6th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Prayer 

Loving Father,

Help us place our trust in you. May we embrace our faith in you, place all our hope in you, and find the fulness of love in you. Grant this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Commentary

1st Reading: Jeremiah 17:5-8

Our First Reading for this 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time leads us right to the point of this three-part series. TRUST! In whom do we trust? Do we trust merely in our human endeavors, or do we trust in God? More importantly, do we trust in Jesus?

If we were to examine the virtue of Faith alone, we could easily focus on matters of belief. I believe that God is Father Almighty. I believe that Jesus is Lord. I believe that the Holy Spirit was given to us at Pentecost. Wonderful! But, do I believe that God is my Father, Jesus is my Lord, the Holy Spirit is my Advocate?

Sometime in my life, I am expected to take a true leap of faith and trust in God. The Prophet Jeremiah says, “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord.” That word “hope” should get our attention. Like Faith, Hope is one of the three Cardinal Virtues. In a prophetic way, Jeremiah bridges the two virtues of faith and hope with the word, Trust. How are we able to have faith in the Lord, unless we hope in Him? Trust gathers these two virtues together beautifully.

Question:

On a scale of 1 to 10, where would I place my trust in the Lord?

2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20

Our Second Reading challenges the Christian to trust in the Lord and a bright promise of a life with God in heaven.

Sadly, there are many who lose sight of this promised reward. They begin to doubt in the power of Jesus and in his Resurrection and this doubt leads many toward despair.

Even those who had spent years at Mass can find themselves on their death-bed requesting assurance from their priests and loved ones that there is a heaven waiting for them. This is true darkness!

St. Paul encourages the Corinthians to trust in the Risen Christ and in eternal life. Death comes to us all. But heaven is ready for those who practice their faith (their trust) in the Lord.

To those who practice such faith, they hope in their own resurrection from the dead, and their hope is not in vain.

Question:

When we proclaim our Creed, we say, “I believe in the Resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.” On as scale of 1 to 10, how firmly do I place my trust in this article of faith?

Gospel: Luke 6: 17, 20-26

Practicing our trust in the Lord requires a rule of life (a set of laws and precepts) to guide us on the journey. Our Psalm today says that we must “delight in the law of the Lord.”

Delight is a good word. It moves us from a sense of blind obedience in the Lord to a love for the Lord and His ways. It is a word of faith that is relational. To delight (love) the Lord and his commands is fulfilling the third Cardinal Virtue. In the end, there is faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love!

In today’s Gospel, Jesus offers us a rule of life. Unlike the Ten Commandments given on a remote mountain, Jesus comes down with his apostles and stands on a “stretch of level ground.” He stands on our level and, on this level playing field, he offers blessings and woes. First, to the poor, the hungry, the weeping, and the hated, he offers blessings.

Then, to the rich, the filled, those who are laughing, and who are spoken well of, Jesus offers woes.

The point, of course, is trust. Do I trust in my wealth and what others think of me? Or, do I trust in the Lord alone?

Question:

In what way do I practice my faith and trust in the Lord?

This Week’s Task 

Write down your list of daily spiritual habits (morning prayers, adoration, rosary, feeding the poor, etc). These are elements of your personal rule of life.

In what way are you keeping this rule of life? Do you delight in it?

Has it made you a more faithful, hopeful, and loving person for the Lord?

Group Prayer

All recite together these words of St. Alphonsus Liguori:

“Those whose hearts are enlarged by confidence in God run swiftly on the path of perfection.

They not only run, they fly; because, having placed all their hope in the Lord, they are no longer weak as they once were. They become strong with the strength of God, which is given to all who put their trust in Him.”

The prayer continues with Psalm 1.

Psalm 

Response:  Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

Blessed the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked,

nor walks in the way of sinners,

nor sits in the company of the insolent,

but delights in the law of the LORD

and meditates on his law day and night.

R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

He is like a tree

planted near running water,

that yields its fruit in due season, and whose leaves never fade.

Whatever he does, prospers.

R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

Not so the wicked, not so;

they are like chaff which the wind drives away.

For the LORD watches over the way of the just,

but the way of the wicked vanishes.

R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

Conclude with an Our Father

Used with permission. All rights reserved. Christ in Our Neighborhood is a Scripture program designed by Bishop John P. Dolan of the Diocese of Phoenix.