Fr. Dale’s Homily
The 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Cycle C)
February 15-16, 2025
Gospel: Luke 6:17, 20-26
Jesus is doing some “plain talking” today. In Matthew’s Gospel, when Jesus tells the Beatitudes to the world; He speaks from a mountain (much as Moses brought the commands of God down from Mount Sinai). But in Luke, Jesus speaks in the midst of His people (and others) on plain, level ground.
In a word, JESUS LEVELED WITH THEM.
Jesus spoke of blessings and woes, with not much in between. In some material ways, many of us are a part of the elite at the very top of the world with a surplus of possessions. [I personally struggle with that every day, both as I (A) downsize to move to my new home and as (B) historian of the archives of the archdiocese.] As Jesus speaks, He seems to turn the world upside down; first offering comfort to the afflicted, and then afflicting the comfortable.
Jesus spoke first to the ordinary people of His day, most who faced daily troubles. They had REAL challenges; poverty, hunger, grief, sadness and persecution of prejudice. Maybe to their surprise, (certainly to the surprise of the elite listening in), Jesus pronounced the despised, the weeping, the hungry and the poor, all to be blessed. Jesus even promised them rewards in heaven for the suffering they endured while on earth…
Do you personally feel that promise?
Jesus did NOT ignore the elite; those who were well-off, well-fed, happy and admired. But He surprised them again by threatening them with WOES they thought they had escaped. THEY were not bad people … but they did REFUSE to be aware! They wanted nothing to do with His ‘heads-up’…(under their breath)‘take it elsewhere, Jesus!’
Now, Jeremiah, a persecuted prophet, had proclaimed that the realness of God surpasses everything that WE can understand. Trust in human strength, (chariots & city walls in Jeremiah’s day; armies and locked doors in our day). You see, all this comes naturally when one is strong and mobile and protected and well-fed. Yet, putting faith in material things ONLY will ultimately lead to great disappointment. Only a TRUST IN GOD will lead one to success, even when things look bad from all sides.
Unlike you or me, most of the people listening to Jesus had walked 30, 40 or 50 miles to hear Him. They had come TOO far for the words of Jesus to be trivial. Like today, many people of Jesus’ time were certain that being rich was a sign of God’s blessings. Instead, Jesus tells us that the true blessing is learning to believe in God instead of things that will not endure.
Jesus told His people to believe that the reign of God is already in their midst. The poor are certainly here, both the physically poor and the spiritually poor.
The physically poor came to see Jesus. We see them around us, too, today. People with no job, no home, no food… those who simply are unable to “get it together” and look the part. Like it or not, you and I, WE, have a responsibility toward them… and how we ‘get it done’ is called CHARITY.
The spiritually poor are among us, too. They seem hope-less, devastated by fear of their neighbors and the future. The plain truth: no earthly power will end this kind of poverty… but the work to TRY will always be.
The real answers to physical and spiritual poverty lie in attitudes. Faith provides the answer. Not simply having faith, but putting faith into action. To love that neighbor when they are not lovable is the daily task at hand.
With faith, we can endure the bad times. If God is the source of life-giving water, then we have to stretch our roots. We have to concentrate on what is important. In our good times, we must bear fruit. Bearing fruit is a verb… sharing, comforting, giving thanks. As we do that, we are truly blessed, because the kingdom of heaven is IN us and AMONG us.
Jesus taught in the midst of His disciples and at the Table of the Eucharist and still teaches, especially today. Hopefully, the Breaking of the Bread / Pouring of the Cup reminds us of Him. If it does not, then there is something missing… and it will show…
When joys are shared, they are multiplied.
If God could close the lion’s mouth for Daniel, part the Red Sea for Moses, make the sun stand still for Joshua, open the prison door for Peter, put a baby in Sarah’s arms and raise Lazarus from the dead; then He can certainly take care of you and me.
Have faith in Him.