Texts taken from the Missalette “On Your Word” January-February 2025
6th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)
2nd week of the Psalter
FIRST READING
From the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah (Jer 17:5-8)
Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and makes flesh his strength, turning his heart away from the Lord. He will be like a tamarisk in the desert; he will not see any good come, but will dwell in parched places in the wilderness, in a land of salt, where no one can live. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and the Lord is his trust. He is like a tree planted beside flowing waters, stretching its roots toward the stream; it does not fear when the heat comes, its leaves remain green, and in the year of drought it has no anxiety, nor does it cease to bear fruit.” – The Word of the Lord.
Commentary on the First Reading
The prophet Jeremiah offers us a series of wisdom sayings, placing opposites side by side: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man” and “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.” The wicked person, then, is not so much one who does evil as one who trusts in himself, because this will lead him to do evil! The Author explains this concept through the images and language of his surroundings: the man who trusts in himself is “like a tamarisk in the desert; he will not see any good come, but will dwell in parched places in the wilderness, in a land of salt, where no one can live.” The wise man, instead, is like “a tree planted beside flowing waters… it does not fear when the heat comes… it never ceases to bear fruit.” This experience becomes a prayer of praise in the psalm that follows: “Blessed is the man who does not enter the counsel of the wicked… He is like a tree planted beside flowing waters.” There are no alternatives, no middle ground: each person must decide which side to take, whom to look to, and on whom to build their life in order to avoid becoming “lukewarm.”
SECOND READING
From the First Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians (1 Cor 15:12,16-20)
Brothers and sisters, if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised; but if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Therefore, those who have died in Christ are lost as well. If we have placed our hope in Christ for this life only, we are to be pitied more than all people. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. – The word of God.
Commentary on the second reading
The structure of the Liturgy of the Word centers on the Gospel text, prepared by the first reading and the psalm (as in Ordinary Time). The second reading, however, follows its own course, which is not thematically consistent with the Gospel. That is why there are two parallel messages every Sunday. Today, we continue reading the First Letter to the Corinthians and thus take up last Sunday's theme, in which Paul reminds us that faith in Jesus is founded on his death and resurrection: “If Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?” Paul does not seek other stratagems to convince his listeners; he is not trying to put on a show, but to arouse passion for Jesus Christ, who died and rose again. Perhaps we too must ask ourselves whether we seek to attract others with appealing events, with the power of “works,” risking reducing ourselves to simple NGOs, or whether instead we proclaim the Gospel of Jesus, allowing him to attract those who let themselves be won over by his love.
GOSPEL
From the Gospel according to Luke (Lk 6:17,20-26)
At that time, Jesus came down with the Twelve and stopped in a level place. There was a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon. And he, raising his eyes toward his disciples, said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are weeping now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets. But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your consolation. Woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when all people speak well of you. For that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.” – The Word of the Lord.
Commentary on the Gospel
We could describe the Gospel of the Beatitudes as the Gospel within the Gospel: an ideal way of life, the Christian’s identity card. Blessedness does not lie so much in being poor, hungry, weeping, hated, insulted... No, that is not it. After all, Jesus came precisely to free us from these conditions. Blessedness lies in the fact that Jesus is on the side of those who are poor, those who weep, those who are hungry... Jesus favors everyone and takes everyone to heart, beginning with those who live in these conditions. Thus, living in the light of the Beatitudes is possible because Jesus is with me, with us; because the time will come when I will in any case be “freed” from these conditions of inner and outer insecurity. However, when this will happen does not depend on the human clock, because God’s times are not our times. Blessedness, then, lies in the certainty that God cares for everyone and for each person, that he favors the little ones and the poor... And that he will reward everyone at the end of life, when he welcomes among his own those who knew how to recognize him in the hungry, the thirsty, the poor...
