6th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle C
Jeremiah 17: 5-8; 1 Corinthians 15: 12, 16-20;
Luke 6: 17, 20-26
My family loves to read. It is one of the few traits that all four of us share. But while we all enjoy reading, we don’t always read the same things. And we don’t all read the same way either. For instance – if my wife Susan comes across a word or a phase that she doesn’t understand, she will put down the book and look up its meaning. To her every word is important and worthy of understanding and contemplation. In contrast I usually just skip over the unfamiliar word and keep going. To me understanding the overall message is the key, and one small word will not significantly change said message.
I’ve heard the word “beatitude” spoken for more than forty years. I’ve always equated the word with this gospel passage – the “blessed are …” proclamations. But I never stopped to contemplate the meaning of the word “beatitude” before. So, taking a page from my wife’s book, I looked it up in the dictionary. According to Webster, beatitude is a state of bliss. It is an ancient formula that encourages people to do good things. In other words, if you do this it will bring you joy.
When I heard the term “beatitude” I always thought of the Sermon on the Mount. But in my research for this homily I discovered that the Old Testament is full of these beatitudes. We heard a couple of them in today’s readings. Jeremiah states “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord … they are like a tree planted next to water that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green. The psalm that we sang says “Blessed is the one who does not take the wicked as a guide, nor walks the road that sinners tread.” OK, I get it now. Do these things and they will please God and please ourselves. It seems simple enough to understand, right?
The people in Jesus’ time were familiar with these sayings and this way of thinking. Do the right things, keep God’s laws, and our rewards will be plentiful. Conversely, if we do the wrong things, or think the wrong thoughts, God will be angry and the punishment will be severe. In that time, people looked at the lowly ones of society, the poor, the lame, the outcasts, and believed that their condition was a punishment from God. They looked at the wealthy, the respected, and the law keepers and believed that their prosperity was God’s reward.
These are not beliefs that were unique to the people of 2000 years ago. They are still prevalent today. We live in a nation where drive and ambition are rewarded. Those who are successful have worked hard to get there, and those who are poor must be lazy or ignorant. They have only themselves to blame for their lot in life. That is what capitalism teaches us.
But now here comes Jesus and his words are the complete opposite of everything we have learned. It is the poor, the downtrodden, the meek and the weak who are blessed while the rich and the affluent, the comfortable and the content who will grieve and weep. It must have shocked those who heard him to their very core. They should shock us equally.
In our current society, we are ingrained with the concepts of capitalism. We are taught that anyone can be financially successful if they work hard. It is the basis of our society and our way of interacting with others. We pay attention to the rich and the powerful. So, hearing these words of Jesus may make their way into our heads. Our minds can intellectually comprehend what he is saying and we can nod our heads in agreement, but do these radical concepts Christ is proclaiming reach into our hearts? When we see a homeless person, what is our first reaction? Does what we’ve been taught by society hit first with thoughts of “if he’d just pull himself up by the bootstraps and work harder, he’d have a home like the rest of us”? Do we have the opposite approach, feel pity for him, and hand him a couple bucks? Or do we see him with the same dignity Christ does, as a fellow creation made in God’s image?
A few years ago, the pastor at Holy Family approached me about taking communion to an elderly gentleman who was home bound. I said yes and began the task. The first couple of weeks, George and I would say a few prayers, I would give him the Eucharist, and I would leave. I did what I was supposed to do. I completed the task. I was a law keeper.
But after those initial visits, we became more comfortable with each other and began sharing our life experiences. George told me of his childhood, his marriage and children, his involvement with the parish. As time went on, I began to look forward to my visits with George. I found our conversations to be interesting and meaningful. What began as a task to help an old man evolved into a deeper friendship that I cherished. In our time together, a relationship was formed. I no longer looked at him as an old man I needed to help, but as a child of God; as someone who had much to teach me about the ones Jesus referred to as “Blessed are they”, as those who bring joy.
We have Jesus’ words to live by. We know the meanings of the words. We know the message he was teaching. We know these things in our minds. We can understand and acknowledge their wisdom. But that is not enough. We must also know these things in our hearts. We need to incorporate them into our lives if we are to be truly blessed.
Deacon Darryl J. Diemer
6th Sunday in Ordinary Time
February 14, 2010
