Walking with Jesus: Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time C

For Sunday, February 16, 2025

Jeremiah 17:5-8; 1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20; Luke 6:17, 20-26


The contrasts of life are very interesting. We have the poor — the rich — the lowly — the satisfied — the outcast — the accepted. Then there are the victims of our socioeconomic system — those who have been ravaged by war; those being made vulnerable by life versus the wealth of this world and its pleasures. Where am I? Where do I want to be? Last week we met Peter who has been following Jesus; he is working his fishing trade with his brother Andrew and partners James and John. As always, their success depends on the weather and the fish. It has not been a successful night — or maybe a few nights — we don’t know. Jesus has been watching them and instructs them to put the boat out and drop their nets. Despite Peter's assertion that they haven’t caught anything, the partners go out and the catch overflows both of their boats. As fishermen they know the water, they know their skills — yet they have no answer for this catch. Jesus tells them to not be afraid and follow Him, so they sail ashore and follow Him. The next day Jesus, the Twelve, a group of disciples or followers of Jesus and a large crowd of interested people from as far as Jerusalem and beyond gather to hear what is known as the Sermon on the Plain (Luke’s version of Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount). Both versions explain in detail Jesus’ philosophy of Life: living according to God’s plan.

There is a perfect balance in Jesus’ sermon. First, He singles out four life situations that make people blessed. Then He identifies four opposite situations and declares them woeful. What is astonishing is the reversal Jesus describes: The blessed are those who are poor and hungry, who weep and are persecuted; the woeful ones are the rich, the satisfied, the joyful, the respected. Jesus has overturned the standards of this age and established new ones — that's what God’s kingdom is all about.

Think on it: The poor are economically impoverished and marginalized; they beg, totally dependent on the generosity of others. The poor are avoided, shunned and pushed aside, and society doesn’t take responsibility for their care. God protects the poor — the first Beatitude acknowledges that. Conversely the “rich,” who do not address the needs of the poor, will not enjoy the consolation of the reign of God. God turns our standards upside down. Our readings help us understand this.

Jeremiah employs the contrast of both a curse and a blessing. Two individuals are contrasted, each representing a distinct attitude toward life. (A nearly identical contrast is found in today’s responsorial psalm.) The first individual trusts in human beings and finds strength; the second trusts and lives by the power of God to find their strength. The image of the desert denotes barrenness and desolation (barren bush, desert) … no change of season, no change of heart. On the other hand, the one who trusts in the Lord is firmly planted near water, the source of life. Our God is near us and loves and cares for us. Which path of life do I feel I am on at this point — God’s way or mine?

Some of the Corinthians don't believe in the resurrection of the dead. Paul preaches that Christ, having died as all people do and then raised by God, confirms not only that the dead can be raised but also that believers who believe and live the Christ reality will be raised. If Christ didn’t rise, the Corinthians’ faith is meaningless — their sins remain, and the dead are truly dead and gone. This continues to bear witness to the trust needed to believe in God.

To Matthew's list of the Beatitudes Luke adds a set of corresponding “woes” that are directed at those who will be stripped of their good fortune. This contrast has been used in the past by many of the prophets who used “woe oracles” to deliver judgment. Luke is reiterating his call for repentance for thinking of “me alone” and thereby not sharing possessions to help the poor and the needy. Do I realize that I, like all Christians, am needed? Where does my love stand now? Is it all-inclusive? Is my loving part of my living? Do I have favorites, or do I simply love and help?

So I reflect on:

• The wealth of the world and its pleasures are not the blessings we might think they are. Are they blinding me to the real values of life and preventing me from dying to the world and living a resurrected life in Christ?
• It is neither poverty nor wealth that promises wealth or curse: God does. The life of the Christian feeds on faith in the death and resurrection of Christ, who died for me and showed me the way to heaven — His heaven, promised to you and me. Am I listening? Or am I waiting for later?

Sacred Space 2025 states:

“It is those who recognize their inner poverty and their complete dependence on God who possess the kingdom of God. The values and ways of the world will always be different from those of the kingdom, so there will be opposition from a secular society. Let us pray for all who are persecuted for their faith and ask for the grace of perseverance in our fidelity to Christ.”