Cycle C - Year I:  

17 February 2019: Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Readings:

First Reading:        Jeremiah 17:5-8

Second Reading:   1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20

Gospel:  Please Read  Luke 6:17, 20-26

To hope in the Lord.....

When times are tough and hard, like we are experiencing now, sometimes our only hope for surviving is in God our Lord and Savior.

The Gospel this Sunday is the introductory portion of the Sermon and consists of blessings and woes. The Sermon is also "The Beatitudes".

Now the word "beatitude" means literally "happiness" or "blessedness" in the context of

our search for God's kingdom.  What is the significance of the beatitudes, and why are they so central in the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ?

In Luke's version, the Sermon is shorter but more radical. It contains only four Beatitudes and four curses directed to the Hellenistic communities formed by rich and poor. In Matthew, there are eight Beatitudes which trace a program of life for the Christian communities of Jewish origin.

Also, in Luke the blessings and woes address the real economic and social conditions of humanity. By contrast, Matthew emphasizes the religious and spiritual values of disciples in the kingdom inaugurated by Jesus (like "poor in spirit, Mt. 5:3; "hunger and thirst for righteousness in Mt. 5:6).

In the Beatitudes, Jesus upturns the values we would normally consider desirable. He asks us to realize that we are not living simply to be happy in this life but we should ask ourselves the deeper value of our ways of life in the light of what we can bring with us to eternal life.

The Beatitudes reveal God's ultimate justice. They outline Jesus' prophetic outreach to those who live on the fringes of society. Ultimately, authentic justice is bonding one's self with the sick, the disabled, the poor and the hungry.

As we reflect more deeply, we realize that the Beatitudes respond to the natural desire for happiness in every human heart. Because the Beatitudes teach us the final end to which God calls us to His kingdom. But the Beatitudes also confront us with decisive choices concerning the life we pursue here on earth and the use we make of the goods God puts at our disposal. For in reality, God alone satisfies our longing for happiness, and not material possessions or wealth.

Thus, the Beatitudes point the way to God's kingdom. The saints have trodden the path of the Beatitudes in their worldly journey. We, too, are called to be holy and to be happy by working for the treasures which can afford us welcome into the heavenly home.

In sum, we must hold up the Beatitudes as a mirror in which we examine our own lives and consciences. So that we must challenge ourselves, and our faith: How can we be disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ and put into practice Christ's teaching of the Beatitudes?

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!