6th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today's Readings
Léachtaí Gaeilge
FIRST READING
A reading from the book of the Prophet Jeremiah 17: 5-8
A curse on the man who puts his trust in man, a blessing on the man who puts
his trust in the Lord.
‘The Lord says this:
‘A curse on the man who puts his trust in man,
who relies on things of flesh,
whose heart turns from the Lord.
He is like dry scrub in the wastelands:
if good comes, he has no eyes for it,
he settles in the parched places of the wilderness,
a salt land, uninhabited.
‘A blessing on the man who puts his trust in the Lord,
with the Lord for his hope.
He is like a tree by the waterside
that thrusts its roots to the stream:
when the heat comes it feels no alarm,
its foliage stays green;
it has no worries in a year of drought,
and never ceases to bear fruit.
The Word of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 1
Response : Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.
1. Happy indeed is the man
who follows not the counsel of the wicked;
nor lingers in the way of sinners
nor sits in the company of scorners,
but whose delight is the law of the Lord
and who ponders his law day and night. Response
2. He is like a tree that is planted
beside the flowing waters,
that yields its fruit in due season
and whose leaves shall never fade;
and all that he does shall prosper. Response
3. Not so are the wicked, not so!
For they like winnowed chaff
shall be driven away by the wind.
For the Lord guards the way of the just
but the way of the wicked leads to doom. Response
SECOND READING
A reading from the first letter of St Paul to the Corintians 15: 12. 16-20
If Christ has not been raised, you are still in your sins.
If Christ raised from the dead is what has been preached, how can some of you
be saying that there is no resurrection of the dead? For if the dead are not raised,
Christ has not been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, you are still in your
sins. And what is more serious, all who have died in Christ have perished. If our
hope in Christ has been for this life only, we are the most unfortunate of all
people.
But Christ has in fact been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of all who have
fallen asleep.
The Word of the Lord
Gospel Acclamation Lk 6: 23
Alleluia, alleluia!
Rejoice and be glad:
your reward will be great in heaven
Alleluia!
GOSPEL
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke 6: 17. 20-26
How happy are you who are poor but alas for you who are rich.
Jesus came down with the twelve and stopped at a piece of level ground where
there was a large gathering of his disciples with a great crowd of people from all
parts of Judaea and from Jerusalem and from the coastal region of Tyre and
Sidon who had come to hear him and to be cured of their diseases.
Then fixing his eyes on his disciples he said:
‘How happy are you who are poor: yours is the kingdom of God.
Happy you who are hungry now: you shall be satisfied.
Happy you who weep now: you shall laugh.
Happy are you when people hate you, drive you out, abuse you, denounce your
name as criminal, on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice when that day comes
and dance for joy, for then your reward will be great in heaven. This was the
way their ancestors treated the prophets.
‘But alas for you who are rich: you are having your consolation now.
Alas for you who have your fill now: you shall go hungry.
Alas for you who laugh now: you shall mourn and weep.
Alas for you when the world speaks well of you! This was the way their
ancestors treated the false prophets.’
The Gospel of the Lord
Reflection:
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?
+++++++++++++++++++
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.
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?
"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."
Reflection by
Don Schwager
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