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Sunday 16 February 2025 – VI Sunday in Ordinary Time (C) - Blessings and Owes
Mass Readings: Jer 17:5-8 Ps 1 1Cor 15:12.16-20 Lk 6:17. 20-26
My dear Brothers and
Sisters in the Lord,
In the second reading, St. Paul reaffirms to the Corinthians the central doctrine of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, emphasizing its significance for his faithful disciples. The Gospel of Luke presents us with the Blessings and Woes in Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain. Whether the sermon is on the mount or in the plain, its message is directed to each of us as disciples of Christ. In our journey of discipleship, we are called to place our trust in the Lord in every circumstance of our lives.
In
Jeremiah 17:1-4, the prophet sets the context for today’s passage. He laments
that Judah has acted like one who trusts in human strength rather than in the
Lord. As a consequence, the prophet declares that Judah will meet the fate of
the cursed one described in verses 5-6. However, there remains a call to
repentance. If Judah responds positively by placing its trust in Yahweh, it
will be rewarded like the blessed man, who enjoys divine Favor even in times of
drought: "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD and whose trust is the
LORD" (Jer 17:7).
The cursed man is likened to a strong individual who relies on human alliances and political power instead of trusting in Yahweh. Such misplaced confidence results in barrenness and unproductiveness. The prophet warns that turning away from God’s providence leads to destruction. The one who depends on human strength is cursed, for his heart has turned away from God.
Although Jeremiah warns Judah that it is under God’s judgment, he also offers a message of hope: if Judah repents and renews its trust in the Lord, it may once again experience God’s blessings. God knows the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked, as Psalm 1:6 reminds us: 'For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.'"
The Second Reading: Christ Has Been Raised
In
today’s second reading, which continues from last Sunday’s passage, St. Paul
shifts his focus from being a witness to Christ’s resurrection to its
implications for the faith of Christ’s disciples. Addressing his Corinthian
community, St. Paul presents Christ’s resurrection as evidence for the
resurrection of the dead. He proclaims, “If Christ has not been raised, then
our preaching is in vain, and your faith is also in vain” (1 Cor 15:14).
In other words, Paul emphasizes that the Christian proclamation is meaningless without the resurrection of Christ. Without it, the preaching would lose its true content and power. This has profound implications for believers who place their hope in Christ because, for Paul, Christ’s resurrection is a necessary part of God’s act of freeing people from sin and guilt.
Therefore, Paul reminds them that as true believers, their hope cannot be limited to this life alone. Through His death and resurrection, Christ the Lord has brought life to the world. Those who have died in Christ will also share in His resurrection. Paul powerfully states that Christ is not merely the first to be raised but is the very foundation of our own resurrection. “The dead will be made alive in Him.” For Paul, resurrection is not merely a philosophical discussion or a worldly matter-it is an act of faith in Christ Jesus.
Today's
Gospel passage from Luke 6 is a shorter version of the Sermon on the Mount,
which is found in Matthew chapters 5-7, particularly the Beatitudes (Mt 5:1-12).
After choosing the twelve disciples (Lk 6:12-16), Jesus descends from the
mountain and stands on the plain with His newly chosen apostles. There, He
finds a great crowd of disciples gathered, waiting to hear Him and be healed of
their diseases (Lk 6:18). In Matthew’s account (Mt 5:1), Jesus ascends the
mountain to deliver the sermon (hence, the “Sermon on the Mount”), whereas in
Luke 6:17, Jesus comes down to the plain with His disciples and delivers the
sermon (hence, the “Sermon on the Plain”). In both accounts, Jesus speaks to a
great crowd of disciples who have come from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the
coastal regions of Tyre and Sidon (Mt 5:1; Lk 6:17).
The Greek
word for beatitude is μακάριος (makarios), which can mean happiness,
blessedness, fortune, or even being a privileged recipient of divine favour
(cf. Mt 11:6; 13:16; Lk 11:27; 23:29; Jn 13:17; Jas 1:25; 1 Pt 3:14). However,
beatitudes are not simply blessings.
In the Old Testament and other Jewish writings, there are very few direct parallels to the listing of beatitudes or woes. The closest parallel to the Gospel beatitudes is found in Tobit 13:14b: “Fortunate [μακάριοι] are those who love you; they will rejoice over your peace. Fortunate are those who have grieved over your sufferings because they will rejoice over you, seeing all your glory.” We do find lists of blessings and curses in Deuteronomy (Deut 27:15–26; 28:1–6, 15–19). In Sirach 25:7–10, ten situations of happiness are mentioned, though the sense of beatitude is expressed only once or twice.
In the Old Testament and other Jewish literature, blessedness is proclaimed by identifying those to whom happiness belongs (Isa 5:8; Jer 48:1; 50:27; Zech 11:17). In prophetic and eschatological texts, beatitudes express confidence in God’s intervention to correct the present state of suffering and injustice (Isa 30:18; Dan 12:12; Tob 13:14).
|
The Four
Blessings |
||
|
Announcement |
Who is blessed? |
The blessing |
|
1.
Blessed are you |
who are
poor |
for yours
is the kingdom of God. |
|
2.
Blessed are you |
who are
hungry now |
for you
shall be satisfied. |
|
3. Blessed are you |
who weep
now |
for you
shall laugh |
|
4.
Blessed are you |
when
people hate, exclude, insult, and reject you because of the Son of Man |
Rejoice on
that day…for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers
did to the prophets. |
|
The Four Woes |
||
|
Announcement |
Who is cursed? |
The Curse |
|
1. But woe
to you |
who are
rich |
for you
have received your consolation. |
|
2. Woe to
you |
who are
well-fed now |
for you
shall be hungry. |
|
3. Woe to
you |
who laugh
now |
for you
shall mourn and weep. |
|
4. Woe to
you |
when all
people speak well of you |
for so
their fathers did to the false prophets. |
The Four Blessings
The
Gospel passage clearly points out that blessings come to those who experience
poverty, hunger, weeping, and rejection, while woes befall those who are rich,
well-fed, joyful, and socially accepted.
While the blessed take possession of the kingdom, are satisfied, laugh, and receive a great reward in heaven, the cursed will experience want, hunger, and sorrow. The first and fourth beatitudes refer to the present situation (hungry now… weep now), while the second and third beatitudes point to future rewards (you shall). Similarly, the first woe speaks about a present reality, whereas the second and third woes look to future condemnation, as indicated by the use of future tense verbs.
One significant feature of this Gospel passage is that the blessings and woes stand parallel to each other in this pericope: poor/rich, hungry/full, weep/laugh, reviled/spoken well of.
The "Poor in Spirit"
The
"poor in spirit" of Matthew 5:3 is simply rendered in Luke as
“Blessed are you who are poor,” directly referring to the materially poor. This
stands in contrast to verse 24, where the rich are condemned because they have
already received their consolation.
The poor disciples of Jesus will also face persecution, not only because of their material poverty but also due to their allegiance to Christ. However, they will have greater freedom to embrace the kingdom principles preached by Jesus, something that may be more challenging for the wealthy.
The first beatitude identifies the poor as the recipients of the kingdom of God. In the Old Testament, the weak and the afflicted were always the objects of God’s special care and concern (Deut 10:17–18; Pss 10:17–18; 68:5–6; 76:9; 146:7–10). God repeatedly promises to champion the cause of the poor and afflicted (Is 49:13; 42:7; Ezek 34:28; Mic 4:6–7; Is 61:1–4).
The beatitudes do not glorify poverty itself; rather, they affirm that the kingdom of God belongs to the poor, who are more open to God’s grace. However, being poor, hungry, or sorrowful is not the ideal Christian state, as seen in Acts 2:43–47. Rather, Luke emphasizes that, despite human suffering, God is the ultimate source of happiness and fulfillment.
Hunger and Weeping
The next two beatitudes-hunger and weeping-are not separate from poverty but are manifestations of it. Luke’s second beatitude corresponds to the fourth beatitude in Matthew (Matt 5:6), while Luke’s third beatitude corresponds to Matthew’s second (Matt 5:4). The pairing of hunger and thirst is found in Isa 49:10 and 65:13, and poverty and hunger appear together in Isa 32:6–7; 58:7; Job 24:4–10.
In the Old Testament, God promises that the needs of the hungry will be satisfied (Isa 49:10; 65:13; Jer 31:12, 25; Ezek 34:29; 36:29; Ps 107:36–41). Jesus’ feeding of the people in the wilderness echoes the Exodus experience, demonstrating that the new Messiah has come to satisfy His people both physically and spiritually.
The third beatitude speaks of weeping, which is often connected with the afflictions of the poor. In the Psalms (Ps 126:6; 137:1), weeping is associated with the suffering of exile. Ecclesiastes 3:4 pairs weeping and laughing as opposites, while Psalm 126:1–6 links tears with sorrow and laughter with joy.
Suffering for the Sake of Jesus
The fourth
beatitude is distinct from the previous three. It corresponds to the ninth
beatitude in Matthew (Matt 5:11–12) and highlights the relational aspect of
suffering—persecution comes because of one’s loyalty to Jesus.
Hatred against the disciples of Christ will occur, but true disciples will endure it for the sake of the Son of Man. They will be rewarded for their perseverance. Suffering for Jesus’ sake is itself a form of blessedness because it signifies one’s identification with the Son of Man (Luke 9:24; 21:17–19).
Jesus calls His disciples to face suffering with exultant joy. Thus, rejoicing in suffering becomes a hallmark of a true disciple of Christ (Acts 5:41; Rom 5:3–4; Heb 10:34; Jas 1:2, 12; 1 Pet 4:13). Though rejection may come from one’s own people, God’s reward will never be lacking.
The Four Woes
In the last part of this section, we encounter the
four woes, which balance the four beatitudes. Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount
does not contain these woes. While Matthew presents eight beatitudes, Luke
includes four beatitudes followed by four woes.
In general, the woes closely follow the structure of
the corresponding beatitudes, presenting an inverse formulation of their
sentiments. Whereas beatitudes are spoken over those in a particularly
disadvantaged situation, woes are directed at those who appear to be in an
advantageous position. The rich trust in themselves, while the poor rely on the
Lord. Jesus has said that one cannot serve both God and mammon (Lk 16:13) and
has commanded us to store up treasures in heaven rather than hoarding them for
ourselves on earth (Lk 12:21).
Jesus makes this idea explicit in the parable of the
rich fool (Lk 12:15–21), where the rich man is content with himself and closed
off to God's grace. The rich find their consolation in material possessions,
but the Gospel of Luke explains at length how wealth can become an obstacle to
the kingdom of God (Lk 11:41; 12:13–34; 16:1–13, 19–31; 18:18–30; 19:1–10).
Thus, the rich are often distanced from God’s kingdom.
The Second and Third Woes
As with the corresponding beatitudes, the second and
third woes express a simple reversal of circumstances. Woe is pronounced upon
those who have had their fill in this life, for they will experience true
hunger—the kind of hunger deeply felt by the poor.
The third woe is directed at those who indulge in
laughter now, feeling secure and satisfied with their present condition,
unaware that they are living in a false sense of happiness—a fool’s paradise.
The final woe warns against the danger of universal approval. Being spoken well
of by everyone can be a dangerous sign, as the Old Testament prophets often
denounced false prophets who gained widespread acceptance (Isa 30:9–11; Mic
2:11; Jer 5:31; 23:16–17).
The Reversal of Kingdom Values
Another key point in this passage is Jesus' clear
delineation of the reversal of values in God’s kingdom. The disciples who are
poor, hungry, weeping, and rejected for the sake of the Son of Man will be
exalted when His kingdom comes. In contrast, those who reject Christ’s
teaching—those who are rich, well-fed, laughing, and socially accepted—will be
humbled and judged in the kingdom of God.
Points for Personal Reflection
Am I ready to follow the beatitudes set by Christ?
Unlike the woes directed at those who do not follow Him, we are called to be
disciples who embrace poverty, hunger, and sorrow for the sake of the kingdom
of God.
True happiness is found in Jesus alone. By embracing poverty, we experience the joy of possessing God as our only treasure. By hungering for God, we are nourished by His Word and Spirit. By mourning our attachment to sin, we are led to the joyful freedom of being liberated from guilt and oppression through God’s mercy and love.
God will surely reveal to the poor and the humble of
heart the true joy of abundant life in His grace.
When suffering comes upon me and my family because of
our commitment to Jesus, will I remain faithful despite the consequences?
Do I identify with the poor and the suffering in my
family, in the Church, and in society? Or have I compromised my values to gain
the world's approval, placing myself among those who will ultimately be judged?
