Blessed Are The Poor – 6th Sunday In Ordinary Time – Sermon by Father Levine

Fr. Joseph Levine; Holy Family Catholic Church and Missions, Burns, Oregon; February 16, 2025

Something that draws a good bit of attention these days are “Near Death Experiences”. The popular book and movie “Heaven is for Real” was based on a little boy’s account of such an experience. The terminology is a little curious, namely “near death”, because these experiences occur when a person is, for a brief time, clinically dead, showing no signs of life. At the same time the terminology shows that we really do not have any certain criteria of death. Theologically death occurs when the soul separates from the body and goes before the judgment seat of God. Clinically, we can detect signs of life, or their absence, but we cannot judge with certainty the separation of the soul from the body.

The attraction of near-death experiences is that someone has supposedly gone to the other side, the world after death, and brought back a report. Someone is thus almost instantly classified as a sort of “spiritual authority.”

Now, the Catholic Church has long experience of saints, mystics, and false mystics, who have reported supernatural visions of God and the spiritual world. There are intimate personal visions, such as those experienced by St. Teresa of Avila, and there are so-called “private revelations” like those that took place at Lourdes and Fatima, in which the seer or seers were given a message that was to be made public.

The accounts of near-death experiences really have no more validity or authority than any other purported supernatural vision and should be judged by the same criteria.

There is one authority given us about the “other world”. That authority is the Son of God, who came down from heaven, became man, was crucified, died, was buried, and rose again from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father. He came to us from God as God to tell us about God, the spiritual world, and human destiny. St. John writes, No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, has made him known. (Jn 1:18) Because he is God he could tell us – and did tell us – accurately about God even before his death, but his death and resurrection are the proof of all that he told us.

Jesus Christ is risen from the dead and has told us that our bodies also will be raised from the dead at the end of time, in the general judgment. (cf. Jn 5:28-29) His Apostles have told us – against all beliefs about “re-incarnation” – that it is appointed for men to die once, and after that the judgment. (He 9:27) To the pure of heart Jesus has promised the vision of God. (cf. Mt 5:8) Then he will no longer speak in figures but will tell us plainly of the Father; then we shall see face to face. (cf. Jn 16:25; 1 Cor 13:12)

For all that, while the details of the near-death experiences do not have any great authority, the fact that people who were apparently dead had such experiences is significant. The significance is summed up in the words of Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” (Hamlet, 1.5.167-8) Let’s just change the word “philosophy” to “science”.

To this day there are “followers of science” – including the powerful and influential “transhumanist” movement that seeks to merge the human mind with computers – that regard human thinking as no more than a sophisticated computer program, the result of chemical and electrical activity in the brain. Yet no computer could continue operating were its battery to go dead and its power source to be disconnected.

The scientific ideology believes – and it is a sort of “faith” – that everything can be explained, including human consciousness, in terms of physical, material mechanisms analyzed by scientific methods. The “philosophy” of science dreams of nothing more in heaven and earth beyond what can be weighed, numbered, and measured by their methods. The person who has undergone a near-death experience tells us, “Excuse me, something more is involved here.”

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

While, in principle, science and technology are legitimate enterprises, a society that puts its “trust” in science, that “believes” in science, that “follows” science, falls under the curse of those who trust in human beings. Not only is it a purely human form of knowing, but science has nothing to say about human destiny and morality. The society driven by science and technology has proven itself incapable of judging that just because something can be done does not mean that it should be done; from in-vitro fertilization, to surrogate motherhood, to artificial intelligence, to Neuralink, our science driven society has demonstrated no capacity to say, “This is one frontier too far; here we need to stop.” Each further “advance” involves putting more power in the hands of some human beings – regardless of their righteousness or lack thereof – and trusting them with the decisions regarding its use. Or now the abdicating of “decisions” to AI.

This is seeking strength in the flesh for it seeks gain only for this world and, if it does not positively turn the heart away from the Lord, it helps not at all to turn the heart to the Lord and eternal life.

Consider today’s Gospel: to be poor, hungry, weeping, and hated on the account of Jesus Christ, now, in this world. Jesus proclaims such a one blessed. St. Francis of Assisi echoed this when he said to Brother Leo:

“Write,” he said, “what true joy is.” … “I return from Perugia and arrive here in the dead of the night. It’s winter time, muddy, and so cold that icicles have formed on the edges of my habit and keep striking my legs and blood flows from such wounds. Freezing, covered with mud and ice, I come to the gate and, after I’ve knocked and called for some time, a brother comes and asks: ‘Who are you?’ ‘Brother Francis,’ I answer. ‘Go away!’ he says. ‘This is not a decent hour to be wandering about! You may not come in!’ When I insist, he replies, ‘Go away! You are simple and stupid! Don’t come back to us again! … we don’t need you!’ I stand again at the door and say: ‘For the love of God, take me in tonight!’ And he replies, ‘I will not! Go to the Crosiers’ place and ask there!’ I tell you this: If I had patience and did not become upset, true joy, as well as true virtue and the salvation of my soul, would consist in this.” (Writings, Vol I., pp. 166-167)

True joy is there because through his patience, humility, and charity he discovers his union with God. True joy is there because he discovers that he is no mercenary, serving God for his gifts in this world, that he is not seeking himself under a pretext of piety, but serving purely for love of God.

To trust in God means being willing to build our life on his word, believing that he teaches the way to true happiness; to trust in Jesus Christ means being willing to build our life on his word, because he is God, believing that he teaches the way to true happiness. It means believing, on a practical level, that money will not make us happy and that poverty will not separate us from God; that it is more important to be nourished by the word of God and the Body of Christ than to have bread on the table at home; that it is better to weep for our sins than to enjoy ourselves and have fun; that it is more important to obey the commandments of God than to be liked or loved or popular.

We might not be put to the test as St. Francis proposed it to Brother Leo, but we should have confidence in God that even should he allow us to suffer such things he will not abandon us, that he allows such trials only to purify our souls and unite us forever to himself.

We have tasks and responsibilities in this life that are entrusted to us by God. When Jesus says, Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day (Mt 6:34) he is not forbidding us to make proper provision for the future, but rather telling us not to be worried about what is not in our control, much less seek to control what does not belong to us; if our best plans go awry, God has a better plan, even if we do not yet see it. This follows on what is primary, seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. (Mt 6:33) “All these things” includes those things that we truly need to attain our eternal salvation. This is what we beg for when we pray, Give us this day our daily bread.

So, a father of a family has a responsibility to make provision for his family. He needs to work to provide for his family; he needs to save money; he needs to ensure for the maintenance and upkeep of his house. He does not need a mansion, an RV, and a boat for fishing. It would be good to consider your property, your family, and even your own life not so much as belonging to you, but as an administration entrusted to you by God. Do you have money in the bank? It belongs to God, you are his administrator; you need to ask the Lord how he wants you to administer that money.

For all his care to provide, a father might find that tomorrow, through unforeseen circumstances, without any fault on his part, he is bankrupt. He needs beforehand to cultivate in his heart the attitude of Job who said, Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return; the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. (Job 1:21)

That does not mean that we do not hurt, that we do not suffer, that we do not make our complaint known to God, but that above all we trust that God will indeed provide, will indeed give us what we need to make it through the crisis, that the sufferings of the present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed (Rm 8:18), that in everything God works for good with those who love him (Rm 8:28). It means sharing the confidence of St. Paul who said, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rm 8:35,38-39)

There are future possibilities that might come to a person’s mind and provoke fear and anxiety. We should acknowledge such possibilities but not dwell on them; we should turn to the Lord, place our fear in his hands and ask, “Lord, preserve from this, but if it should come to pass, I ask only that you give me what I need to remain faithful to you.” Then, we should return our focus to the task at hand.

The prophet Micah tells us: He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Mic 6:8)

And today’s Psalm: Blessed is the man … who delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on his law day and night. He meditates on his law so as to put it in practice.

In this way we build our life on the word of God, confident that what God has promised, he will make good.