February 12, 2022

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle C

Jeremiah 17:5-8; 1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20; Luke 6:17, 20-26

In 1920, a German man put the following classified ad in a Bavarian newspaper: “Middle-ranking civil servant, single, Catholic, 43, immaculate past, from the country, is looking for a good Catholic, pure girl who can cook well, tackle all household chores, with a talent for sewing and homemaking with a view to marriage as soon as possible. Fortune desirable but not a precondition.” A 36-year-old woman by the name of Maria Peintner answered the ad, and although not rich, the man asked her to marry him. The researcher who discovered this in 2006 surprised their then famous son with this information, of which he was unaware until then [ https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/7582/popes-parents-met-through-s... ]. The man who posted the ad was named Joseph Ratzinger, and one of his and Maria's sons is Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

I think what strikes me is the very business-like tone of the posting, which is direct and to-the-point, even by German standards of efficiency. And yet, the couple was brought together and stayed together for their lifetimes, and brought up a family in which their two sons became priests. They were not very similar in their personalities, Joseph being a police officer who was “strict but fair” and Maria being “warm and openhearted,” these being the judgments of the pope himself. Neither was rich, and we must remember they were suffering through a very rough time in their country’s history, as Germany was suffering through the aftermath of World War I and the subsequent severe reparations and resultant economic problems. Yet they succeeded against all these headwinds, and I think we can turn to the readings today to see why.

Today we hear the “Sermon on the Plain,” which is the version from Luke of the beatitudes, the teachings that Matthew also presents in his Gospel as the “Sermon on the Mount.” While the two Gospel passages are similar, there are differences. The differences should not be considered problematic, since they are most likely simply two different occasions of Jesus teaching to two different groups, and Jesus modifying his words so as to make the most impact on his audience. For instance, Matthew’s Gospel is written with a Jewish audience in mind, whereas Luke is writing with a Gentile audience in mind, and so each brings out those instances in the life of Christ which they feel will best instruct and motivate the newly formed Christian communities with which they were part. So what other lessons can we draw from the differences?

One difference which I think is instructive is the first beatitude which is presented today. Luke tells us, “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours” [Luke 6:20], whereas Matthew tells us “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” [Matthew 5:3 NABRE]. I think that both are getting at the same basic idea, although maybe emphasizing different aspects of it. To get at this, we need to decide what it means to be poor.

On the surface level, poor means simply to be without sufficient financial resources to live at an acceptable level. However, I think that Christ is getting at something much broader than just this. Throughout history, humans have looked upon someone with a lot of money or power, that is to say rich, as “having it all.” But in reality, they don’t have it all. No one does. We are all endowed by our creator with certain abilities, but also born without some abilities that other people have, or at least not given as much strength in those abilities. That is to say, we are all poor in some respects, and rich in others. We all have our weak areas, where we struggle to cope. The Ratzingers were, if not poor, certainly not rich, and yet managed to have a successful marriage, whereas Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, and Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, two of the richest men the world has ever seen in its history, failed to have happy marriages and both have had very public divorces in recent years.

If we admit that we are all poor in certain ways, that we need the help that only God can provide and can’t do it all by ourselves, we stand the chance of experiencing true joy, that is the kingdom of heaven here on earth as well as after this life. If we don’t, if we think we are rich enough in our abilities to do it all by ourselves, and that we don’t need God, we are sunk. I believe that this is what Luke means by being poor, and what Matthew is also trying to get at when he said poor in spirit. It is also what the prophet Jeremiah tells us in the first reading, “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord” [Jer 17:7].

This understanding of what it means to be poor coupled with the example of the Ratzingers is appropriate for us to contemplate as we enter the week where we will celebrate Valentine’s Day. Just as no one person has it all, no one marriage has it all, and that is why we invite God when we are married in the Church to help us form a sacramental union, for richer and for poorer. The Church in her wisdom has the marriage vows use the word “and” and not the word “or.” One of the possible vows goes thus: “I promise to be faithful to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you and to honor you all the days of my life.” The Church knows that all people and all relationships have periods of both good times and bad. We cannot find true joy without God to help us through it all, and if we try it never turns out well. As Luke just told us, you who believe yourselves to be rich have your own consolation and not the joys of the kingdom of heaven.

As we continue with our Mass, let our receiving of the Eucharist in just a few minutes be our admission as we approach the altar that we need Christ in our lives. Through the grace of this sacrament and our prayers, let us humbly admit that we are poor and in need of God’s help. Let us all pray for all couples, that God will bless them in ways that overcome the areas of their relationship in which they are poor. An appropriate prayer today and on Saint Valentines Day, remembering that married couples become one flesh, was written by Saint Augustine, who wrote in his autobiography: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”