Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time
Call to worship
Today’s Gospel message is an invitation to understand a deeper happiness, one based in love for all people — love that is scandalized by poverty and indifference, love that holds concern for every other person, love that causes us to weep for all who suffer.
- To the point: Luke seems in this Gospel to be exalting the downtrodden simply because they are downtrodden and cursing the comfortable simply because they are comfortable. What really is at the heart of this Gospel is the manner of life that makes present the kingdom and assures us that our “reward will be great in heaven.” The model of this manner of life and the source of the blessedness it brings is Jesus himself.
- Connecting the Gospel (Luke 6: 17, 20-26) to the First Reading: Blessedness, by its very nature, bears good things because it is of God. For Jeremiah, blessedness brings the lushness that water can bring to a desert. For Jesus, blessedness brings the unimaginable reward of belonging to God.
- Connecting the Gospel to experience: Although we in our society are proud that we do not have classes or castes that separate, in fact we do have distinctions that separate, not least among them being the rich and the poor, the have and the have-nots. In our country today, these divisions are well declared and should call Christians to warning. We do not follow Jesus when we support economic policies that do not help the poor, the immigrant and the destitute.
Centering prayers
The Gospel
(Luke 6: 17, 20-26)
And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said: “Blessed are you who are poor.
Jesus, let us assure that every hungry person is fed;
cold or homeless persons have a bed and blanket;
all who are sick because of poisoned air can breathe;
and that every single immigrant seeking a home is welcomed.
Then we who are poor (aren’t we all?) can rejoice and leap for joy
because we will know you are with us.
The First Reading
(Jeremiah 17: 5-8)
Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord.
Give us the grace to trust that you will pour grace into our hearts.
(And show us the way to end our COVID and our climate crises.)
Give us the grace to trust that you
will pour grace into our hearts,
show us how to love our neighbor.
And to end our racism.
Give us the grace to trust that you
will pour grace into our hearts
so we can always hear the cry of the poor.
Help us listen and love.
The Second Reading
(I Corinthians 15: 12, 16-20)
But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Lord, thank you for loving us into existence
and wanting us to be with you
beyond just this brief moment in time.
Thank you for love and life which never will end.
Copyright © 2022, Anne M. Osdieck
Music for reflection