Reading 1 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.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
- (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.
Reading 2 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 first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Alleluia Lk 6:23ab
- Alleluia, alleluia.
Rejoice and be glad;
your reward will be great in heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
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.”
On Friday, 15th February 2019, we read the story of the first lie ever told in the history of the world and the outcome of believing that lie.
The devil has continued this enterprise of lying to humankind even to this day. There are five terrible lies that the devil has continued to tell to modern man. I call this postmodern lies of the devil. Let me identify five of these and I will possibly preach on three as time permits:
- That God is not necessary in human life.
The human person is free to do anything he likes and that without God he can achieve anything.
- That this world is all there is
We come to live, enjoy and die. The essence of existence is to enjoy life, satisfy our pleasure and be happy. There is no life after this life.
- That happiness is in material possession
Success and happiness/blessedness is measured in terms of possession, recognition, riches and wealth. The implication is the worship of celebrities as icons of success.
- Religion is outdated.
Faith is hallucination and superstitious, religious beliefs are a figment of the imagination. We are in a post-Christian era of science and technology. We no longer need a religion that promotes a belief in any supreme being.
- Religion is an obstacle to human growth, progress and development.
Religion must not be allowed to interfere in human affairs, in politics, education, public affairs, social life, science and technology, economy etc. Hence, being religious should be a disadvantage.
TODAY’S READINGS
The readings of today seek to address these lies.
- In the first reading, The Lord says, “a curse is on the man who puts his trust in man, who relies on things of the flesh, whose heart turns from the Lord…”
That is, it is an error that can lead to eternal damnation to think the human person doesn’t need God again, to think we become free without God, to think man is capable of anything and he is not accountable to God. It is a rebellion against the creator.
- The Psalmist says “happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.” That is the one who acknowledges God as his origin, sustainer and final end.
- In the second reading, St Paul reminds us that this world is not all there is, that just as Jesus rose from the dead, we also shall all rise again, some to everlasting happiness and those who believed the lies of the devil shall rise to see that they have been deceived and will face the consequences of accepting deception.
- The gospel answers these questions;
Who are those truly blessed? Who are those who will be truly happy? Who are those truly successful?
- They are those who are not possessed by material possession (poor in spirit)
- They are those who hunger for righteousness while many people hunger insatiably for pleasure and enjoyment in this world.
- They are those who bear the insults, scorn, contempt of holding onto their faith despite bad publicity and societal hostility they are the ones who will rejoice and dance for joy for all eternity.
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Okami on Sunday, February 17, 2019.