Sunday Reflection: 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

“Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord.” These are the words of the Prophet Jeremiah in our 1st Reading this Sunday who reminds us where true blessedness and hope is found. This is an invitation for us to examine ourselves of to whom we put entrust our lives.

The prophet in our 1st Reading looks into the reality of our humanity, our weakness in times of suffering and our anxiety of finding relief from them. We often find ourselves as the only ‘savior’ around that can bring help to ourselves until all we have exhausted all the means that we have, and nothing seems to be of help. In other words, God is only the last resort. Strongly, Jeremiah reminds us, “Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings, who makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD.” He, then, invites all to turn to the Lord who can give us true and enduring strength in all sufferings and pains. He reminds us beautifully saying, “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord.” It is in the Lord that we find life and the strength that we need to be able to face all the challenges that might come our way.

Along this line of thought, we can discern with much joy and hope the message of our Gospel this Sunday. Here, Jesus invites all His listeners to find life and strength in God alone. His invitation is a way that the world would not even dream of. He says, “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.” These words of Jesus invite us towards authentic joy in the Lord. The “Beatitudes” are challenges for us who are seeking to be full only of the things of the world, to find strength on our own, and turning our backs on the Lord. The world may see all these as contrary to human experience, but the Lord is telling us that in order to face all these difficulties we have to be founded in Him. His very life is our way of living through all the sufferings that surrounds us.

Indeed, the words of the prophet in our 1st Reading is our sure hope toward fulness of life, “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord.” The faithfulness of Jesus to the Father destroyed the final consequence of sin, death, with newness of life in the Resurrection of Jesus. When we live our vocation after the example of Jesus, we will rise with Him. St. Paul firmly reminds us, “If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable people of all.” Christ is calling us to a richer life in heaven, and we have to go through all the pains and sufferings of this life with Him in order to reach the Blessed Life in heaven.