Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 78
Reading I
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
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 II
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
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Rejoice and be glad;
your reward will be great in heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
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,
We have received promises and guarantees from our God. How awesome is this? Our God has chosen to interact with us and tell us that, regardless of the circumstances that we find ourselves in, that we will be okay. The Prophet Jeremiah offers us a challenge. What are we going to put our trust in: the secular world or in the promises of our God? Think about this for a moment. How arrogant are we that we think that we can solve all our problems without the help of God? Why do we constantly limit God and what He can do to help us in our times of need? This is part of our fallen nature and the results of Original Sin. Here we are, living our lives the way we want to. When things go right, we pat ourselves on the back. When things go wrong, we quickly raise our hands in frustration and blame God for the calamities that have befallen us. We cry out in frustration, “Why has God done this to me?” At no time do we look at ourselves and examine the choices and the desires that led us into the bad situation that we find ourselves in. How arrogant are we and how lost are we when we refuse to let God in and help us?
This world is filled with such great things. How can it not be since God created it? Upon this great canvass we then took control and added things, trying so hard to make it better and take responsibility for all things, regardless of if we were the originators of it or not. Either consciously or subconsciously we entered a competition with God. God reminds us of this through the story of The Tower of Babel in The Book of Genesis. We strive to take command of God’s Creation, distorting it and bending it to our own will, wants, and needs. Monuments are erected, bridges are named, and trophies are given. Unfortunately, all these things eventually crumble and return to dust. The words uttered during The Receiving of Ashes on Ash Wednesday ring true: “Remember man, from dust you were created and to dust you shall return.” This statement extends to everything that is the product of the work of our hands. Whatever we do, whatever we create, will not last forever. This is not a morbid proclamation but more a statement of fact and a reminder of our mortality. If we only invest in things of this material world, then we will perish along with those things that we created.
There is so much more out there than what is directly in front of us. That is what The Prophet Jeremiah is trying to tell us: “ 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.” In the end, there is only emptiness and bareness. Recently, in the last couple of years, there has been a common saying that has been uttered repeatedly that has become a sort of self-justification for many things that people do for the best intentions, but still results in the same end that can be described as a material trap for many of us: “Making memories.” We can easily be motivated to do things to stamp what we think is a lasting memory on those whom we love and interact with. We will do things and give things with the intent on making a lasting impression on all the people involved. We might make decisions based on giving things to fulfill material desires and material wants, thinking these things will have a lasting impression on those whom we love. Unbeknownst to us, these things will not have the impression that we desire because they are not lasting and will just fade away along with everything else that we have created here on this earth by our material hands. These things that will have a lasting impression will be those things of the spirit which have their foundations in love and interactions that go above and beyond any type of material gift or action. These actions go beyond the material and enter the realm of the spirit where we find God. These actions have their origin in love, which comes exclusively from God. Where we express our love in emotion and in the spirit, they have a more lasting impression than anything that can be provided materially.
.
A friend of mine who is under my spiritual direction was facing a dilemma. He was hard working and provided for his family. At times, he found himself working two and three jobs to provide for his family. Because of this, he found himself outside of his household and not present with his family. He justified this by pointing out that his family never lacked anything in their lives and received everything that they needed to lead a comfortable life. Even though this was the case, his wife and children were unhappy. They constantly complained that he was never around and wasn’t there to support them. My friend was confounded. How could his family complain when they were provided for? How could anyone be upset with him when they were provided for regarding food, shelter, and everything materially that they could ever want. Cell phones, food, shelter, clothes, and all the amenities were always given freely and abundantly. Yet, there were complaints, arguments, and dissatisfaction. There was an obvious disconnect and it ran deep. His wife and children constantly complained, “You are never here. You don’t love us. Why are you going out?” These comments and complaints say more than anything that The Prophet Jeremiah could say. Even though the family’s material necessities were taken care of, that is not what they were looking for. They were looking for my friend’s presence and love. It is through love that the presence of God is realized. Love comes from God and God is manifested through it. Material things and things of the flesh while love remains.
When things coming from God are focused on and embraced, our lives then become ordered correctly. Jesus presents this vision in The Sermon on the Plain. Being in the Sunlight of the Spirit, thus being with God, brings about a balance with pieces of the puzzle of life falling into place. The calamities of life are overcome with the presence of God and we can become capable of overlooking all of these while being raised to a higher awareness of life itself. Those who embrace the life of the flesh will be left empty while those embracing the spirit will be filled. Those who embrace the life of the flesh will go the way of the flesh while those embracing the spirit will go the way of the spirit which is eternal. All that is of the flesh dies while the spirit remains forever. Jesus Christ wants us journey with Him in the spirit. With the spirit comes many gifts and joy beyond comprehension. To live a fulfilling life means striving to live in the spirit, thus living with God.
Deacon Tom
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