Dance Directions - Missionary Commentary for Sunday, February 16

Readings for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jeremiah 17:5-8
Psalm 1:1-4,6
1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20
Luke 6:17, 20-26

USCCB Link to the Readings

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Dance Directions

“I can’t imagine myself doing anything else,” I sometimes tell people.

They often don’t know what to say to that.

What often seems to surprise those interested in hearing more about our missionary lives, is how readily we can share the simple and moving stories that reveal our love for the people who have adopted us into their lives, as God calls them to live out their own liberation in all its fullness, often taking our breath away.

The father of a family in Chile once shared his thoughts at a meeting in a small chapel community where I lived, about being invited to become a member of a new group--a Basic Christian Community in the chapel, about a dozen people who would share their reflections each week on their own reality, in the light of God’s word, and plan to act on these reflections. Each meeting would thus build on past meetings, beginning with the sharing of experiences between the gatherings.

a similar chapel in Chile today

“I know that this might be a risky thing to do,” he admitted, “given the way the dictatorship spies on us, and sometimes interrogates us, suspicious of meetings taking place without their authorization.

“But I feel I have to accept this invitation, in order to give a valuable lesson to my children. We cannot allow fear to keep us inside our houses, uninvolved in the efforts to come together, speak freely, and contribute to denouncing injustice, and organizing for a different future. I will teach them by example.”

The joy of the poor, the hungry and those who cry out in pain is that God has come into our world to turn the tables on all of us, and awaken us to his plan and his priorities for the human family. We count ourselves blessed, happy to live in harmony with God’s values, and learn to dance with joy and laughter—just as Jesus urges us to do--when attacked for it.

Notes on the Sunday Readings

First Reading 
Jeremiah 17:5-8 – These wise sayings warned the people of Judah, centuries before Christ, to trust primarily in God’s guidance, rather than in human calculations of military might and strategic alliances, for their lasting security.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 1:1-4, 6 – This ‘wisdom psalm’ echoes the warning of the first reading, contrasting the fruitful growth of the person who studies the Torah, with the kind of person who behaves selfishly, about as lifegiving as a dried-up twig in a desert.

Second Reading 
1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20 –The Apostle Paul reminds the Christian community in the city of Corinth that if Christ is raised from the dead, so is the whole person when baptized into this Paschal victory, even from death.

Gospel 
Luke 6:17, 20-26 –  Those who are rejected by their fellow humans—the poor, the hungry, those crying out in pain—are being accepted by God, who, in Jesus, is transforming values and challenging perceptions, as the mighty (woe to them) are being cast down, and the lowly (blessed are they) are being lifted up.

Notes and commentary by Fr. Bob Mosher, 
a member of the Missionary Society of Saint Columban.

Please pray for the missions!
God bless you in all the ways you Go Forth…

Jubilee Journey of Hope
USCMA and Nativity Pilgrimage are leading a 
Jubilee journey to Rome and Assisi! 
October 2-11, 2025

Interested? Attend our information session
Wednesday, February 12 at 2pm ET or 7pm ET
Meeting Zoom Link