6th Sunday - The Two Ways

2 ways. How do you know if you’re in the way of light?

Experience of blessing woman who died.

She is dead. But she is very blessed!

Where will you be on the last day of your life? will you be yearning for the Sacraments? or resisting?

Two ways. The light and the dark

This is why we watch sports. Our team represents the way of light.

Didache

There are two ways: one of life and one of death; however, there is a great difference between the two ways. (Didache 1:1)

The Way of Life is this: first, you shall love God who made you; second, you shall love your fellow as yourself. Whatever you do not want to happen to you, do not do to one another. (Didache 1:2)

1:3 The teaching of these words is this: Bless those who curse you, and pray for your enemies, and fast for those who persecute you.

For what credit is if you love those who love you?  Don’t the Gentiles even do the same? But love those who hate you, and you will have no enemy.

Deut

I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God. (Deuteronomy 11:26‒28)

Your Joy?

sino que su gozo es la ley del Señor, y medita su ley día y noche. - Ps. 1

Law of the king

That granted, the king must not acquire too many horses, and he must not return the people to Egypt in order to acquire more horses, because the Lord told you: “You will never go back by that road again.” 17 The king must not take numerous wives so that his heart doesn’t go astray. Nor can the king acquire too much silver and gold. 18 Instead, when he sits on his royal throne, he himself must write a copy of this Instruction on a scroll in the presence of the levitical priests. 19 That Instruction must remain with him, and he must read in it every day of his life so that he learns to revere the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this Instruction and these regulations, by doing them, 20 by not being overbearing toward his fellow Israelites, and by not deviating even a bit from the commandment. If the king does all that, he will ensure lasting rule in Israel for himself and for his successors. (Deut 17)

Lord, who can comprehend even one of your words? We lose more of it than we grasp, like those who drink from a living spring. For God’s word offers different facets according to the capacity of the listener, and the Lord has portrayed his message in many colors, so that whoever gazes upon it can see in it what suits him. Within it he has buried manifold treasures, so that each of us might grow rich in seeking them out...Be glad then that you are overwhelmed, and do not be saddened because he has overcome you. A thirsty man is happy when he is drinking, and he is not depressed because he cannot exhaust the spring. San Efren (sobre el Diatésaron..Cap. 1, 18-19: SC 121, 52-53)”

Blessed are the poor. (Matthew changes it a little.)

Christians look after the poor. The idea is. We always help out the poor.

Mt 25.

I hear some saying “ah, this free loader state. The poor get shipped here and now they’re all over the place.”

That’s not helping the poor, even if there is some truth to it.

Community of priests who couldn’t go in and out of prisons. So they voluntarily became inmates to serve the inmates and save them!

Happy are the hungry

When we are fat and happy, we’re fine, but we forget.

I was trying to fast this one time… And I could hear the birds when I went outside, I could hear the speakers here in the church

Blessed are those who weep, they will laugh

Mary wept under the cross

We fast before feasting, the world feasts before fasting. (Sheen)

The tongue holds the key to life and death (Prov 18:21). 6 Speaking and teaching are the master’s task; the disciple is to be silent and listen.7 Therefore, any requests to a superior should be made with all humility and respectful submission. 8 We absolutely condemn in all places any vulgarity and gossip and talk leading to laughter, and we do not permit a disciple to engage in words of that kind. - St. Benedicts Rule

Happy are those who are persecuted…

Mother Teresa, thank you, now what about for the boy?

Life for the pagan is filled with many little joys, ending in one great sorrow, the Christian on the other hand has many little sorrows, and one great joy (Chesterton)

The Resurrection (Apostles Creed)

Luke 6:20 (GCCLV4:SLG): Ver. 20.—Blessed are ye poor … in spirit (see S. Matt. 5:3), for poorness of spirit is a rich and precious virtue. Therefore S. Ambrose rightly concludes that poverty, privations, and sorrow, which the world counts evil, not only are no hindrances, but on the contrary have been declared by Him who could neither deceive nor be deceived, to be of great assistance towards the attainment of a holy and a happy life.

The same writer goes on to give the reason why S. Luke has reduced the number of the beatitudes to four. He was content that they should include the four cardinal virtues. Justice, which, coveting not the possessions of others, rejoices in holy poverty; temperance, which had rather suffer want than be full; prudence, which chooses to sorrow here, in hope of the joy which shall be revealed; and Fortitude, which for sake of Christ and His Gospel, endures persecution and so triumphs over every enemy. Hence we read that the poor, the temperate, those who hunger and thirst after righteousness (S. Matthew), the just, those who weep, the prudent who despise earthly things and seek heavenly, those hated of their fellowmen, not because of any misdeeds but for the Gospel’s sake, who, steadfast in the faith, seek for future happiness by pleasing God rather than men—that these are indeed blessed. (Cornelius a Lapide, Luke 6)

Justice - Justice is the virtue concerned with giving to others what is their due. Human nature imposes on each one an obligation to tend to one’s last end and to conform one’s conduct to those things necessary to achieve that end.

Temperance - Temperance is the virtue that moderates one’s bodily appetites and disposes them for development of the whole person. It fosters what might be called selfless self-preservation, since it treats sensual instincts not as ends in themselves but as means to an end, the fulfillment of the kingdom of God.

Fortitude - The virtue of fortitude involves standing firm in hope against all pressures, even death. In situations of suffering, desolation, and controversy, it is fortitude, or courage, that moderates the irascible appetite by strengthening it against the passion of fear and by curbing its immoderate stirrings of audacity and destructiveness.

Prudence - the “know how” virtue of the practical intellect, seeks the best way to do the right thing in specific circumstances

I was baptized on a SuperBowl Sunday… and there’s no place I’d rather be than here with you, talking about Christ and worshiping the one true God.