Epiphany 6 C + Encanto / Blessed + 2.13.22

 

M. Campbell-Langdell

All Santos, Oxnard

(Jeremiah 17:5-10; Psalm 1; 1 Corinthians 15:12-20; Luke 6:17-26)

 

“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.

Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.”

These words are the beginning of the section of the teachings of Jesus that are called the Beatitudes. And I want to say to begin with, that, taken completely literally, these sayings do not make sense. Celebrating the poor just because they are poor does nothing to alleviate their plight and can actually do harm. The same with raising up the hungry, or those who are in pain or those who feel the hatred of others just because they are in that position. The church has done harm when we romanticize poverty, hunger, and other human pain. “Your prize will be in heaven” has at times been a phrase used to mistreat those in need or fail to do what we can for them.

But if we think about it, it is exactly when we are in crisis - when the diagnosis comes, when we receive the unexpected news of a loss, when we need God the most. And in this way, we are blessed, not because we go through pain, but in that these situations can connect us more with God and with our community.

But I think that these phrases speak of three concepts - field, full and family. For starters, “field.” In contrast to this passage in Saint Matthew’s gospel where Jesus speaks to the people on a mountain, Jesus speaks to the people on a plain. Here in Luke the emphasis is on equality between people so the location of a flat place makes sense. Jesus is leveling relationships between people. For example, in a society where a rich person is considered blessed by God, he says that the poor person is blessed. Just as his mother Mary did in the Magnificat, the order of the world is turned upside down to show that in the kingdom of God there is equality. God especially loves those who are forgotten by the world and in his love restores the order that should be natural among people. In the recent movie “Encanto” we see a lovely family living in Colombia. They have a history of fleeing violence and have formed a village in a protected place. Almost everyone in the family has a special gift with the apparent exception of Mirabel. Mirabel finds she does have a gift in the course of the film.

But in the end, she, her Grandma and everyone in the family learn that the real gifts are the members of the family, not their special gifts. They are not what they can do. Perhaps we have to remember that God blesses those who are in need and not just those who know how to do everything. And so, our value is not in what we can do, but in just being part of God's family.

Full. What are people full of? I have heard that sometimes the rich are too full of themselves to know their need of God. Jesus talks about being satisfied here and we know that he is not just talking about being filled with bread. I have known many poor people with a very deep spiritual life because they daily remember their need for God. When those with special powers in "Encanto" begin to lose their powers, they realize their need for help. They look for another "miracle" and are open to the solution that Mirabel brings them. In needing their community, they empty themselves to be open to sharing with others and receiving God’s fullness.

Family. Who is your family? Jesus talks about connections here. Between disciples and friends and in community. A more expansive concept of family is apparent throughout the Gospels. So, Jesus invites us to think about the blessing we find in community. At the end of the movie "Encanto," the Madrigal family is in crisis. They see that the townspeople they have always supported now coming to help them. They humble themselves to receive help in rebuilding their house. Everyone's work begins to bring about their new miracle. We also experience this in community. When are in a difficult time, and we pray for each other. When we visit each other and bring food, sacraments, prayers. When we call or text. To say- you are not alone. I'm with you. God is by your side. And this is the blessing we claim. It is not all the pain that can accompany our lives. It is the blessing of abundant life that we can have in God, despite the challenges of this world.

Because God, speaking through Jeremiah, says:

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.

Blessed are they. Blessed are we. Despite everything, by the grace of God.

And that is our miracle.

Amen.