Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading I: Jeremiah 17:5-8
Responsorial Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 & 6
Reading II: 1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20
Gospel: Luke 6:17, 20-26
The location of the proclamation of the Beatitudes in the gospel by Luke took place on a level ground, while Matthew happened on a mountain. His audience is very large, people came from all over Palestine, even from the remotest places. For Luke, the Beatitudes are not intended for an elite group but for all of Israel. But then, when we read them, we seem to face a mountain that can be climbed only by a few. Who would dare come forward and be called blessed by signing up for such a program? But actually, all Christians should step forward, for the Beatitudes are for people who are already in the Kingdom of God. They know that the supreme criterion for happiness and success is to listen to the Father and to do His will. Their happiness does not depend on what people say about them or what happens to them, for they have something much deeper to live on. They can take anything in stride, for they have God.
Jesus is not proposing ideal states of life, but He seems to convey hope for the people who deal with harsh realities of life like poverty, pain, oppression. He does not praise these states. The Beatitudes do not operate on the theoretical level but on the practical level where we see how rich people are easily earthbound, while the poor people are more open to God. Countries which enjoy all the benefits of materialism have turned away from God and many people in poorer countries have stayed close to God.
Efren Tomas
In 2004, Father Efren arrived on Maui, Hawaii to be the Pastor of Christ The King Catholic Church in Kahului, Maui until 2012. He calls Christ The King his home because this was his first parish in Hawaii.
All Posts