Blessings and Woes

September 7, Wednesday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time
Daily Readings: 1 Corinthians 7:25-31 & Gospel: Luke 6:20-26

“Blessed are you who are poor”

What is so good about experiencing poverty or hunger or sadness or hatred and exclusion? Who wants to experience any of these? Certainly not anyone.

The Beatitudes, whether in Luke or Matthew, are difficult texts to understand. What we know is that Jesus would say to his disciples, “The Lord has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19). So God is definitely on the side of the poor and the marginalized and the excluded. But we also need to understand that poverty and hunger and sadness and exclusion are not benefits unless accompanied by trust in God and patience and repentance.

But wait! In Luke’s Beatitudes, Jesus presents parallel woes. And again, we ask ourselves, aren’t riches and happiness, that we aspire to have, blessings in themselves?

Thus, we realize and say: Woe to you if you took advantage of those who have nothing to gain the riches you now have. And woe to you if you remain focused on yourself and not reach out to those in need or are crying for help.

Today, the Lord is inviting us to turn to the poor, the hungry, the sorrowful, the excluded. What is our response?

We thank God for the blessings, material or otherwise, and the opportunity to be able to share these with those who are lacking.