Homily for February 15,
2004
Year
C - Cycle II
6th Sunday in
Ordinary Time
by Fr. John Carney
Topic:
The Beatitudes: Getting Our Values Right
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First
Reading:
Jeremiah 17:5-8
"Thus says the Lord: Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a barren bush in the desert that enjoys no change of season, but stands in a lava waste, a salt and empty earth. Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is in 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."
Gospel Reading:
Luke 6:17, 20-26
"Jesus came down with the Twelve and stood on a stretch of level ground with a great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon. And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said: 'Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.'"
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We just heard a very familiar Gospel reading: The Beatitudes. How many times have you heard that Gospel? Often at funerals, especially, we hear them. But it was a different version than we are used to. We usually listen to the Beatitudes from Matthew’s Gospel, the fifth chapter. Today we heard Luke’s version. Did you notice the difference? Matthew has more beatitudes and no curses, or woes. Luke has half the beatitudes, and the rest are woes. Now, don’t let that “woe” fool you – that means, “cursed be you,” like Jeremiah used. And some versions, or translations, of Scripture, they don’t say, “woe be…” they say, “cursed be …”.
And so, we have a different presentation of these beatitudes in Luke than we do in Matthew. I think the reason is pretty clear. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is telling us a very simple lesson today, “Get your values straight.” Now, a value is what one holds to be important. And Jesus is telling us, “Get your values right, if you want to live forever with me in heaven.” It’s pretty basic stuff.
And in the four “woes,” he describes some of the world’s values that cannot be our values. He says, “Woe to you who are rich.” He’s talking about those who place their trust in wealth. There are some people who define success by money – the more you’ve got, the more successful you are. What difference does it make, as you take your dying breath, how many billions you have? What difference does it make? Jesus is not railing against wealth – all wealth comes from God. It is to be used for God’s glory. But, it’s the attitude towards wealth that he’s getting after.
He says, “Woe to those who are filled now.” He means those who are self-satisfied. And there are some who are just self-satisfied – they think they are complete in themselves, that all they need for their happiness can be found here (inside). But in the end they will be badly disappointed, when they are faced only with their hollow self.
Jesus says, “Woe to those who laugh now.” Now, he’s not opposed to laughing (at least I hope not, because otherwise, I’m in big trouble. You’ve got to laugh to be a priest. I get the biggest laugh every month when I see the paycheck you people give me! Ah, it’s not that bad. It’s not that good either!). We didn’t just sin there, by laughing. In what he is saying, he’s using laughter symbolically. He’s saying, “Cursed are you who seek your values in pleasure,” because you will be cursed – pleasure leads to destruction; we all know that.
And, finally, he says, “Woe to those whose greatest value is their personal popularity, when all speak well of you,” because to be a Christian means to be a prophet, and to be a prophet means to speak out against things that will upset people.
So, he’s talking about our values; what we hold to be important. Jeremiah, even more brutally in the first reading, talks about the same subject. Concerning those who trust in themselves, who trust in their wealth, Jeremiah says, “Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a barren bush in the desert that enjoys no change of season, but stands in a waste.” Conversely, Jeremiah reminds us, “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is in the Lord. He is like a tree plated 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.”
It’s a simple lesson today. “Seek first the kingdom of God, and every thing else will be granted to you.” Get your values right, and keep them right. Make God your value. After Mass today, we’re going to baptize a child. And I’ll instruct his parents and godparents to help him lead a holy life according to Christ’s ways. That’s the only sure way you can be with your children forever in heaven, forever, by living according to God’s ways now.