First Reading - 1 Corinthians 7:25-31
Gospel - Luke 6:20-26
In the first reading, Paul raises the topic of virginity, on which he stresses that he has no direct teaching from the Lord. In this matter his teaching is affected by his vivid expectation that the second coming of Christ is imminent, and that it will very soon be preceded by the ‘impending crisis’. The fact that the time is so short relativizes all the relationships, joys and sorrows of life, even those of the married state and its normal purpose of rearing children. Paul, in short, invites every believer to live the life in view of the world that is eternal and immortal and not according to the world which is passing and temporal. Today, the gospel passage lays down principles for our lives that how we can live our lives in view of the world that is eternal.
Luke, in the gospel, presents the Sermon on the Plain as following immediately upon the choosing of the twelve apostles (Lk 6:13 ff). Therefore, one of the Fathers of the Church called this sermon “The Ordination Address to the Twelve.” These beatitudes of Jesus were taught in Aramaic. In Aramaic they are not simple statements; rather, they are exclamations, i.e., “O the blessedness of the poor in spirit!". In our current language it may be phrased as “Congratulations to …” the poor, the hungry etc. as a way of celebrating the blessed person’s success. Luke proposes that material poverty leads us to greater detachment from the things of this world, thereby allowing us to attach ourselves to spiritual values. The blessings must be understood as eschatological statements which see and evaluate the present in terms of the future. In the same way, the woes pronounced upon the rich, the full, and those who laugh function as an expression of sadness, not because of the person’s present circumstances but because of what will ultimately be.
Dear friends, we need to respond to the challenges of the Beatitudes in our daily life. Millions are starving, persecuted, homeless, and leading hopeless lives. The only way the promises of the Beatitudes can become a reality for them is through the efforts of people like us. That is why we are told that we will be judged on the basis of our acts of mercy and charity (Mt 25:31-46). It's undeniable that St. Teresa of Calcutta, (Mother Teresa) and her Missionaries of Charity and many other religious, lay people and dioceses have accepted this challenge and demonstrate that by “living the Beatitudes” in the modern world. However, let us remind ourselves that each time we reach out to help the needy, the sick, and the oppressed, we share with them a foretaste of the promises of the Beatitudes here and now. Therefore, our service to the humanity should be with the attitude of love rather than mere duty. Just as the apostles were called to minister to society’s untouchables, all Christians are called to minister to the untouchables, the discriminated against, and the marginalized in our own modern society.
We must take care to choose our way wisely. “There are two Ways, one of Life and one of Death, and there is a great difference between the two Ways.” These are the opening lines of the “Didache” a first century Christian catechism used to teach new Christians the essence of the Christian Faith. The way of life is the way of Jesus, the way of the Beatitudes, the way of loving service to God and our brothers and sisters that leads to eternal life. The other way is the way of death. It is the way of self-centeredness, self-reliance, immorality, self-indulgence, and immediate gratification. It leads to death and hell. Which way are we going? The challenge of the beatitudes is: “Are you going to be happy in the world’s way or in Christ’s way?” If we choose the world’s way, we are seeking our blessings in the wrong place.
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