Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time [C], February 14, 2010

Readings:
Jeremiah 17:5-8
1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20
Luke 6:17, 20-26

Calendar:
February 11: World Day of the Sick
February 12: Anniversary of Sr. Dorothy Stang's death in Brazil in 2005
February 12 – 28; Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada
February 14: St. Valentine’s Day
February 15: Presidents’ Day
February 17: Ash Wednesday, start of Lent

Quotes:

When Jesus calls the poor "blessed", he is not praising their condition of poverty, but their openness to God.
--US Bishops, Economic Justice for All

The environment must be seen as God’s gift to all people, and the use we make of it entails a shared responsibility for all humanity, especially the poor and future generations.
--Pope Benedict XVI, Message for World Day of Prayer for Peace 2010

As you come to know the seriousness of our situation -- the war, the racism, the poverty in the world -- you come to realize it is not going to be changed just by words or demonstrations.  It's a question of risking your life.  It's a question of living your life in drastically different ways.
--Dorothy Day

Love for others, and in the first place love for the poor, in whom the Church sees Christ himself, is made concrete in the promotion of justice.”The affluent society or the consumer society seeks to defeat Marxism on the level of pure materialism by showing how a free-market society can achieve a greater satisfaction of material human needs than Communism, while equally excluding spiritual values. In reality, while on the one hand it is true that this social model shows the failure of Marxism to contribute to a humane and better society, on the other hand, insofar as it denies an autonomous existence and value to morality, law, culture and religion, it agrees with Marxism, in the sense that it totally reduces man to the sphere of economics and the satisfaction of material needs.
  It is not wrong to want to live better; what is wrong is a style of life which is presumed to be better when it is directed towards "having" rather than "being", and which wants to have more, not in order to be more but in order to spend life in enjoyment as an end in itself.
-- John Paul II, Centesimus Annus

… millions of men and women are forced to leave their homes or their native lands because of violence or in order to seek more dignified living conditions. It is an illusion to think that migration can be blocked or checked simply by force.  Migration and the problems to which it gives rise must be addressed humanely, with justice and compassion. 
--Benedict XVI, 8 January 2007

 Thoughts for your consideration:

In light of our culture’s tendency to glorify wealth and financial success, the beatitudes in Luke’s Gospel are a strong challenge and invite us to ask ourselves what we consider to be truly valuable and life giving.  With Lent starting this Wednesday, the beatitudes from Luke’s gospel might challenge us to reflect on what type of renewal we want to ask for and work for this Lent. With today being Valentine’s Day, we might want to reflect on how to make love more than a sentiment between individuals and how to make love something that moves us into action for justice for all the people of the world.

On one level, the scriptures might cause us to feel guilty.
•    Guilty about having possessions and things;
•    Guilty about living in a rich country;
•    Guilty about not being poor.
However, guilt feelings are not always from God and do not necessarily give us life or freedom or the strength to get into action and into the fullness of life that Jesus is about.

On a more positive level the scripture is inviting us:
•    To be free from any addiction to wealth and security;
•    Not to feel bad if we have not made a million by age 30;
•    To drop our attachment to a culture of consuming;
•    Not to worry about what others think about us.

On still another powerful and maybe mysterious level, the scripture is inviting us:
•    To say blessed are the poor;
•    To learn from the poor:
•    To not be afraid of contact with the poor;
•    To see Christ in the poor,
•    Maybe to be poor in some way because Christ was poor.

The scriptures challenge us to be in the world in a new way that is more deeply life giving for us and for others.  “Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD.”

Questions for Reflection in your Faith Sharing Group:

• In a time of recession and financial worries for so many people, how does it feel to read Luke’s beatitudes and woes?  What is the special message applicable to our situation?
• When have you had direct contact with people who are economically poor?
• How has this contact changed you?

Actions - Links:

Carbon Fast
Lent is a time of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  In light of the danger of climate change and environmental destruction of the earth as we know it, in recent years some people in the church have proposed that Christians take part in a “Carbon Fast” during Lent.  Get more info about the effort at http://www.tearfund.org/Campaigning/Carbon+Fast.htm .  The environmental outreach committee of the Archdiocese of Washington has put together a calendar which suggestions for such a form of fasting.  Check it out at:
http://catholicclimatecovenant.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Lenten-Car...
 “The environment is God’s gift to everyone, and in our use of it we have a responsibility towards the poor, towards future generations and towards humanity as a whole.”
— Pope Benedict, Encyclical Caritas in Veritate

Justice for Immigrants
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Justice for Immigrants: A Journey of Hope campaign is “designed to unite and mobilize a growing network of Catholic institutions, individuals, and other persons of good faith in support of a broad legalization program and comprehensive immigration reform.”  You can get more info at http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org   where you can send an electronic postcard directly to your Representative or Senator.  The website includes an updated parish kit and other informational items for your use.

Military Budget
Jim Wallis of Sojourners recently argued for the moral necessity of cutting the US defense budget.  You can read his piece at http://blog.sojo.net/2010/02/04/cut-the-deficit-cut-military-spending . You can consider taking action online at
http://go.sojo.net/campaign/defense_spending

 “Crazy Facts:”
The World Bank reports that in 2005, the wealthiest 20% of the world accounted for 76.6% of total private consumption and the poorest fifth just 1.5%.  The poorest 10% accounted for just 0.5% and the wealthiest 10% accounted for 59% of all the consumption.
http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats#src1
 
Prayers of Intercession:

Response: Lord, help us to trust in what is really important, help us to trust in you.
Loving God, on this Valentine’s Day give us a love that is expressed in how we live and treat one another, we pray….
Loving God, help us to be free from any addiction to wealth or security or material things, we pray….
Loving God, help our world to be free from the culture of consuming and accumulating, we pray….
Loving God, help us to learn to share the gifts of our world with all our people, we pray….
Loving God, help us to live in a way that respects creation for the common good, we pray…..
Loving God, help us to be one with all men and women and especially those who are poor, we pray….
Loving God, help us to learn from those who are poor, from those who have little, from those in other cultures and nations, we pray….
Loving God, help us this Lent to grow into a deeper and more just relationship with our world, we pray….

Prayer:

The following dialogue prayer is taken from http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/litany15.htm
Dialogued Prayer on the Beatitudes [based on Matthew’s version, Mt. 5:1-12]

Lord Jesus, you said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."  Keep us from being preoccupied with money and worldly goods, and with trying to increase them at the expense of justice.
Lord Jesus, you said, "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth." Help us not to be ruthless with one another, and to eliminate the discord and violence that exists in the world around us.
Lord Jesus, you said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Let us not be impatient under our own burdens and unconcerned about the burdens of others.
Lord Jesus, you said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be filled." Make us thirst for you, the fountain of all holiness, and actively spread your influence in our private lives and in society.
Lord Jesus, you said, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." Grant that we may be quick to forgive and slow to condemn.
Lord Jesus, you said, "Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God." Free us from our senses and our evil desires, and fix our eyes on you.
Lord Jesus, you said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God." Aid us to make peace in our families, in our country, and in the world.
Lord Jesus, you said, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of justice, for the kingdom of heaven in theirs." Make us willing to suffer for the sake of right rather than to practice injustice; and do not let us discriminate against our neighbors and oppress and persecute them.

--Lectionary Reflection by Fr. John Bucki, S.J.