Happy Sunday!
DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(May the Eucharist we celebrate today help us to know that in any difficulty we find ourselves if we endure to the end, we will be among those that Jesus said blessed are those who suffer now for they shall be consoled in heaven.
Happy Sunday!
DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Jer 17,5-8; 1 Cor 15, 12.16-20; Luke 6, 17.20-26; Year C, February 13, 2022)
This Sunday's Gospel presents us with Jesus' discourse on the beatitudes and also on the woes. Jesus invites us neither to believe in appearances, nor remain at the level of superficial observations, but go deeper into situations, showing us that, those situations that precisely seem to us unfavorable may actually be favorable and, on the other hand, that those which seem favorable to us may actually be unfavorable. We must recognize the true values, which are not those that the world usually appreciates, but the evangelical ones of union with Christ, love, courage in difficulties, hope in difficult situations, and generosity and forgiveness when we are struck by injustice. Jesus says to the disciples: Blessed are you who are poor, because yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, because you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who cry now, because you will laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you and when they bandy you and insult you and reject your name as a villain, because of the son of man. Rejoice on that day and exult, because, behold, your reward is great in heaven. All these statements seem disconcerting, because they go against our spontaneous inclinations. The world does not say: Blessed are the poor ..., but: Blessed are the rich, blessed are the sated, blessed are those who are happy. But Jesus teaches us that these situations so coveted by the world, in reality present serious dangers, because they are not conducive to spiritual growth. This growth, is favored by poverty. Here it is not so much a question of actual, material poverty as of an attitude of detachment from wealth. The disciples of Christ are not attached to material riches, because they want to live in an attitude of spiritual riches: union with God and Christ in faith, hope and love. These are the real riches, which cannot coexist with materialistic mindset. Therefore, we must always purify our hearts from those tendencies which in the New Testament are called greed and lust. We must be free from them in order to be able to grow spiritually in faith, hope and love. When we encounter difficulties or trials, instead of being discouraged, we must be full of hope, we must raise our heads and think that the Lord is giving us precious graces and preparing even more precious graces for us. Jesus says: Blessed are you who are hungry now, because you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who cry now, because you will laugh. We have the most profound reason for spiritual joy when we are united with Jesus in his passion, having to face, like him, situations of injustice. Jesus suffered the greatest injustice: he who was innocent, was accused, criticized, condemned and rejected. He faced all these sufferings, precisely, to fight and overcome evil. If we are privileged to be with him in these difficult trials, we can have great joy. In his first Letter, Peter tells us: To the extent that you share in Christ's sufferings, rejoice, that even in the revelation of his glory you may rejoice and rejoice (1Peter 4,13). And Jesus tells us: Rejoice on that day and exult, because, behold, your reward is great in heaven. Jesus’ Beatitudes are a message that is not easy to accept, but an important message, which helps us to be detached from superficial and temporary things.
The first reading, taken from the book of the prophet Jeremiah, gives us a teaching similar to that of today's Gospel, insisting on the need to trust in the Lord. Jeremiah affirms: Thus! the Lord says: Cursed is the man who trusts in man, who places his support in the flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord. We must instead place our trust in the Lord: Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and the Lord is his confidence. We are always tempted to place our trust in human means, which certainly are useful, but are not the essential. Our trust, on the other hand, must be placed in the divine persons, because our relationship with them is the most important thing, the source of true happiness and the means to proceed in life with courage and generosity, If, following our natural inclination, we put our trust in material things or in human relationships, then we will remain delusioned. Jeremiah reveals to us that whoever trusts in man, rather than in the Lord, will be like a tamarisk in the wilderness; when good comes he does not see it. He will dwell in arid places in the desert, in a land of salt, where no one can live. For us, the fundamental thing is the Christian hope, which consists in a personal relationship with God. It is necessary to trust in him, to seek his will in everything, which is a saving will, who desires our true good and also gives us the means to achieve it... Jeremiah affirms: Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose hope is in the Lord. He is like a tree planted by the bank of the river, that spreads its roots towards the current of water; it is not afraid when the heat comes, its leaves remain green; in the year of drought it does not wither, it does not stop producing its fruits.
The second reading tells us about the resurrection. Paul responds to the difficulties presented by the Corinthians, who do not believe that there can be a resurrection of the dead. He retorts: If the dead are not raised, neither is Christ risen; but if Christ is not risen, your faith is in vain and you are still in your sins. And even those who are dead in Christ are lost. We need to have faith in Christ's resurrection as a fact. Christ is truly risen from the dead. And we are united with him as risen. This is the foundation of our joy and hope. Christ is risen from the dead, and he invites us to place our hearts not in material things, but in spiritual ones, which are the most important goods. For example, in a family the most important things are relationships between people and mutual trust and love; the other things are secondary and cannot give real joy. If there is mutual trust and love, then all circumstances, even the most difficult ones, can be, successfully, faced; you can be sure of overcoming all difficulties, because, when you are united in love, you have an irresistible strength. We ask the Lord to help us change our mentality, because we always need to be converted. We always tend to behave according to our spontaneous inclinations, that is, to put trust in material things and to seek happiness as the world understands it. Instead, we must search for authentic goods, which are already present in our world, if we know how to seek them out. They are the relationship with God through Christ, and all the graces that come from this life-giving, sanctifying and beautifying relationship.+ John I. Okoye.
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