Sunday, February 17, 2019

Focus on God, Not Humans or Circumstances (Readings for Feb. 17, 2019, annotated)

Key:
What these scriptures tell us about God
What these passages tell us to do
What these passages tell us not to do
Commentary

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 LORDwhose hope is the LORD. He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the streamit 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 
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.

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
R. Alleluia, alleluia.Rejoice and be gladyour 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.”


What these scriptures tell us about God
Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD
the LORD watches over the way of the just
Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
your reward will be great in heaven.
Jesus came down with the twelve and stood on a stretch of level ground with a great crowd
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
your reward will be great in heaven

What these scriptures tell us to do
trusts in the LORD
whose hope is the LORD 
stretches out its roots to the stream
fears not the heat when it comes
 still bears fruit.
hope in the Lord.
follows not the counsel of the wicked
delights in the law of the LORD
meditates on his law day and night.
hope in the Lord.
yields its fruit in due season,
hope in the Lord.
hope in the Lord.
Rejoice and be glad
Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!

What these scriptures tell us not to do
trusts in human beings
seeks his strength in flesh
heart turns away from the LORD
walks in the way of sinners
sits in the company of the insolent
you have received your consolation
who are filled now
who laugh now
when all speak well of you

Commentary

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