CCC 1820: Christian hope begins in the giving of the Beatitudes
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| "The Sermon on the Mount" by Sebastiano Ricci, c. 1725 |
Readings for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time [2]
Reading I: Jeremiah 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.
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Commentary on Jer 17:5-8
This passage from Jeremiah is part of the wisdom sayings (sapiential sayings). The author uses opposition or comparison imagery to demonstrate that the wise person trusts in God while the foolish one trusts in his own strength or the help of others. The responsorial psalm below borrowed this imagery to portray the true heart of faithfulness.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 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.
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Commentary on Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
Psalm 1 serves as a preface to the whole book of the psalms. The psalmist here exalts those who follow the Lord’s commands and reflects upon the blessings they will receive. As in Romans 6:19ff, this selection emphasizes the contrast between the salvation of the just and the punishment of the wicked.
This wisdom psalm begins by extolling the virtue of those who follow the law. The focus is to look to God for guidance, and not to trust only in the counsel of men. Those who reject the law will be blown away like “chaff,” an image used in the Gospel as well (Matthew 3:12).
This portion of the psalm is later echoed in Isaiah 48:17-19, like an overlapped formula of covenant. Blessed is the man who “delights in the law day and night,” but “the way of the wicked vanishes.” It also takes up the theme of following right paths and staying true to the teachings of God: “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.”
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Reading II: 1 Corinthians 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.
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Commentary on 1 Cor 15:12, 16-20
St. Paul continues his apologia on the resurrection from the dead he began in 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. He uses a circular argument to say, if there is no resurrection, then Christ did not rise, and your sins are still upon you. If there is no resurrection, then your faith is hollow, God’s very existence is challenged, and there is no life beyond physical death. The circle is completed as he concludes this section with: “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
CCC: 1 Cor 15:12-14 991; 1 Cor 15:12-13 996;1 Cor 15:20-22 655; 1 Cor 15:20 632, 991
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Gospel: Luke 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.”
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Commentary on Lk 6:17, 20-26
This passage is the introductory section of St. Luke’s “Sermon on the Plain.” Addressed primarily to a Gentile audience, this discourse differs from St. Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5:1-7:27) in that it addresses economic conditions of the day. It begins, as does St. Matthew’s sermon, with the Beatitudes but follows these with the woes to contrast the blessed with those who ignore the poor and hungry.
“6:20-26 Luke lists only four Beatitudes but adds four ‘woes,’ warning that those who enjoy an excess in earthly pleasures may experience a temporary or fleeting joy only to ultimately find life empty and without meaning. St. Ambrose saw in the four Beatitudes of Luke the four cardinal virtues of temperance, justice, prudence, and fortitude. This contact with Christ to secure miraculous healing continues in the reception of the Sacraments. (CCC 2444, 2546-2547)” [6]
It is noteworthy that the word “blessed” [μακάριοι (makάrios) in Greek and beati in Latin] is translated “happy” in many Old Testament texts. The idea of happiness or peace as a blessing from God is an important understanding about the intent of this discourse.
CCC: Lk 6:20-22 2444; Lk 6:20 2546; Lk 6:24 2547
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Reflection
The Beatitudes are, for many of us, like a comfortable pair of old shoes. We have heard them many times, and because they are so broad in their reach, we always can find one of the “blessed” passages that feels like it applies to us.
This selection has the feel of the New Covenant to it. Jesus says; Blessed are the poor, the hungry, the weeping, and those outcast because they are Christian. In a sense they have done what God has asked. Then come the “woes”: woe to those who are rich, filled, laughing, and those who follow false prophets. The formula for a covenant given in the Old Testament says that first God says what he will do then says what man needs to do in return. The formula ends with the consequences of not doing what is required.
In the reading today it’s turned around a bit because Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor,” before he makes the assumption that they will be shown mercy on account of their belief in the Son of Man. The consequences part is clear enough though.
We look at this passage in a more complex way today so that the comfortable old shoe might take on new meaning in our lives. It is not so much a comfort, but rather a focus for our lens of faith. Look at what the Lord has denounced; the rich (How many of us live below the poverty line in the richest country on earth?), those who are filled (How many of us are hungry?), the laughing (How many of us deserve the depression that comes from a hopeless situation based upon our economic circumstances?).
No, the comfortable shoe challenges us as disciples today. We are to reach out to those who are truly in need so that the mercy the Lord promises to those in need will be seen through us. We who are given so much are called to share in the spirit of love with which this sermon was delivered all those years ago.
“I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man with no feet.”
[2] The picture is "The Sermon on the Mount" by Sebastiano Ricci, c. 1725.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio
[4] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
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