DAILY GRACE
September 9, 2020, Wednesday of the 23nd Week of Ordinary Time
Dear Friends,
I have fallen behind this week with the devotions because of some extra things on my plate that I hadn’t anticipated. Here we go again!
Scripture: Luke 6:20-26
Then he looked up at his disciples and said:
‘Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
‘Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.
‘Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
‘Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
‘But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
‘Woe to you who are full now,
for you will be hungry.
‘Woe to you who are laughing now,
for you will mourn and weep.
‘Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
Meditation:
“‘Then he looked up at his disciples and said. . .”
The Beatitudes as related by Luke sound different from the more familiar ones in the Gospel of Matthew. Luke’s are explicitly directed at the disciples. Matthew’s seem less personal, although the context shows that there, too, the disciples are the primary audience. In Luke’s list, the disciples are praised for the sacrifices they’re making and are called to sacrifice even more, sharing in the sufferings of the Master. Luke’s version of the Beatitudes must be consoling to anyone who has been marginalized. People who are better off, on the other hand, may justifiably squirm when confronted with the woes. (It’s helpful and important to note that the woes are warnings, not predictions or curses.)
After presenting the four woes, which are unique to Luke’s Gospel, Jesus offers an antidote — the same challenge to “go beyond” that we find in Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount. Jesus’ followers are not to cling to the letter of the law but to live by its spirit, the twofold commandment to love God and neighbor. Both Luke and Matthew tell us that Jesus urged his followers to be impartially generous toward both the good and the bad, in imitation of the Father in heaven.
Contemplation
JOY — Jesus, Others, Yourself.