Today’s Thoughts: On this Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time, particularly in our Gospel from Luke and our reading from the Prophet Jerimiah and from St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, we might say we are confronted with these questions – Where do we put our faith? or using Jerimiah’s words, “Where are we rooted?” Is our trust in the Lord or elsewhere Who or what commands our loyalty?
Jeremiah in the first reading uses the images of a tree and a bush to reflect the options we have in living life. On the one hand we can be like the barren bush in the desert, or the tree planted near the running stream. We can be cursed or blessed. We can trust in human things, in the things of the world or we can trust and hope in the Lord. The question is where are we rooted? In whom have we placed our trust? St. Paul as he writes to the Corinthians wants to know – in what is their faith grounded? If they don’t believe in the resurrection. If their faith is only about this life, then they have lost. Why are they part of the community? Jesus askes these same questions but differently. In Luke today we listen to the Sermon on the Plain a counterpart to the Sermon on the Mount but different. Where Matthew in the Sermon on the Mount provides us with eight Beatitudes, Luke in the Sermon on the Plain provides us with four Beatitudes and four “woe-to-you”, or curses. The basic question I started with is still there – “Where do we put our faith?” “Where are we rooted?” With whom do we stand? Are we willing to let go of the world, of riches, of plenty, of adulation? Are you willing to identify with the poor, the hungry, those dealing with loss and the fact that we are not the most important? The Hebrew word for “poor” that Jesus uses has an interesting history. It went through four stages of development before reaching the meaning that Jesus had in mind when he uses it. The first usage of poor referred to people who were without material wealth. This is the most common usage of the word – perhaps the one we most identify with. The second stage of the development of the word poor is people who are without influence and power. They had no clout. The third stage referred to people who were exploited. And the fourth stage because people were without wealth, without help, and without protection the only person they could turn to was God. Thus, Jesus uses the word poor in this sense they are the people who put their total trust in God! Thus, we might say that Jesus is painting a picture of what it means to be a disciple. This is often not a glamorous job, journey, ministry or life. It demands commitment, perseverance and patience. We have got to sink our roots as Jerimiah tells us into God’s ever flowing stream of grace, mercy and love for the long haul. As we hear over and over again in the scriptures, the life of a disciple, the life of a prophet is challenging at best with no worldly reward. It doesn’t allow us to be comfortable. We are asked today in our readings to see life through a different lens. We are to look and see life through the eyes of faith. If we are willing then we must also have a willingness to let go of what the world proclaims is important! Have a blessed and holy Sunday everyone!
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Fr. Paul R. Fagan, C.P. "Preacher on the Run"Just a few thoughts to help you on your journey through life...let me know from time to time what you think... Archives
April 2024
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