Deacon Tom Anthony

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 78

Reading 1 Jer 17:5-8

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.

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.

Reading 2 1 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.

Alleluia Lk 6:23ab

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Rejoice and be glad;
your reward will be great in heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 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.”

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 Take a moment and contemplate why do we pursue certain things in this life? Usually there is a particular goal centralized in a particular want or desire which then motivates us to begin pursuing it. The word pursuit indicates the presence of a drive which causes the object to be the main priority at the expense of other area of interest and responsibility. It becomes an obsession of sorts where the majority of time and energy is thus spent on this one thing. Depending on the individual, the object of pursuit can vary and can be influenced by our personality and experience. What pleases us and what we will do to get it can ultimately define us. At first glance this can be viewed as a positive thing: to be focused on a particular goal with the intent on obtaining it; a good quality when it comes to career, family, or the acquiring of certain goods that guarantee a comfortable lifestyle. It can also lead to negative consequences when the things focused on can ultimately do us harm; especially when those things can be misconstrued as positive things at first. How we spend our time and what areas we concentrate our efforts can define us and shape us more than we realize.

The words of the Prophet Jeremiah remind us that trusting and hoping in God gives us constant nourishment and constant satisfaction which cannot be gained in a singularly material existence. Relying on ourselves and that which society offers to give us satisfaction will always lead in dissatisfaction and a lack of fulfillment. When we eat, we are only full for the moment. When we drink, our thirst is only quenched at that particular time. When we obtain anything that is linked to a desire which is rooted in the physical or mental part of our being that desire is only fulfilled for the moment and will return; often stronger than before. Not only are we consuming it but it is also consuming us and everything about us. In a very disturbing way we can actually take on a description of the thing that we are consuming. There is nothing positive about being defined by what we are indulging in when it comes to this world because whatever we are consuming ends and ultimately leaves us empty.

With God and a relationship with Him there is no pursuit because there is no goal. He is eternal along with us. This relationship is centered in being nourished with intent to fulfill a spiritual satisfaction which becomes a constant instead of something in the moment which will then need further pursuit and further satisfaction which will eventually lead to emptiness. It starts with an offer from God followed by a receiving of what is being offered. There is no need for pursuit only a willingness to accept what is already there. The reason why we even have to approach a relationship with God in the terms of us seeking or pursuing Him is because we were the ones that ran way. What we are actually doing in these instances is backtracking back to where He was in the first place; waiting for us the whole time. Once we choose God, we are planted next to Him and have the ability to be nourished by Him all the time. Pursuing Him is actually means receiving Him; exactly the opposite of what we do regarding physical and mental desires.

In the Gospel Reading today, Jesus came down from the mountain with His disciples. In the same way, He comes to us to dwell within us and to abide with us. Our relationship with Jesus was always initiated by Him as it was by God when He created us. From then on, they all have been waiting for a response from the presence of their love. The act of Jesus coming down from the mountain to preach to the multitudes also signifies that He meets us where we are as we are and not as we are supposed to be. What we are supposed to be comes later when we allow His presence to shape and mold us into a more perfect being. It is from this interaction that it is revealed that what we perceived as weakness and failure are actually our greatest assets: the poor are raised up to the highest of heights,  those who hunger are nourished, the sorrowful are comforted, and those who are viewed as outcast are actually great in the eyes of God. Those who are more broken receive the greatest attention and love for they are the ones in the greatest of need. 

The same can be said for us: the more desperate for God that we become, the more apt we will be able to see His presence. When the world turns against us is when we are able to see society for what it is: lacking in the presence of Jesus Christ and broken by evil. This is not because of the people within but by the choices that are made and the decision to follow the flesh instead off the spirit. It is there where nourishment is lacking and desolation can be found.  Jesus Christ is the Living Water that can make everything fruitful again, including us. To experience Jesus Christ to the fullest is to first experience His creation without Him. When this is witnessed, then His creation with Him and we with Him becomes all the more beautiful

Deacon Tom