R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Rejoice and be glad;
your reward will be great in heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus came down with the Twelve
and stood on a stretch of level ground
with a great crowd of his disciples
and a large number of the people
from all Judea and Jerusalem
and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon.
And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said:
“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.
For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way.
But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
Woe to you who are filled now,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you,
for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.”

Today’s Gospel reading brings us to Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain. While unique, this sermon parallels the Sermon on the Mount found in St. Matthew’s Gospel. While we have heard these readings many times, I wonder how many of you, like myself, are struck at the first blessing, “Blessed are the poor”.

To understand why Jesus dared to call these “poor” people “blessed”, we need to understand who Jesus had in mind when he referred to those who are “poor”.

In Jesus’ time the word “poor” was used in four different ways.

The most common usage refers to people who were without material wealth or possessions. Jesus never intended to call material poverty “blessed”. He never intended to approve of the poverty he saw in the cities of His time and that continues to exist in the slums of our cities or in third-world countries.

Secondly, it could be used to refer to those without power and therefore treated as unimportant while a third meaning described people who are oppressed or exploited.

Many people fall into these first three categories; those who are impoverished; those without power or protection; and those being exploited. To put these categories in context, think about the scourge of human trafficking and sex slavery.

These persons can be readily found in our country and throughout the world.

Despite being poor, many continue to live generation after generation relying on God to provide for them. Hence a fourth meaning of the word “poor” describes those who accept their burdens and place their total trust in God.

And that is what Jesus means in today’s Sermon when he said, “Blessed are you who are poor, [those who trust me and my Father for their existence;] for the kingdom of God is yours.”

These poor whom Jesus calls blessed are those who have come to realize they can’t depend on the things of this world to bring them happiness. They seek their happiness in God alone; for God means everything to them. These are the people whom Jesus calls blessed. St. Josephine Bakita is one who, despite being a slave in the most terrible of circumstances, she never lost faith in God’s providential care for her.

  

Wealth in and of itself is not evil. Rather, it is the disposition of our hearts toward our riches that makes all the difference. There are many enticements in this world many of which find their root in becoming excessively attached to earthly pleasures.

No follower of Christ is forbidden to enjoy the legitimate joys of life but we must guard against loving wealth or prestige more than we love God and our neighbor.

Jesus warns us not to store up treasures on this earth but rather store us treasures in heaven; for where your treasure lies there also will your heart be (see Mt 6:19-21).

The reliance on the Lord  becomes the foundation of the blessings and the curses we hear in today’s Gospel excerpt. Our Catholic faith is rooted in trusting God; for all things come from Him and return to Him.

We need to heed Jesus’ words especially His warnings of woe. It is neither poverty nor wealth that promise blessing or curse but how well one follows Christ.

I wonder  how many people know the official motto of our country? I venture to say many would be surprised to learn that on July 30, 1956, the United States Congress formally declared “In God We Trust” to be the United States of America’s official motto.

Despite many legal challenges those words continue to be inscribed on our currency and on the walls of many classrooms and public places. In fact, the House of Representatives promoted publicly displaying the motto in the U.S. Capitol where it adorns the wall above the rostrum of the Speaker of the House.

Displaying “In God We Trust” in public spaces means more than just putting a phrase on a wall or a piece of paper, it’s about holding onto something bigger than ourselves. It is a recognition that we are indeed one people under God and in need of God’s grace and mercy.

Which begs the question; “Are we truly a people who can say and believe with conviction “In God We Trust”?

The challenge remains for each of us today as it was for those on the plain where Jesus spoke. For the remainder of this day and during the coming week we need to take time to examine our priorities. Shall we put our trust in God, or shall we place our hopes and aspirations in the material possessions or social status we acquire?

Will we receive a blessing or a curse? That is up to our disposition and where we place our trust. Hearts turning toward God; a blessing: hearts turned away from the Lord; a curse.

It’s up to each of us to decide.

Deacon Mark Izzo, Permanent Deacon, Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel – Saint Anthony Parish

Thus says the LORD:
Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings,
who seeks his strength in flesh,
whose heart turns away from the LORD.
He is like a barren bush in the desert
that enjoys no change of season,
but stands in a lava waste,
a salt and empty earth.
Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
whose hope is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted beside the waters
that stretches out its roots to the stream:
it fears not the heat when it comes;
its leaves stay green;
in the year of drought it shows no distress,
but still bears fruit.

R (40:5a) 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.

Brothers and sisters:
If Christ is preached as raised from the dead,
how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead?
If the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised,
and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain;
you are still in your sins.
Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
If for this life only we have hoped in Christ,
we are the most pitiable people of all.

But now Christ has been raised from the dead,
the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

It has long been a Catholic understanding that when circumstances prevent one from receiving Holy Communion, it is possible to make an Act of Spiritual Communion, which is a source of grace. Spiritual Communion is an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament and lovingly embrace him at a time or in circumstances when one cannot receive Him in sacramental Communion. The most common reason for making an Act of Spiritual Communion is when a person cannot attend Mass. Acts of Spiritual Communion increase our desire to receive sacramental Communion and help us avoid the sins that would make us unable to receive Holy Communion worthily.

Spiritual Communion Prayer

My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.

I love you above all things and I desire to receive you in my soul.

Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally,

Come at least spiritually into my heart.

I embrace you as if you were already there

And unite myself wholly to you.

Never permit me to be separated from you.

Amen.