1st Reading – Jeremiah 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.

In today’s first reading, the prophet Jeremiah presents a stark contrast between those who rely on human strength and those who trust in God.

Thus says the LORD:

This phrase is a prophetic formula that signifies divine authority and revelation. It introduces a direct message from God, emphasizing that the words that follow are not merely human opinion but carry the weight of divine instruction, warning, or promise.

Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from the LORD.

The passage begins with a stark pronouncement, setting up the contrast statement. “Cursed” indicates a state of misfortune and alienation from divine favor.

Trusting in mere mortals, whether in political alliances, personal power, or human wisdom, leads to a turning away from God. This recalls other biblical warnings against relying on worldly power instead of divine guidance (e.g. Isaiah 31:1). By placing ultimate trust in human ability rather than in the Lord, one becomes spiritually blind and vulnerable to failure.

Unlike the more general adam, which simply means “man” or “human being,” the Hebrew word here for “one” is geber, which conveys the sense of a strong or mighty man, often emphasizing strength, self-reliance, or warrior-like qualities. In this context, the use of geber highlights the irony of trusting in human power — those who consider themselves strong and self-sufficient, relying on human strength rather than God, are actually weak and destined for failure.

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.

This vivid metaphor emphasizes the spiritual barrenness and isolation that result from misplaced trust. 

It is a permanent state of wretchedness; there is no change of season.

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD.

The shift from curse to blessing marks a clear division between two ways of living.

Trusting in the Lord brings security, prosperity, and divine favor. Unlike human strength, which is finite and fallible, God is an unshakable foundation.

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.

To illustrate the benefits of trusting in God, Jeremiah presents a contrasting image. 

Unlike the desert shrub, this tree is firmly rooted, drawing life from God’s abundant and sustaining provision. Hardships will come (heat and drought), but those who trust in God will remain steadfast, unaffected by the trials that wither others. Their lives bear lasting fruit because they are anchored in the Lord’s sustaining presence.

2nd Reading – 1 Corinthians 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 firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Each year the Church dedicates the time between Christmas and Lent to study 1 Corinthians, reflecting on Paul’s guidance to the early Christian community.

In today’s second reading, Paul affirms the reality of Christ’s resurrection in response to doubts among some Corinthians about the resurrection of the dead. Their skepticism, likely influenced by Greek culture, arose from the belief that bodily resurrection was not only impossible but undesirable. While they may have accepted Christ’s resurrection as central to their faith, they struggled to grasp the promise of a future resurrection for all believers.

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? For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised,

Paul begins by confronting the inconsistency in the Corinthians’ thinking. They accepted the preaching of Christ’s resurrection, yet some of them denied the general resurrection of the dead.

“How grave an offense it is not to believe in the resurrection of the dead. If we do not rise again, Christ died in vain and did not rise again. For if He did not rise for us, He did not rise at all, because there is no reason why He should rise for Himself” (Saint Ambrose (378 AD), The Death of His Brother Satyrus 2,103).

and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins.

Here, Paul moves from logic to theology.

Without Christ’s resurrection, faith becomes meaningless, and the hope of salvation collapses. The resurrection is proof that Christ’s sacrifice was accepted by God and that sin and death were truly conquered. If Jesus remained in the grave, sin’s penalty would still stand, leaving believers unforgiven and without redemption.

Christianity hinges entirely on the resurrection — without it, there is no gospel.

Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

Paul now addresses the implications for those who have already died in faith. If there is no resurrection, then the dead in Christ are lost forever.

The term “fallen asleep” is a common biblical metaphor for death, particularly for believers, implying a temporary state rather than finality. If resurrection is denied, this hope is erased and death becomes permanent.

This statement adds emotional weight to Paul’s argument because “those who have fallen asleep in Christ” would have been family members and friends of Paul’s audience.

If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable people of all. 

Paul presses further, pointing out that without resurrection, Christianity offers nothing beyond this present life. If faith in Christ is only for earthly existence, believers endure suffering, persecution, and sacrifice for nothing. Their faith would be a tragic delusion, making them the most pitiable of all people.

But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Paul now declares the truth that refutes all doubts: Christ has risen!

He is not merely an example but the “firstfruits” of the resurrection. In Jewish tradition, the firstfruits were the initial portion of the harvest, signifying that more was to come. By calling Christ the firstfruits, Paul proclaims that his resurrection is the beginning, guaranteeing the future resurrection of all believers.

What God has done for Jesus, the firstfruit, God will do for those who put their faith in him.

Gospel – Luke 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.”

Today’s gospel reading is the opening verses of the Sermon on the Plain, a discourse in which Jesus teaches his disciples and a great crowd about the blessings of God’s kingdom and the dangers of worldly security. 

This sermon in Luke is a counterpart to the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s gospel (Matthew 5:1–7:27), sharing many of the same themes but with notable differences in wording and emphasis. Given the nature of his public ministry, it is likely that Jesus preached similar messages multiple times across different regions of Israel, adapting His words to suit each audience and occasion.

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.

Three groups of attendees are identified:

• the twelve apostles
• a group of disciples
• a large crowd that includes both Jews (all Judea and Jerusalem) and Gentiles (Tyre and Sidon)

The diverse gathering suggests that Jesus’ reputation has spread far beyond the Jewish community.

And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours.

Jesus begins with a series of macarisms (also called the Beatitudes). These declarations of blessing, common in Jewish wisdom literature and prophetic writings, often draw a connection between a behavior and its associated consequences.

In this first macarism, Jesus is not glorifying material deprivation but calling his followers to radical dependence on God. While Luke’s wording emphasizes material poverty more than Matthew’s version of this beatitude, which refers to “the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3), the deeper message remains the same: true blessedness comes from recognizing one’s need for God rather than relying on wealth.

Spiritual poverty expresses faith in God and is a sign that the heart is not satisfied with created things; instead, it yearns to be filled with the love of God.

Notice how Jesus speaks in the present tense: the kingdom of God is yours. A disciple enters God’s kingdom the moment they choose to rely fully on him. Recognizing that all possessions ultimately belong to God, they become stewards rather than owners, using their resources to serve those in need rather than seeking security in wealth.

Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. 

The Beatitudes carry a powerful theme of reversal, revealing how God’s kingdom upends worldly values.

Those who suffer now will find joy and fulfillment in God’s reign.

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.

When Jesus blesses those who are hated, excluded, and reviled for his sake, he assures them that their faithfulness will be rewarded.

When this happens they will be like the prophets, who, because of their calls for repentance and renewal, were rejected by the ancestors.

But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.

In sharp contrast to the blessings, Jesus pronounces woes that serve as a counterpart to each beatitude.

The first beatitude blesses the poor, declaring that the kingdom of God belongs to them. The corresponding woe warns the rich that they have already received their consolation, highlighting the difference between those who rely on God and those who depend on their wealth.

Jesus is not condemning wealth itself but rather an attachment to it that leads to spiritual complacency. Those who treat possessions as their ultimate source of happiness have received their consolation: their comfort in wealth is all they will have.

Throughout Scripture, we see figures like Abraham, Isaac, Moses, David, and Job who possessed great wealth, yet they remained detached from their possessions and placed their trust in God. True discipleship is not about the absence of riches but the freedom to use them for the good of others.

But woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry.

In contrast to the second beatitude, which promises that the hungry will be satisfied, this corresponding woe warns those who are full now that they will experience hunger.

There is nothing wrong with nourishing our physical bodies; however, those who rely on earthly comforts for spiritual contentment will face a time when those comforts fail them, while those who hunger for God’s righteousness will be fully satisfied.

Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep.

The third beatitude promises that those who weep now will laugh, offering comfort to those in sorrow or mourning. In contrast, this woe warns that those who laugh now will eventually weep and mourn, highlighting the transient nature of worldly joy and the eternal joy found in God’s kingdom.

This isn’t a condemnation of joy but rather a self-indulgent, carefree life that ignores spiritual reality and the suffering of others.

Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.

This final woe cautions believers to prioritize God’s truth over human praise.

In contrast to the final beatitude, which blesses those who are rejected for Christ’s sake, Jesus warns that widespread popularity can be a sign of compromise rather than faithfulness.

False prophets were well-liked because they told people what they wanted to hear. In the same way, those who prioritize worldly approval risk losing sight of God’s kingdom and its values, which often stand in stark contrast to societal expectations.

Ultimately, these radical teachings remind us that true discipleship is about living according to God’s standards, not conforming to the world’s desires for ease, comfort, or popularity. 

Connections and Themes

A transformed life. In our second reading, Paul teaches that through faith and baptism, we are completely united with Christ, including his death and resurrection. Without him, we remain in sin; with him, we rise to a new life. Yet, we may be tempted to live as if nothing has changed. This, Paul warns, would be tragic — our faith would be meaningless, we would still be in our sins, and we would be the most pitiable of all.

On the other hand, there is a way in which we can propel ourselves into a new way of understanding. Actions performed in deep faith change how we perceive God’s workings in our lives. When we live as if we have truly died to sin and risen with Christ, our lives begin to reflect this mystery. Faith is not proven before it is lived — the proof is in the life shaped by it.

Jeremiah and Jesus both call us to this paradoxical way of living, where faith reshapes reality. The consequences of our choices are not arbitrary but flow naturally from them. Yet, in dying and rising with Christ, we enter a new way of being — one that overturns worldly expectations and invites us to rely not on what is seen and grasped, but on the unseen ways of God.

A paradoxical life. In today’s readings the poor, the hungry, those who weep, and those who are persecuted are really the ones who are blessed. They may appear to be the outcasts of this world, but if they are filled with faith, they will inherit heaven. They are blessed because they trust not in themselves, but in the Lord.

The wealth of this world and its pleasures are not the blessings we might think they are: they can blind us to the real values of life and prevent us from dying to the world and living resurrected lives in Christ. It is neither poverty nor wealth that promises blessing or curse, but commitment to Christ despite the poverty or wealth — and therein lies the paradox. The life of the tree is subject to the water that nourishes it; the life of the Christian feeds on faith in the death and resurrection of Christ.