“Fortunate are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God’s is yours.”

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊   

Jeremiah 17:5-8

 This is what Yahweh says,

“Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings and depends on a mortal for his life, while his heart is drawn away from Yahweh! He is like a bunch of thistles in dry land, in parched desert places, in a salt land where no one lives and who never finds happiness.

 Blessed is the man who puts his trust in Yahweh and whose confidence is in him!  He is like a tree planted by the water, sending out its roots towards the stream. He has no fear when the heat comes, his leaves are always green; the year of drought is no problem and he can always bear fruit.

 

Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4, 6

Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

 

  ＊＊＊ 2nd Reading ＊＊＊

1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20

Well, then, if Christ is preached as risen from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?  If the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised.   And if Christ has not been raised, your faith gives you nothing, and you are still in sin.  Also those who fall asleep in Christ are lost. If it is only for this life that we hope in Christ, we are the most unfortunate of all people.

But no, Christ has been raised from the dead and he comes before all those who have fallen asleep.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊  

Luke 6:17, 20-26

 Coming down the hill with them, Jesus stood on a level place. Many of his disciples were there and a large crowd of people who had come from all parts of Judea and Jerusalem and from the coastal cities of Tyre and Si­don.   Then looking at his disciples, Jesus said, “Fortunate are you who are poor, the kingdom of God is yours.”

 Fortunate are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Fortunate are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

 Fortunate are you when peo­ple hate you, when they reject you and insult you and number you among criminals, because of the Son of Man.   Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for a great reward is kept for you in heaven. Re­member that is how the ancestors of this people treated the prophets.

 But alas for you who have wealth, for you have been comforted now.  Alas for you who are full, for you will go hungry. Alas for you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.  Alas for you when peo­ple speak well of you, for that is how the ancestors of these people treated the false prophets.

 

Gospel Reflection：

Becoming Beatitudes

Read:

Jeremiah declares the cause of blessedness: absolute trust in God. For Paul, the resurrection of Christ is the justification of our hope. Jesus pronounces the Beatitudes of his kingdom.

Reflect:

Unfortunately, many well-meaning Christians are obsessed with the Ten Commandments, like the rich young man of MK 10:17-22. They are stuck with a God who is a fearsome judge who keeps an account of their dos and don’ts. If only we could migrate to the beauty of the Beatitudes!

This is not to reject the Commandments. Whereas the Commandments are all about ‘doing,’ the Beatitudes are all about our ‘being.’ The doing should spring from our being, and not vice versa! This can only happen if we listen to the wisdom Jeremiah shares today:”

Blessed is the man who puts his trust in the Lord and whose confidence is in him!” When we are rooted in the being of Christ by becoming the Beatitudes, “the year of drought is no problem and [we] cab always bear fruit”-the dos and don’ts of the Commandments do not have to be forced; they flow our being.

Pray:

Make a short prayer out of each Beatitude.

Act:

Choose one of the Beatitudes to grow into, for this month. (Thus, choose for every month, hereafter.)