Feb. 13th - 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Jer 17:5-8; 1 Cor 15:12, 16-20; Lk 6:17, 20-26)
The Gospel reading from Luke is sometimes called the “Sermon on the Plain” to distinguish it from Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount.” Luke suggests that Jesus is a new Moses coming down from a new Mount Sinai to give a New Law for the New Covenant People of God. The New Law was that God’s blessing would explode in the world to such an extent through his offering of self that even the greatest evils of human history (poverty, hunger, mourning, and persecution) would be seen as channels of immense blessing.
Jesus identifies himself with the things that the world detests most—poverty, suffering, hunger, and opposition. He himself experiences these humiliations and sufferings described in today’s Gospel reading, and he invites us to follow him. Jesus is reminding his disciples that it is the humble way of the Lord that will bring true happiness in life. Jesus contrasts this true happiness with the perceptions of his own day—that happiness comes from being rich, eating well, being popular, and so on. These perceptions still exist today. Jesus doesn’t condemn the wealthy or powerful in this world. Rather, he questions those whose hearts are concerned more about their worldly fortune and influence than they are concerned about the graces offered by the kingdom of God.