Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

In April of 1986 two grey-haired men greeted each other warmly in Tokyo’s International Airport. Both men had tears in their eyes. One was an American named Ponich, and the other was Japanese named Ishibashi. The last time the two met was 40 years before, as enemies in a cave in Okinawa (A Japanese island captured by the Americans in World War II and returned to the Japanese in 1972). Sgt. Ponich was holding a five-year-old Japanese boy in his arms that had been shot through both legs and he brought the injured boy to a cave. Ishibashi was one of two Japanese snipers hiding in a dark corner of the same cave. Suddenly Ishibashi and his comrade leaped from their hiding place and aimed their rifles at the American. Ponich put the child on the ground, took out his canteen and began to wash the child’s wounds; he thought, ‘If I have to die what better way than performing an act of mercy’. The two snipers watched in amazement and slowly lowered their rifles. Minutes after Ponich did something Ishibashi never forgot, he took the child in his arms, stood up, bowed in gratitude to the two Japanese, and took the child to an American field hospital. How did the two men happen to meet after all those years? In 1985 Ponich wrote a letter to a Tokyo newspaper, thanking the Japanese people for the two Japanese soldiers who had spared his life 40 years before in that cave in Okinawa. Ishibashi saw the letter and contacted the editor of the paper who set up the meeting. Not every act of mercy or of goodness that Jesus mentions in today’s gospel receives such international publicity. But every act of mercy no matter how small, underscores the beautiful and profound truth of Jesus’ words in today’s gospel. Today’s gospel in an invitation to take a good look at our lives and ask ourselves to what extent do we qualify to be called ‘blest’ by Jesus. For example, are we a person to whom Jesus would give the name merciful? There is so much criticism, anger, revenge, and negativity in our world today, are we examples of forgiveness, tolerance, and positivity. Are we a person to whom Jesus would give the name peacemaker? Do I create peace in my home, in my community? Are we a person to whom Jesus would give the name ‘poor in spirit’? In the gospel Jesus speaks about the strange poverty of those who live for the wealth of this world, and the strange wealth of those who trust in God; he spoke about the strange hunger of those whose only food is the food of this world, and the strange nourishment of those who seek the food that only God can give; Jesus spoke about the strange sadness of those who laugh and the strange joy of those who know how to weep; he spoke about the strange weakness of the strong, and the strange strength of the weak who put their trust in God. The rich tend to rely on their riches. For so many people today, God and religion are redundant and eternal life remote and hazy. An elderly lady said to me on one occasion: ‘isn’t it great that we have God to lean on’. Only God can fill our emptiness; only God can satisfy the hunger of the human heart. The small beatitudes: Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves, they will have no end of fun. Blessed are those who can tell a mountain from a molehill, they will be saved a lot of bother. Blessed are those who know how to relax without looking for excuses, they are on their way to becoming wise. Blessed are those who think before they act, and pray before they think, they will avoid many blunders. Blessed are those who recognise the Lord in all whom they meet; the light of truth shines in their lives, for they have found true wisdom.