles.
The angel of Yahweh encamps around those who fear Him,
and rescues them.
Taste and see that Yahweh is good.
How blessed are those who take refuge in Him.
you will never hang your head in shame.
A pauper calls out and Yahweh hears,
saves him from all his troubles.
The angel of Yahweh encamps around those who fear Him,
and rescues them.
Taste and see that Yahweh is good.
How blessed are those who take refuge in Him.
Fear Yahweh, you His holy ones;
those who fear Him lack for nothing.
Young lions may go needy and hungry,
but those who seek Yahweh lack nothing good.
Come, my children, listen to me,
I will teach you the fear of Yahweh.
those who fear Him lack for nothing.
Young lions may go needy and hungry,
but those who seek Yahweh lack nothing good.
Come, my children, listen to me,
I will teach you the fear of Yahweh.
Who among you delights in life,
longs for time to enjoy prosperity?
Guard your tongue from evil,
your lips from any breath of deceit.
longs for time to enjoy prosperity?
Guard your tongue from evil,
your lips from any breath of deceit.
Turn away from evil and do good,
seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of Yahweh are on the upright,
His ear turned to their cry.
seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of Yahweh are on the upright,
His ear turned to their cry.
But Yahweh's face is set against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
They cry in anguish and Yahweh hears,
and rescues them from all their troubles.
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
They cry in anguish and Yahweh hears,
and rescues them from all their troubles.
Yahweh is near to the broken-hearted;
He helps those whose spirit is crushed.
Though hardships without number beset the upright,
Yahweh brings rescue from them all.
He helps those whose spirit is crushed.
Though hardships without number beset the upright,
Yahweh brings rescue from them all.
Yahweh takes care of all their bones,
not one of them will be broken.
But to the wicked evil brings death,
those who hate the upright will pay the penalty.
not one of them will be broken.
But to the wicked evil brings death,
those who hate the upright will pay the penalty.
Yahweh ransoms the lives of those who serve Him,
and there will be no penalty for those who take refuge in Him.
and there will be no penalty for those who take refuge in Him.
7. FINAL PRAYER
Lord Jesus, we thank You for the Word that has enabled us to
understand better the will of the Father. May Your Spirit enlighten our actions
and grant us the strength to practice what Your Word has revealed to us. May
we, like Mary, Your mother, not only listen to but also practice the Word. You
who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and
ever. Amen.
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