“Thus says the Lord: ‘Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh.” Woe to you who are rich, …woe to you who are filled now, …woe to you who laugh now, …woe to you when all speak well of you.’” As you listened to today’s first reading and gospel, you may have felt a little uncomfortable. Reviewing this weekend’s readings, I was reminded of an observation one of my scripture professors made: “Our Lord came to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” As happens so often when we read the Word of God, our world is turned upside down. Or perhaps, our upside world is turned right side up. In a world that focuses so much on this-worldly comfort and happiness, and approval from our fellow man – just think of how so many today are obsessed with being liked – God’s Word calls us to turn our focus on our eternal happiness and being in a good relationship with God. This conversion of heart brings us true and lasting blessing, both here and, more importantly, forever in the hereafter.
What does it mean to be blessed? It means to be in God’s grace, to enjoy his favor and it leads to true joy and everlasting happiness. We all seek to be happy but what we really seek is to be blessed, that is, to enjoy God’s favor, both here and for all eternity in heaven. So, how do we become blessed? Just as we hear how we are cursed in today’s readings, we learn about how to be blessed. Our first reading reminds us that we are blessed when we trust in the Lord. Today’s gospel exhorts us to recognize the blessings that come from seeking satisfaction in seeking the kingdom of God, even in the midst of poverty, hunger, sadness and hatred. These beatitudes and woes that we hear today are not to be understood simply as rules for the ordering of our lives. They have to do, rather, with the kingdom of God which is not a place but a spiritual reality. There is no glorification of poverty, hunger, grief, nor persecution in Luke’s version of the beatitudes. One is not exhorted to seek these negative positions in order to obtain a blessing.
At the same time, there is no glossing over the reality of challenges and hardships that seeking God before all else may bring. Nor is there a call for stoic endurance. But assurance is given that wrongs ultimately will be righted and that God has a particular concern for the poor, the hungry, the grieving, and the victimized. Such concern is an important characteristic of Jesus’ mission and of the kingdom of God. We hear earlier in Luke’s Gospel of Jesus’ inaugural sermon in the synagogue in Nazareth. You will recall that it is based on a passage from Isaiah which begins: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.”
Most of those whom Jesus is addressing are poor, lacking in material goods. Some of them have even “left all and followed him.” They are living under the reign of God. In spite of their outward circumstances, they have a security which no amount of riches can give. Jesus also reminds them that those who serve God are often misunderstood, abused, and reviled. Such was the treatment of many of the prophets of old; therefore, the poor among Jesus’ disciples are following a noble heritage.
But what of the rich, the satisfied, the lighthearted, the well thought of? For what reasons are woes pronounced upon them? They can so easily become self-satisfied and feel that they are deserving of their good fortune. They can get caught up in things as they are and see no need for change or growth. People who seem to have everything going for them can easily glide into a sense of false security, which leads them to give scant attention to their eternal destiny. Later on in his Gospel, Luke recounts one of Jesus’ parables which speak to this attitude. You will recall the parable of the rich fool whose land produces a bumper crop. He boasts that he has ample goods laid up for many years. Therefore he can “relax, eat, drink and be merry.” But that very night he dies. “So it is with those who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich toward God.”
Jesus does not condemn the good things of life, such as a strong financial base, the material possessions we need, a joy filled life and a good reputation. But he does warn of the danger of trusting in these things as a source of security in life. They are all transitory. Riches cannot compare with treasure in heaven. Abundance of food may be taken away by illness or famine. Sorrow is bound to come into any life no matter how well it may be protected. People praise false prophets in every age because they tell them what they want to hear and do not challenge their false securities.
The blessings and woes that we hear today call us to remember that God is the source of all that we have and eternal union with God should be the goal of our lives here on earth. We should begin every day thanking God for all that he has given us and dedicating ourselves to building up his kingdom here on earth in preparation for the time that God calls us from this life.
We find ourselves living in a time when there are many in our society who want to disregard God’s laws, making up their own definitions – for marriage, when life begins and who decides when it should end, and even what gender you are, and devising their own morality, based on human opinion or feelings rather than divine truths. Some even go further and want to force their godless ways on the rest of society. We sometimes find ourselves on the outs with some of our family members or friends and, like the early Christians, we have to decide where we stand. Is it more important for us to have others speak well of us or to be blessed – that is, in a right relationship with God?
There are consequences to straying from God’s vision of human happiness. St. Luke provides these four “woes” after his description of the beatitudes – the blessings – to warn that disaster comes upon those whose worldly comfort and prosperity has turned them away from God and fidelity to the demands of his commandments. The woes remind us that satisfaction in worldly wealth and prestige can give us a false sense of security and lead us to overlook our radical dependence on God.
One of the areas where we find our beliefs to be most challenged is in marriage and family life. We believe that marriage is to be found only between a man and a woman and that it has two purposes: the good of the spouses and the procreation and care of offspring who will, in turn, be invited into the blessed life of following God’s commands. Today, a day after Valentine’s Day, we celebrate all of you who have been faithful to your vocation of marriage, a sacred call to be that clearest sign here on earth of God’s creative love. You all know the challenges you have faced in committing yourselves, day in and day out, to loving each other and the family you have created. And, if you have been open to hearing God’s word, you have experienced God’s blessings even in the darkest moments of your lives. In the name of your fellow parishioners and, indeed, the entire Church, allow me to commend you on your dedication to your sacred vocation.
Today, let us all heed God’s warnings about the dangers of a life lived apart from him, and follow the path of blessing that he has charted out for us, especially through his son, Jesus. That’s how we find peace in this life and true, everlasting happiness – endless blessing – in heaven.