Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time - C - February 16, 2025

Blessings and Woes

What makes us happy? What makes us unhappy? If we wish to have some sense of fulfillment in this life, these questions are important. Jesus answered these questions in a way that defied common wisdom in his time, and today.

Sunday Studies

FIRST READING Jeremiah compared the blessed man and the cursed man to desert conditions. The blessed man lives as a tree by the river, while the cursed man lives as a dried up plant in the salt flat.

PSALM Psalm 1 states that happiness is the result of a good life, not the goal of life itself. The good life is found in God.

SECOND READING In his first letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul played the "what if..." game. What if there was no resurrection. Faith would be in vain. But, thanks be to God, Jesus did rise from the dead. Our faith is vindicated.

GOSPEL This week, Jesus presented the Beatitudes in Luke's gospel and compared them to four woes. The poor and common folks were blessed, while the rich and powerful needed to beware. God would soon come and give everyone.

Other Resources

DAILY READINGS for Fifth Week in Ordinary Time.

CHILDREN'S READINGS In the story for the first reading, Mark and Daniel were neighbors, but were different in every way. Mark was irresponsible, while Daniel was responsible. Mark wanted everything now, while Daniel would postpone reward for a higher goal. In the same way, Jeremiah spoke of the selfish and the good. In the story for the gospel, the tale of Mark and Daniel continues when Mark light a fire in his room while playing with matches. Mark lost much of his video games and sports memorabilia. Daniel decided to share some of his video games with Mark, much to Mark's surprise. Jesus taught that, like Mark, the selfish were unhappy, while, like Daniel, the self-giving were truly blessed.

CATECHISM LINK In this week's Catechism Link, we investigate Jesus' teachings for the good life, the Beatitudes.

FAMILY ACTIVITY If we forget about others less fortunate than we are, we can find ourselves unhappy in our self absorption. To guard against this temptation, create a "Family Poor Box" to collect moneys for the needy.