Blessed are YOU – 13 February 2022

Luke 6:17–26

The so-called Sermon on the Plain is set in a gathering that summarizes Jesus’ ministry. Among those gathered are the newly named apostles (Luke 6:12–16), other disciples, crowds of people willing to listen to him, and those seeking cures (vv 18–19). . .

Jesus’ preaching—addressed to his disciples rather than to all who have gathered (v 20)—begins with a description of the morality of the two ways: one way that leads to life and another that leads to death. For Jesus, those who find life are not necessarily those who trust God (Jeremiah) or who love and live by the Torah (Psalm 1) but rather those who are poor, hungry, and weeping (vv 20–21)—those who have given all to faith in Christ and hope for the kingdom of God made present and effective in Jesus (vv 22–23).

Those bound for death are those who are so full now that they have no room for the kingdom or for other people, especially the needy (vv 24–26). . . This “now” is the present time of judgment, the kairos when someone is confronted by the choice for or against God. –– Gordon E. Truitt

Jeremiah 17:5–10

This particular section includes a wisdom statement about the morality of the two ways (the way that leads to life and the way that leads to death, 17:5–8) plus a final prophetic utterance about real-life complications (vv 9–10). The imagery that contrasts dead and living plants or trees occurs several times in the Bible. . . and in other ancient literature, such as the writings of the Egyptian Amenemope (Ancient Near Eastern Texts, 422).

In the Bible, the difference between the two ways is trust. Those who ‘‘trust in mere mortals’’ but not in the LORD will wither “like a shrub in the desert” (v 5). But those who trust in the LORD will flourish “like a tree planted by water” (v 8). . . In the end, only God knows what’s in a human heart, but God will act justly not only in accord with human intentions but “according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings” (v 10). –– Gordon E. Truitt

1 Corinthians 15:12–20

Paul continues his defense of the resurrection of Jesus (see previous Sunday) in opposition to some members of the community who seemed to denigrate the importance of the body in favor of focusing on the soul. Paul has been arguing against such a theology since the beginning of this letter: “The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor 1:18).

Now he focuses on the importance of the physical resurrection of Jesus. If the dead are not raised but somehow their souls are translated to a new spiritual plane, then Christ did not rise. And, if that’s the case, then what Paul preached and what the Corinthians believed is useless (14). . .

Paul says that is not the case: “In fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died” (v 20), and that fact, attested to by so many witnesses (see 1 Cor 15:3–8), puts an end to the denial of the resurrection. –– Gordon E. Truitt

Gordon E. Truitt, Roman Catholic, holds a doctorate in sacred theology from The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC.

Homily Service 43, no. 1 (2009): 151–158.