Contrasts and Juxtapositions

Dear Friends,

​This weekend’s mass readings are of course rich with meaning. They also have a pattern of contrasts and juxtapositions, in a sort of mirror image between the first reading from the prophet Jeremiah and the Gospel which is Luke’s account of the Sermon on the Mount.

Jeremiah

​Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings / seeks strength in flesh / whose heart turns away from the Lord – like a lava waste / barren bush in the desert

​Blessed is the one who trusts / hopes in the LORD – like a tree planted beside stream of water, doesn’t fear heat, leaves stay green, bears fruit even in drought

BUT...

Luke

Blessed are you poor / hungry / weeping / hated / denounced on account of Son of Man – you shall be greatly rewarded in heaven

Woe to you rich, filled, who laugh, who are spoken well of – you’ve already received your reward

Another interesting bridge between Jeremiah and Luke is this: At the end of the “blessed are yous”, Jesus says “for their ancestors treated the [true] prophets in the same way. At the end of the “woe to yous”, Jesus says “for their ancestors treated the [false] prophets in this way.”
 
Jeremiah was a true prophet of God and he was horribly treated – remember the passage about his being cast into a muddy pit because the king didn’t like the prophecies he was making? Jesus Christ was a true prophet and we know he was horribly treated: scorn, torture and cruel execution.
 
This can all be a little unsettling for those of us who have comforts in this life: enough to eat, adequate clothing and shelter, gainful employment, the love of families and friends.
 
But our second reading from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians has juxtapositions of its own and reaffirms the truth about Jesus to which we cling – that he was not only a true prophet, but the Son of God, risen from the dead:
 
If for this life only we have hope in Christ, we are the most pitiable people of all. 

BUT...

Now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
 
Siempre Adelante,
 
Dominic MacAller
Worship Minister

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