Newsletter – Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C.

REFLECTION by Fr Michael Tate

Not a Celestial Joke!

Blessed are the poor? – the hungry? – those who mourn? What is Jesus doing in these Beatitudes?

Jesus was not a ‘pie in the sky’ dreamer saying: ‘You are destitute, hungry now. Don’t worry, you will be okay in paradise in the long distant future.’ That would be a cruel celestial joke.

Rather, Jesus was setting about the task of creating a new sort of society, the Kingdom of God on earth, in which the destitute, the starving, the weeping, are blessed in the sense that they can expect their suffering to be alleviated, companions to be found in their distress.

The Divine imperative is that His followers break out of their comfort zone of plenty of money, full stomachs, much to laugh about. They must enter into the harsh reality of other people’s destitute, starving, weeping lives. Woe to them if they do not.

Can Our Lord look into the heart of each one of us living in our comfortable world, and then with confidence turn to that other world and recite the Beatitudes?

We might pause for a moment, recognise that Jesus’ credibility is on the line, and pray that His Father’s will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

© Fr Michael Tate; mt***@bi*****.com

Rev Prof Michael Tate graduated in Law from the University of Tasmania in 1968, and in Theology from Oxford University in 1971. He lectured at the University of Tasmania from 1972-78, being Dean of the Faculty of Law in 1977-78. He was a Senator for Tasmania from 1978-93, being Federal Minister for Justice from 1987-93. He served as Ambassador to The Hague and the Holy See from 1993-96. He then returned to Australia and was ordained in May 2000 and has been a parish priest in the Archdiocese of Hobart since then. He is an Honorary Professor of Law at the University of Tasmania where he lectures in International Humanitarian Law.