Tag: sermon on the plain

“Blessed are you . . . . Woe to you.” | Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “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. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Luke 6:17, 20-26, today’s readings)

And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours.”

Jesus speaks to the disciples and great numbers of people. They come, as Luke tells us, from Judea and Jerusalem and the wealthy Phoenician regions of Tyre and Sidon. Jesus shares the Beatitudes with both Gentiles and Jews, rich and poor, the satisfied and the hungry. In speaking to them face to face on a level plain as the Just Judge, he raises the lowly and brings to the level of dust the wealthy. The poor are not satisfied in their hunger, and the rich are not satiated by what has brought them to prosperity. The words of Jesus are not mere observations on the state of humanity; his words level mountains. In the Communion antiphon for today, we hear how his words take root and fulfill us, at whatever level we stand in life: “They ate and had their fill, and what they craved the Lord gave them; they were not disappointed in what they craved.”

God, help me learn to be satisfied less with the food the world offers and rely more and more on the sustenance you provide. Jeremiah reminds me that to stay rooted in you, I am not to put my trust in human beings, in the strength of flesh. Instead, he says, “Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD.” The kingdom of God is here and yet to be. Give me the grace and wisdom not to be filled now, not to pursue consolation as an end in itself, but even in the midst of difficulty and suffering to “be glad and leap for joy” at the true food you give me today. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Woe to you when all speak well of you.” | Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 6:20-26)

Jesus said to his disciples: “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. But 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.”

In speaking to the great crowd of disciples who came to hear him, Jesus begins his Sermon on the Plain first with the beatitudes and then with the woes. As he begins speaking, Luke tells us that he raises his eyes toward his disciples. This image of Jesus, who appears first to reflect before speaking, echoes his retreat to the mountain to pray before choosing the Twelve Apostles. As he looks among the crowd, it’s not difficult to imagine that he looks up to see before him many men, women, and children who live in poverty. His first words, “Blessed are you who are poor,” are supportive and compassionate. He goes on to speak to the hungry, the sorrowful, the outcasts, and he says as he looks at them: “Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.” In addressing the woes of humanity—the conditions of wealth, satisfaction, unbridled pleasure—Jesus reverses the goals or values of this world in order to draw people to God’s kingdom.

Father in heaven, I want to understand today’s readings as they relate to my life. Who is Jesus addressing when he looks up to speak to the disciples? He looked at them with love and spoke his sermon long ago, but the risen Christ continues to speak today to everyone who would hear him. I have many blessings—more than I can count. Does that mean I will someday grieve and weep and lack honor in the eyes of others? That could be and might someday be the case. And what then? Jesus will speak to me still: “Blessed are you.” And then I take in the words of Saint Paul, who says, “Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly.” I think either way, Jesus says, “Come to me in the Eucharist. Hunger for me; thirst for me; strive to make me your joy.”

“From the responsorial psalm: “Rejoice and leap for joy! Your reward will be great in heaven.” Hear me in your mercy, Lord; let me hunger for your Word. Saint John Chrysostom, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAaVQ82g2C4