On level ground

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Father Perry D. Leiker, pastorFather Perry D. Leiker, pastor

Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor
“What comes easy won’t last long, and what lasts long won’t come easy.”
There are two interlocking themes that emerge from the readings today.
The first line of the Gospel presents one of those themes: “Jesus came down with the Twelve and stood on a stretch of level ground.”
Jesus speaks to disciples and people from everywhere — and all are equal (level ground).
All of this he does in a society that was very unequal: rich and poor; literate and illiterate; powerful and powerless.
But for Jesus, are all equal — certainly in God’s eyes.
Imagine how consoling it must have been to stand next to a rabbi, a wealthy businessman, teacher, lawyer — all together on level ground.
Everyone receives the same. Everyone can attain the same. The level ground is good news and hope.
The second theme flows directly out of and feeds directly back into the first.
In the Bible, there are two paths in life. One is the “way of the just,” and the other “the way of the wicked.”
Both are mentioned in the responsorial psalm and the first reading. Both are mentioned in the Gospel as Jesus speaks of blessings and woes.
The upside-downness and inside-outness of the Gospel tells the whole truth, too.
Blessings, with God, do not depend on material wealth. It is the poor who so often, precisely in their poverty, their want and their need, find enormous hope, trust and love for God.
In their material poverty they are spiritually rich.
How many wealthy, who have more than they could ever need, are empty, spiritually poor, and ironically unsatisfied?
Jesus stands on level ground and delivers this message to all; here, no one escapes the truth that touches all.
The just, in the scriptures, trust in God and find in God a truth that permeates all and reaches through and beyond the comfort that man and riches can provide.
The cursed, or way of the wicked, is made up of those who trust in man and think that man made wealth and wisdom will fulfill the deepest needs of the spirit and bring authentic joy and peace.
Inevitably, this way leads to ruin.
On level ground Jesus spoke his message; he spoke it to the rich and poor alike.
He proclaimed his Gospel to the just and the wicked.
The eternal Gospel question is: “Although they listened, did they hear?”
Father Perry D. Leiker is pastor of St. Bernard Church. Reach him at (323) 255-6142, Ext. 112; email perry.leiker@gmail.com. Follow Father Perry on Twitter: @MrDeano76.