Blessings and trust

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today use images of contrast to emphasize our choice between lightness and dark, life and death as markers in our journey.

By living water

The Prophet Jeremiah identifies true Wisdom with those who trust in the Lord.

Paul addresses the Corinthians about the consequences of denial of the Resurrection of Christ.

 * [15:12–19] Denial of the resurrection (1 Cor 15:12) involves logical inconsistencies. The basic one, stated twice (1 Cor 15:13, 16), is that if there is no such thing as (bodily) resurrection, then it has not taken place even in Christ’s case.
* [15:17–18] The consequences for the Corinthians are grave: both forgiveness of sins and salvation are an illusion, despite their strong convictions about both. Unless Christ is risen, their faith does not save.2

Psalm 1 uses the image of a tree growing by the water to encourage us to avoid the company of the insolent.

* [Psalm 1] A preface to the whole Book of Psalms, contrasting with striking similes the destiny of the good and the wicked. The Psalm views life as activity, as choosing either the good or the bad. Each “way” brings its inevitable consequences. The wise through their good actions will experience rootedness and life, and the wicked, rootlessness and death.1 

In the Sermon on the Plain from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus presents poverty, hunger, mourning, and rejection in terms of blessings and woes.

* [6:20–26] The introductory portion of the sermon consists of blessings and woes that address the real economic and social conditions of humanity (the poor—the rich; the hungry—the satisfied; those grieving—those laughing; the outcast—the socially acceptable). By contrast, Matthew emphasizes the religious and spiritual values of disciples in the kingdom inaugurated by Jesus (“poor in spirit,” Mt 5:3; “hunger and thirst for righteousness,” Mt 5:6). In the sermon, blessed extols the fortunate condition of persons who are favored with the blessings of God; the woes, addressed as they are to the disciples of Jesus, threaten God’s profound displeasure on those so blinded by their present fortunate situation that they do not recognize and appreciate the real values of God’s kingdom. In all the blessings and woes, the present condition of the persons addressed will be reversed in the future.3 

Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB connects the Beatitudes and holiness. The Beatitudes are not an abstract code of behavior. Jesus is the poor in spirit, the meek, the persecuted, and the peacemaker. He is the new “code of holiness” that must be imprinted on hearts, and that must be contemplated through the action of the Holy Spirit. His Passion and Death are the crowning of his holiness.

Holiness is a way of life that involves commitment and activity.  It is not a passive endeavor but rather a continuous choice to deepen one's relationship with God and to then allow this relationship to guide all of one's actions in the world.  Holiness requires a radical change in mindset and attitude. The acceptance of the call to holiness places God as our final goal in every aspect of our lives. This fundamental orientation towards God even envelops and sustains our relationship with other human beings.4 

Ed Morse observes that the company of the insolent can be consoling or even entertaining for a time, but it drains away joy and gratitude required for faithful living. He invites us to examine the grievance culture that seems to be ascending in our society and witness the paucity of joy and gratitude, but observe ample fruits of envy, vengeance, bitterness, and destruction.

 Today’s gospel might sound perplexing, but it makes perfect sense when placed in this context:  we must discern by reference to fidelity to eternal truths, not immediate consequences. External signs like prosperity and accolades that we prefer may instead be warning signs on the road to perdition. Suffering, frustration, and derision from others may instead be signs of blessing when they are the consequence of holding on to the truth. The power to do evil and afflict the righteous is temporary; justice will come because Jesus, himself, will return to bring it.  Today’s Gospel is reinforced by Paul’s teaching that tells us to hold on to the deeper truth that our Lord’s resurrection and triumph over death, sin, and evil, which means we will triumph, too.5

Don Schwager writes that Ambrose (339-397 A.D), an early church father and bishop of Milan, links the beatitudes with the four cardinal virtues which strengthen us in living a life of moral excellence.

"Let us see how St. Luke encompassed the eight blessings in the four. We know that there are four cardinal virtues: temperance, justice, prudence and fortitude. One who is poor in spirit is not greedy. One who weeps is not proud but is submissive and tranquil. One who mourns is humble. One who is just does not deny what he knows is given jointly to all for us. One who is merciful gives away his own goods. One who bestows his own goods does not seek another's, nor does he contrive a trap for his neighbor. These virtues are interwoven and interlinked, so that one who has one may be seen to have several, and a single virtue befits the saints. Where virtue abounds, the reward too abounds... Thus temperance has purity of heart and spirit, justice has compassion, patience has peace, and endurance has gentleness." (EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 5.62–63, 68)6. 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 6:17, 20-26 asks who actually wants to embrace a life of poverty, mourning, and hunger? Who actually believes that poverty is the way to blessing and happiness?

Jesus gave us the beatitudes to teach us the secret of happiness. He knows that prosperous sinners are miserable people, however much the world envies them. The world cannot see the emptiness of a heart that is devoid of God’s love. It’s important to know that Jesus isn’t against money itself. He only wants us to set goals that go far beyond the accumulation of wealth.7 

Friar Jude Winkler develops the tree growing by the flowing water image used by Jeremiah and in Psalm 1. The Greek concept of the corruption of material flesh made Resurrection a difficult concept. Friar Jude connects the Beatitudes in Luke to the anawim, who depend on God to hold on to when we have no reason to hope.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, thinks about what God does in the act of creation. God creates an object of love that God can totally give Godself to that will eventually be capable of loving God back in the same way, in a free and unforced manner.

 The Franciscan philosopher-theologian John Duns Scotus (1266–1308) taught that Christ was “the first idea in the mind of God” (or the “Alpha” point, Revelation 1:8 and elsewhere), not an after-the-fact attempt to solve the problem of sin. The Gospel, I believe, teaches that grace is inherent to the universe from the moment of the “Big Bang” (suggested in Genesis 1:2 by the Spirit hovering over chaos). This cosmic Christology implies that grace is not a later add-on-now-and-then-for-a-few, but the very shape of the universe from the start. The Christ Mystery (Inspirited Matter) is Plan A for God—and not a Plan B Mop-up exercise after “Adam and Eve ate the apple.”8

Our position and our direction can be assessed in the space between the contrasting forces in the texts today.

References

1	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 1 - usccb. Retrieved February 17, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/
2	(n.d.). 1 Corinthians, chapter 15. Retrieved February 17, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians15:51
3	(n.d.). Luke, chapter 6. Retrieved February 17, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/luke/6:17
4	(2010, February 11). The Beatitudes Reveal God's Ultimate Justice -- A Biblical Reflection .... Retrieved February 17, 2019, from https://saltandlighttv.org/blogfeed/getpost.php?id=10132
5	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved February 17, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
6	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 17, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
7	(n.d.). 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved February 17, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/02/17
8	(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 17, 2019, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/2019/02/