Fr. Jerome Pistoni
Reflection for the 6th Sunday of ordinary time Year C
In the first reading, taken from the book of the prophet Jeremiah, we have met the words “blessing and curse” directed to some people:
“A curse on the man who puts his trust in man… A blessing on the man who puts his trust in the Lord.”
The prophet Jeremiah is not pronouncing a curse against the wicked nor wishes favours to those who listen to his word.
He only proclaims by his words what he sees happening in every day life. He wants to open the eyes of people on their real, present condition :
“The man who puts his trust in the Lord is fortunate, he experiences joy and is a blessing for the community; instead the man who makes himself like God becomes a curse for himself and for the others, he will experience only loneliness and will create division in the community.
The words of Jesus continue in the same direction. He addresses four categories of persons:
“Happy you who are poor, you who are hungry, happy you who weep and you who are persecuted!”
Who really believes that to be poor is a blessing? And that to experience hunger and being persecuted is a reward?
When we pray to God we ask to be spared these conditions.
To understand this, it is necessary to establish whom are the beatitudes addressed to. “There was a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people … Then fixing his eyes on his disciples he said: Blessed are you poor …”
It is clear that the recipients of the “beatitudes” are not the crowds, but only the disciples and, ultimately, the Christian community. Let us consider the four beatitudes.
- “How happy are you who are poor”: does it mean that the disciples must throw away what they have and reduce themselves to misery, becoming beggars? No, Jesus never despised wealth, but he denounced the risks and dangers of possessions: the heart can get attached to them and can become an obstacle for those who want to enter the kingdom of God. The material goods are necessary to life, but must be kept under control, it is wrong if we overestimate them or, worse, turn them into idols.
- “Happy you who are hungry now”: To be a Christian is not a promise of an easy, and comfortable life. Real hunger, not the spiritual one, will be the consequence for those who put everything they own at the service of others. They will experience poverty, hardships; sometimes they will lack even what is necessary, but they will be blessed. To them, Jesus addresses his beatitude and assures: “The Lord will fill you up.” Through you, God will build the new world in which all hunger will disappear, every need will be satisfied.
- “Happy you who weep now” Why are those who weep Blessed? Whoever makes himself poor experiences sadness and despair because, despite all his sacrifices and commitments, he does not immediately and miraculously see the problems of the poor solved. He experiences disappointment and even comes to the point of crying as the good results are slow to come.
- Happy are you when people hate you, drive you out, abuse you, denounce your name as criminal, on account of the Son of Man: Jesus invites them to rejoice even when they become object of harassment on account of the Son of Man .
Whoever refuses to follow the principles that rule this world—selfishness, competition, oppression, the search for self-interest—is opposed and considered dangerous. The old world of sin refuses to surrender peacefully to a society founded on the principles of free gift, selfless service, the preference for the last place. Whoever decide to embrace this new world is in conflict with the mentality shared by “the many”, the crowd, and is immediately marginalised and persecuted.
The disciple is not happy “despite” the persecution and sufferings; he does not rejoice because one day the suffering will end and in the future, he will enjoy a reward in heaven. He is blessed at the very moment when he is persecuted. Persecution, in fact, is the proof that he is following the Master.
Reflection for the 6th Sunday of ordinary time Year C
In the first reading, taken from the book of the prophet Jeremiah, we have met the words “blessing and curse” directed to some people:
“A curse on the man who puts his trust in man… A blessing on the man who puts his trust in the Lord.”
The prophet Jeremiah is not pronouncing a curse against the wicked nor wishes favours to those who listen to his word.
He only proclaims by his words what he sees happening in every day life. He wants to open the eyes of people on their real, present condition :
“The man who puts his trust in the Lord is fortunate, he experiences joy and is a blessing for the community; instead the man who makes himself like God becomes a curse for himself and for the others, he will experience only loneliness and will create division in the community.
The words of Jesus continue in the same direction. He addresses four categories of persons:
“Happy you who are poor, you who are hungry, happy you who weep and you who are persecuted!”
Who really believes that to be poor is a blessing? And that to experience hunger and being persecuted is a reward?
When we pray to God we ask to be spared these conditions.
To understand this, it is necessary to establish whom are the beatitudes addressed to. “There was a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people … Then fixing his eyes on his disciples he said: Blessed are you poor …”
It is clear that the recipients of the “beatitudes” are not the crowds, but only the disciples and, ultimately, the Christian community. Let us consider the four beatitudes.
- “How happy are you who are poor”: does it mean that the disciples must throw away what they have and reduce themselves to misery, becoming beggars? No, Jesus never despised wealth, but he denounced the risks and dangers of possessions: the heart can get attached to them and can become an obstacle for those who want to enter the kingdom of God. The material goods are necessary to life, but must be kept under control, it is wrong if we overestimate them or, worse, turn them into idols.
- “Happy you who are hungry now”: To be a Christian is not a promise of an easy, and comfortable life. Real hunger, not the spiritual one, will be the consequence for those who put everything they own at the service of others. They will experience poverty, hardships; sometimes they will lack even what is necessary, but they will be blessed. To them, Jesus addresses his beatitude and assures: “The Lord will fill you up.” Through you, God will build the new world in which all hunger will disappear, every need will be satisfied.
- “Happy you who weep now” Why are those who weep Blessed? Whoever makes himself poor experiences sadness and despair because, despite all his sacrifices and commitments, he does not immediately and miraculously see the problems of the poor solved. He experiences disappointment and even comes to the point of crying as the good results are slow to come.
- Happy are you when people hate you, drive you out, abuse you, denounce your name as criminal, on account of the Son of Man: Jesus invites them to rejoice even when they become object of harassment on account of the Son of Man .
Whoever refuses to follow the principles that rule this world—selfishness, competition, oppression, the search for self-interest—is opposed and considered dangerous. The old world of sin refuses to surrender peacefully to a society founded on the principles of free gift, selfless service, the preference for the last place. Whoever decide to embrace this new world is in conflict with the mentality shared by “the many”, the crowd, and is immediately marginalised and persecuted.
The disciple is not happy “despite” the persecution and sufferings; he does not rejoice because one day the suffering will end and in the future, he will enjoy a reward in heaven. He is blessed at the very moment when he is persecuted. Persecution, in fact, is the proof that he is following the Master.