6th Sunday in OT
Jer 17:5-8; 1 Cor 15:12,
16-20; Lk 6:17, 20-26
On April
15, 1912,
the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank, taking 1,500 lives. Shortly after the
incident, a newspaper carried two pictures side by side. The first picture
showed the ship’s side ripped open by the huge iceberg. Under it was printed:
“The weakness of man, the supremacy of nature”. The second picture showed a
passenger giving his place in a lifeboat to a woman with a child in her arms.
Under it was printed: “The weakness of nature, the supremacy of man”. One
similar situation, two different ways of looking at it. The one pessimist, the
other optimist. The one positive, the other negative.
The Gospel today also offer us two ways of
looking at things in our life. We may see poverty as the source of malice and
unfortunate happenings. Because of poverty, people commit all sorts of crime
and vice activities. Because of poverty people squeezed like sardine in
squatters and often incest would be one of the consequences. One the
other hand we may see poverty as a motivation factor for a better life and a
reason to coming together to show concern and love for one another—which is why
Jesus in today’s gospel said blessed are those who are poor.
The same goes to affluence. We may see
affluence as a privilege to be used for making a better world, a means to bring
the Good News to others by being generous and kind to one another. One the
other hand we may see affluence as the source of malice as well. Wealth opens
up possibility for self-centeredness, greed for more money, exclusiveness and
the like—which is why Jesus in today’s gospel said alas for you who are rich.
In any case, Jesus in today’s gospel does not
idealise poverty as a value to be sought for its own sake. Neither does Jesus
against our striving for wealth. But he bluntly warns us against putting our
trust in material comforts because, in the long run, it would turn out to be a
misplaced confidence.
There are always two ways of looking at things
in life; whether to see things by itself as ordinary or to see extraordinary
things in the ordinary. Our tendency of course is to see according to the
customary way of thinking. But as Christian we should be able to see beyond the
ordinary. Having said that we are not in any way proposing to compromise when
comes to deal with the truth. It is true that there are always at least two
ways of looking at things but in the final analysis, only one thing is right,
only one thing is necessary, only one thing leads to the truth.
The first reading today tells us that a man who
puts his trust in man will be cursed but a man who puts his trust in the Lord
will be blessed. This is the truth that we can’t compromise. To be Christians
is to be at the hand of the Lord. To be Christians is to trust in the Lord for
He is the only reason for us to live. So, whether you are rich or poor, the
message contained in today’s gospel is both severe and challenging because it
is at odds with our customary of thinking [and thus, looking at things].
As we gather for the Eucharist let’s,
therefore, increase our belief in the risen Jesus so that as some people see
the glass half empty, we see not only a half full glass but the truth in what
we are seeing.