You always gotta love a reading that starts with the word “cursed,” like our First Reading from Jeremiah does. “Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings, who seeks their strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from God. They are like a barren bush in the desert.” But “blessed is the one who trusts in God, whose hope is in God; they are like a tree planted beside the waters that stretch 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.”

I mean, clearly, we want to be the second tree, right? We want to be a lush tree that has enough reserve to bear fruit even during hard times. Of course I want to be that! It sounds easy, but I’m not always sure how to get there? How do I cultivate trust that roots me so deeply in God that nothing depletes my store of nourishment? I’m not sure. I feel like my metaphorical spiritual leaves can sometimes turn brown and crunchy from lack of water. I’m not an old, dead bush in the desert, but still.

We get the same message in the Psalm, which is the first Psalm of the 150 that we have in Scripture. We are instructed to place our trust in God’s law. When we do that, we will become like a tree planted near running water. And we’re told to follow the wisdom of God’s law rather than “the council of the wicked.” We listen to God’s voice contained in the law, in God’s instructions for us, and not the BS hooey that evildoers tell us. That sounds like wisdom to me too. There are a lot of voices that are extra amplified in our time by the many and varied media outlets that have access to us. Some of what these voices say is good and helpful, but much of it is not. Much of it is intended to provoke or confuse, to tempt us to move away from God. Much of it can overwhelm us rather than offering us peace and presence and care.

Then, in our Gospel, we have the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes in Luke are unique in that they offer blessings and woes. The woes are the same as curses, I think. Blessed are the poor, the hungry, the weeping, and the persecuted. But cursed are the rich, the satisfied, the laughing, and the admired. Sometimes it’s hard for me to make sense of these, because it seems like the blessings listed are things that don’t usually feel good, like blessings. I mean, who wants to be hungry, sad, and persecuted? Not me. And people who are well satisfied and admired don’t seem to be cursed. It looks pretty good to have that life.

However, if we think about all these readings together, our invitation to trust in the wisdom of God rather than the council of the evil or uninformed voices around us, I think it does make sense. When we follow the wisdom of God, trusting wholeheartedly in God, we may not be admired by the people around us. If we’re not cutthroat in our lust for money and admiration, if we’re not looking out only for ourselves but uplifting the people around us instead, the secular culture around us likely won’t give us an award or a gold star or a pat on the head. The wisdom of God is not usually rewarded with accolades and prizes. In fact, it’s almost never rewarded with those things.

Last week, in my city, Cincinnati, there was a big immigration rally. I was there with a few other sisters, some associates and friends and lots of people that we’re connected with, and a bunch of other people we never met before but who are like-minded and hearted in our desire for justice. It was a beautiful thing to witness. There was so much energy and life. When a crowd moves and chants together, that unites them in a little community, at least in that moment, and we also carry it with us when we disperse. We carry with us that glow of connection and light. And we saw it in the faces of those who witnessed our rallying and marching as well. You know, with all the people who were there, I have not seen one piece of media coverage about it. That same day, a small group of Nazis had a demonstration, and that was covered instead. Whoever put our march together did not receive the recognition they deserved, but I believe they’re blessed in the kingdom of God. I felt blessed by them for sure.

And that’s just one example, but there are countless things that people do and ways that people are in the world that are blessed and create blessings for other people. All the ways that people use their gifts and resources, their privileges and the opportunities that emerge to push back against darkness and lift other people up to the light. It’s astonishingly beautiful. It is certainly blessed in the eyes of God. It will likely not earn great success in this world – or money or much reward. And meanwhile, the voices that promote destruction and violence and bigotry will often have the mic. It’s a shame.

And yet, we are not called to listen to the loudest voices. We are called to listen to the wisdom of God whose voice is often heard in the most vulnerable people around us. And maybe it’s heard in the vulnerability of creation, too. Working for the good may lead us to be physically hungry and emotionally and spiritually thirsty for justice and peace, but when we stand on the side of the light and push back against the darkness, we know the love and presence of God. It may not always be felt immediately. We may not always see it clearly in the moment. There’s certainly not much instant gratification. What we receive is subtle, but we also know it’s deeply rooted, not easily burned away in the desert but nourished by the deep water of God.

Living into the Kingdom of God does not bring honor and glory. We know that and Christ confirms that for us in the Beatitudes. However, working toward this Kingdom, this kindom, might bring the kind of satisfaction that comes from deeply rooting ourselves in love and mercy, peace and presence, which allows us to trust very deeply even during hard times. We have access to that reserve of love, and as we share that sustenance, we nurture each other and the whole world.

For Reflection:

• What helps you to root yourself in God and God’s wisdom? What helps you to trust more deeply?

• What tends to move you away from God? How do you work with that in your life or resolve that or change direction?

• How is God calling you to respond with God’s love and compassion? God’s peace and justice?

• Maybe you could take a little time with God in the quiet. What is God saying and how will you respond?

by Sister Leslie Keener, CDP

Sister Leslie Keener, CDP is the director of God Space, a community-building spirituality ministry in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. She’s a Sister of Divine Providence with a Masters in Ministry and a Certificate in Spiritual Direction and Retreats from Creighton University. She directs retreats, meets with people for spiritual direction, and serves as the vocation director for her community. She enjoys music, spicy food, and marching for justice!

God Space is a ministry of the Sisters of Divine Providence of Kentucky. Do you want to learn more about the Sisters of Divine Providence? Check out our website here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.CDPKentucky.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.