February 14, 2010
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Rev. Joe McCloskey, SJ
Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD. He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: It fears not the heat when it comes, its leaves stay green; In the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8
And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for the
Piety
Our categories of safety do not fit Christ when we use the world as our measuring rod. The poor blessed by what they suffer boggles the imagination. The most deeply ingrained prejudices of the human race are for wealth, power and glory so badly entwined that is almost impossible not to see the cross of Christ as a dismal failure on his part. The cross is a contradiction and a scandal all wrapped up into a bitter pill for anyone to swallow without an appreciation of Christ. In a real way our piety is all about how deeply we love Christ and how seriously we want to be one with him. The deepest expression of piety is oneness with the mind, the heart and the soul of Christ. Christ chose short life, poverty and the dishonor of the Cross as the expression of the God love for the human race. The great saints grappled with the question of whether they could give as much glory to God by riches or poverty by choosing Lady Poverty. The same goes for long life or short life. Which way if equal in the glory to God would I chose to be more like Christ? Always assuming I could give as much glory to God by the disgrace of the cross would I choose the easy way? Do I love Christ so much that I would be unhappy to be treated any differently than he? The blessings of the beatitudes are the happiness that comes from being with Christ all the way with all my mind, heart and soul.
Study
For Christ to be my rock of safety, the stronghold that saves me, I must study his life by my prayer. The invitation of discipleship is to take up my cross and to follow him. If I seek my strength in the flesh, my heart will be far from the Lord. Prayer, fasting and good works are the badge of full membership in the Mystical Body of Christ. The resurrection belongs to my not holding unto the good things of this world. Because Christ was raised from the dead, my good works, prayer and fasting give me the reason to hope in the Resurrection. If I am not trying to make my life on earth into a heaven, the good I do on earth will be waiting for me in heaven with the gift of the resurrection. I study how important the resurrection is to my motivation and good works. I know that my faith is in vain if I am still in my sins. I ask myself if I am fleeing the victory already won in the Resurrection of Christ. The equation of salvation is Cross plus resurrection.
Action
Living out the Beatitudes gives us a claim on heaven in the now of our lives. There is no good in this world of ours not worth doing in the hope of the Resurrection. The happiness the good works of the Beatitudes promise is meant to be part of the happiness of life now. We are called into the joy of the Lord. The infallible sign of the resurrection in each of us is the joy that overtakes our hearts when we are doing the work of the Lord. Christ claims to be our life and is our way to the Father. Christ is the truth of God’s love in us. Christ is our life if we give ourselves to him in the love of what we do for the least ones in our lives. The good works of our lives are our claims on the love of God and the proof that the Resurrection lives in who we are today.
