A Self-Made Man

Feb. 16: Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

I think Fr. Casey overstates his case against "God helps those who help themselves." I think it's generally used to mean "Don't sit on your duff waiting for God to do something."

However, he does have a point. In America, we value self-sufficiency. We like to believe we can do things on our own, and we admire those who do. Today's readings remind us that only one Man is truly Self-made.

Reading I

Jer 17:5-8

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.

Jeremiah presents us with two forms of constancy. The person who relies on themself is like a bush (a Tamaric bush in some translations) that only barely gets enough water, never bears fruit, and never experiences anything but heat and waste. Its existence is very consistent—consistently terrible.

The one who trusts in God, however, experiences the whole of life, good times and bad. The consistency isn't in themselves, but the thing they're rooted in—God.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 & 6

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.

It's unclear to me if this psalm is referring to Jeremiah, or the other way around. Many Psalms are attributed to David, who reigned long before Jeremiah came along, but since this is the introductory Psalm, it may have been written when they were first compiled into a single volume.

In any case, the two readings reinforce each other. Just like we can't fully rely on ourselves, as Jeremiah says, this Psalm also reminds us we can't fully rely on our fellow sinners.

This Psalm does seem to contradict something Jesus does pretty regularly--sit with sinners. The difference is, the Psalmist is warning us to not be unduly influenced by the wicked; Jesus, who will not be influenced in that way, instead joins them to influence them.

In that case, we are the "company of insolent," and we should be glad Jesus joins us.

Reading II

1 Cor 15:12, 16-20

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.

Recently, a viral video was going around of some preacher saying she wasn't sure if the Resurrection actually happened.

Poppycock.

Much of what Jesus says in today's Gospel fits nicely within Stoic philosophy—life is painful, and we're better off if we just accept that. In fact, a lot of Jesus's teachings can be found in the works of other philosophers. If Jesus was just another philosopher, He probably wouldn't be particularly noteworthy.

But He's not. He does teach us how to live and worship, but His primary mission is to sacrifice Himself. If all we had to do was follow His teachings, we wouldn't need a savior.

But Paul points out we do. There's no point in being a Christian if everything is done by our own actions. But our actions aren't enough. We can't trust in our sinful selves. We have to trust in the death and resurrection of our Savior.

Alleluia

Lk 6:23ab

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

We rejoice because of God's salvation, not our own.

Gospel

Lk 6:17, 20-26

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.”

The Sermon on the Plain offers interesting symbolism. Jesus comes down to the crowds, much like Moses. Notice that they (we) are all on an equal level. We don't go up to Him; He comes down to us.

Pope Saint John Paul II points out that these Beatitudes are "a self-portrait of Christ, and for this very reason are invitations to discipleship." Jesus could've been rich, well-fed, and respected by Earthly authorities if He wanted to. But instead, He chose to be one of the least, as an example to us all.

But what about these woes? JPII's successor Pope Benedict XVI explained, "If we have correctly understood the signposts of hope that we found in the Beatitudes, we recognize that here we are dealing simply with the opposite attitudes, which lock man into mere outward appearance, into provisionality, into the loss of his highest and deepest qualities." The rich and comfortable can feel like they've done everything by themselves, that they've earned what they have totally on their own.

But no man is an island. We have to recognize the blessings we have, whatever they are, come first and foremost from God, and only then, after Him, from our cooperation with God's blessing.